We interrupt this business tool review blog with a mama post. Well, to be honest, I cover three primary topics: business tools, travel, and mama life and how they all go together. I have been confronted with picking a kindergarten! Oh, my! School choice is something pretty foreign and abstract to me, it was not something that I had to do until I picked a college. So the idea that I needed to research elementary schools for my 4-year-old threw me for a loop. And then realizing that our fate was tied to a lottery system, goodness! So, what did I pick?
School choice
This is not going to be one of those overly opinionated, polarizing commentaries on school choice. This is an “I don’t want to screw up my kid” kinds of posts.
The options
Whoa, can we say overwhelm? First of all, we just relocated to Indianapolis so I have a very limited idea of where anything is in the greater metro-area and where are the sketchy/transitional places v. established areas.
Secondly, I had to have everything submitted by the end of January. So I was pretty clueless and pressed for time, bad combo.
Thirdly, the landscape of education has changed a lot since I was in grade school and educationally philosophies for each school were each a bit different. I was having to learn the difference between Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Centers for Inquiry, STEM, and dual-language immersion. I was starting to think I was back in my teacher education masters program!
Indianapolis Public Schools uses a program called One Match. I poured over all sorts of information, virtually zoomed around the city, and then had to rank my picks for my daughter. Again, all from the point of view of trying to not screw up my kid. The pressure! School choice might have included a choice about whether I wanted to have a second glass of wine that night. HA!
Oh, and the lottery element was intense. It was like waiting to find out if you got the job after an intense interview. It was an eagerly awaited email, to say the least.
So, where did she match?
After wandering the internet, school review reading, learning about the various programs of study, and then ranking my top 10 picks, my daughter got matched for the Spanish language immersion program!
Hola, me llamo Johanna! And according to google translate, amo las llamas! Also, according to google, a fellow work-from-home peer, and current pop culture I a unicorn mom? I think I will stick with being the busy llama because I think I may care a bit more about the school choice to qualify as a unicorn mom.
Back to my child, I hope that our match for school choice will not derail my child for life and make me stink as a parent. I mean, heck, I am sure I will mess something else up along the way but hopefully, this isn’t the tipping point in her life! I am excited about her educational journey to begin and watch her blossom into an amazing young lady!
That’s a wrap!
Y’all, I am excited for the next course review I am doing so stay tuned next week for it to publish. In the meantime, it is not too late to snag a copy of We’re All a Mess, It’s Ok and join us for the first, and hopefully not last, edition of The Busy Llama Book Club!
What are your thoughts on dual language schools? Drop me a line or leave a comment to let me know what you think. Catch you later and remember, do what you love and love what you do!
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