Should we stay in less than great school?

Question

Our family moved cross country this summer. We enrolled our son in our neighborhood school for kindergarten. We've been happy with it but we don't think it will be the best place for him for 1st grade so we’re trying to decide whether to keep him where he is or send him to a private school.
Things I’m thinking about:
1) We know he will be safe in the current school for 1st grade but we also know he won't be challenged academically or develop strong friendships (80% of the students speak English as a 2nd language).
2) No matter what he will be changing schools for second grade (We're renting a house until we get a good sense of the area and plan to buy a home in summer '09.)
3) He handles “big changes” really well (getting a baby brother, moving across the country, starting K, etc)
So, do we make him attend four different schools in four years (Preschool, K, 1, 2), or do we give him a less than stellar first grade experience in order to provide a bit more stability. Thanks!

Just to clarify everyone....I LOVE that he's getting to know kids from a different culture who speak a different language as part of his kindergarten experience. That's why we decided to put him there for K in the first place rather than enrolling him in private school. But I've learned this year that there really are challenges. I can't communicate with the other parents so making playdates outside of school doesn't work. His classmates don't participate in the same activities outside of school (soccer, etc) so we don't "bump into" them on the weekends or afternoons. Also, his teacher has to keep the class at a very basic level since many of the kids had little or no preschool and are working hard to learn english. All of that's fine for this year but as he gets older it really won't be. That's the ONLY issue with the large ESL population. NOT that I don't want him to have "friends with an accent".

Answer 1

Wow, tough question.

One thing I thought of (I'm math oriented), is why would it be four schools...if you move him to a private school for first grade, wouldn't he be able to stay at that school for second grade (making it just three schools in four or more years). I know you are moving and that would affect public school boundaries but the boundaries for most private schools are much larger (really limited only by your willingness to handle transportation issues that don't arise in public school)!

Another thing to consider...are any of the other parents considering private school for their child...if your child could go with even one friend from kindergarten that would make the transition that much easier.

My son attended three schools in five years...a private preschool in Colorado for a year, a private preschool/kindergarten here (Texas) for three years, and now a public elementary school. I remember being concerned when I decided to let him stay in the private school for kindergarten because I knew that with the geographic dispersion of the school, if he didn't get admitted to the special "magnet" school (public school that serves the entire city), he would lose most if not all of his friends when he went to a different private or public school for first grade!

Fortunately, he got into the special public school and he started 1st grade with six of the kids from his kindergarten class in his classroom (including his two best friends) and another 15 or so (out of 25 total) at the same school. He adapted to first grade almost immediately and is getting a fantastic educational experience to boot!

I don't think three or even four different schools would necessarily be a bad idea...but I firmly believe that first grade is the most important grade! For me, if the choice was stability (and convenience) or stellar first grade experience, I'd have to go with the educational experience. We're just over three months into first grade and I can't begin to describe the amount of growth and learning I've seen in my son because he is having a beyond stellar first grade experience with classmates that are his academic peers! (our neighborhood school is about 65% English as a 2nd language). I (and other people I know) "checked out" of school in the first grade because we were bored...and while I managed to check back in during college, I lost a lot of years because I wasn't encouraged (or even allowed) to push my limits in first grade! I have no doubt that if my son was in the neighborhood school, he'd already be bored (we had a few problems with that at the very beginning of school before the teacher had the chance to do assessment testing to figure out where to start each child). Instead, he's already on 2nd grade math and his reading level has jumped nearly a full grade level in just three months because he's at a school that challenges students to learn and advance!

Answer 2

My answers for you are actually conflicting. I live in an area now where most of the children speak both English and Spanish, and many are only learning English from being at school. The public school system in the area is fairly bad, and I was not impressed with it at all for a while. However, we happened to get one of "those" teachers who made public school all worthwhile. She was incredible at noticing what each child needed and making sure that they were able to get it (to the extent that parents worked with her. Most did, but a couple of families were uninterested in their child's education, and would not work with the schools at all.) My own daughter was able to skip 1st grade by doing 1st grade work during her Kinder year, which is where she should have been the year prior except her birthday is after the cut off date. So she went to two different Head Start programs (one part day, one full day) and then to public school for Kinder. This year in 2nd grade, we got the opportunity to put her in private school, and I jumped on it mostly because the public school class would have had 25 kids and I was afraid that with the jump, she might get lost in the shuffle. Ok, not that I would have let that happen...

But anyway, I have done exactly what you are asking for all different reasons (and getting ready to make it another school for 2nd, because we also will be moving cross country). But I really think its dependent upon your own feelings more than anything else. If you really see that your son has no close friendships, then it may make the most sense to move him, whereas if he is making friends, but you are just concerned about the language barrier, don't. Kids are AMAZING communicators. (I work with people with developmental disabilities, and if they can find ways to communicate, then I guarantee two kids who don't speak the same language will find ways!) Academically, if you choose to leave him at the school he is in, because he is in such a young year, you can make his work more challenging. If you are absolutely not going to be able to work with him to think of challenges, then that would be a good reason to move him now.

Okay, so I've gone on way too long. What it comes down to is that you have to decide whether the benefits for your son are greater with a change now or not. Good luck!

Answer 3

An education lastes a lifetime. If he is happy and you think he is learning all he should, keep him in the school, but remember this: early childhood is when the brain is open to new learning, and later in life, it closes. You're stuck with what you know and your brain is focused on using that information. That saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is absolutely true and you cannot replace a good education with anything. Also, putting him in the new school now will allow him to begin developing friendships since, as you said, it would be harder for him to do at the school he is currently attending.

I hope some of this helped. Best of luck to you and your family! :)

Answer 4

We just moved for that very reason. The schools in our old neighborhood where ok but not great. We did not want our daughter to have to switch schools. Therefore we moved now rather than later. I am not sure if sending him to private school would be counter productive. That is money you could use towards a new house and allow you to move before he starts first grade. The housing market is great for first time buyers. Home prices are way low.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

It sounds like the cons certainly outweigh the pros in leaving your son in his current school. Since your son deals with transitions effectively I would either homeschool or send him to private school. It's a tough situation, good luck.

Answer 7

why not put him in a private school and leave him there as long as you can afford it

and whose to say he wouldnt develop a strong friendship with somebody with an accent who cares what they sound like as long as they are good kids (dont ever let your child know you said that)

Answer 8

probably you should ask him, i don't know cause im not a parent yet. I think that lower elementary isn't all that important academically, but friendship wise, it is. I don't see why ESL kids wouldn't make good friends, it could be a good experience. Good luck on making your choice.