Back in my days teaching in the trenches of Chicago, my school displayed a big African-esqe banner quoting the old proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." Until I saw that banner in the halls of a high school, it had never occurred to me that I, as a teacher, was helping to raise children. But especially now that I have children of my own, I've realized that children do need a whole village around them, and that teachers can be an intergral part of that village.
Basically what I'm sayin' is: I cannot raise these boys by myself. And so Ms. Katy has got my back from 3:00 to 5:30 four times per week.
Ms. Katy teaches "Preschool for All" at the local public school. I am a firm believer that public school (I might even go so far as to say your neighborhood school) should be good enough for everyone, and that if it's not, it is our responsibility to make it good enough.
Yes, I admit that my gut reaction is to shelter Spike from "the masses," but when I examine that tendency, I realize that I'm being totally snobby and not at all Christian. After all, usually when we get together with other kids, the other kids are the ones who need sheltering. And Christ never ever shied away from the masses; rather, he rubbed shoulders with all the "wrong" sorts. I want my boys to know that our home is a Christian one, but I don't want them unaware of or uncomfortable interacting with other walks of life.
Anyway, we are lucky. Our good friends from church have had their son in the same teacher's class both this year and last. The mom could not say enough good things about it and kept telling me, "You are going to be so blessed by this program." I am really impressed so far with Ms. Katy, Isaac's diverse classmates, and how he responded to his first day.
A few practicalities for those of you with two year olds in Chicago...
I started looking into preschool last spring after Isaac turned three, thinking, "I just want the cheap/free public version; I don't want to deal with 'wait lists' to get into the best schools, etc. etc." Ha! We were lucky to get in to a free school. The school that is right up the street from us has the public program and it was full a year in advance. So if you have a two year old who you might like to send to preschool, get 'em on a waiting list!
Also, do not trust the internet! There are several different options for preschools in Chicago -- for all philosophies and budgets -- and literally the ONLY way to get the straight scoop is by actually going to the school. I would highly recommend going late in the fall, asking to see the actual classroom and teacher, and filling out the forms on the spot. The websites will have all the wrong dates and forms. So irritating.
When I was trying to figure it all out last spring, I was like, "Okay, I am a highly educated, stay-at-home mom, who is motivated and speaks English, and finding a free preschool is no easy task. How do all these first generation immigrant mommas who have to work full time figure all this stuff out?" Navigating schools in Chicago, from preschool through high school, takes some serious time and effort.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
School in Chicago: My Philosophy and My Advice
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I read your blog. Then later I was reading last week's Newsweek, and I found this article sounding a similar note. What Parents Really Want: http://education.newsweek.com/2010/09/13/guggenheim-why-i-made-waiting-for-superman.html. (Sorry - I don't know how to make it a hyperlink - you'll have to cut and paste, I guess.)
ReplyDeleteK
Mom,
ReplyDeleteHere's that article linkified.
You need to teach me how to do that!
ReplyDeletemom
There's a tutorial here.
ReplyDeleteWOW, This comment grew quickly, sorry.
ReplyDeleteWe experienced a similar issue out here in the DC area. In fact, we found our preschool by virtue of the fact that you could actually "compete" to get in, via parental commitment. They have a first-come-first-served application process that opens at a specific place and time, in person only. I waited overnight outside in the cold, waiting-for-concert-tickets style, so that I could be the first parent of a 4-year-old in line when they opened the doors at 2pm the next day. There was a single 4's spot available, so I had to be first, or it was pointless. I swung by the place after work to see if anyone was waiting, and there were already four dads. I ran home and got a change of clothes and waited with them overnight once I found out they were all parents of 2's a 3's and I could still be the first 4's dad. I was happy to be able to secure a spot via one night of sleeplessness, because we didn't lottery into any of the other neighborhood preschools, and heard many stories of parents missing everywhere. This place is a little unique in that it is cooperative, so it has less demand than other pre-schools as parents are involved in the classroom and required to participate. We ended up loving our experience there and Naomi is back there this year (legacy sibling preference, so much easier this time). In fact, we liked it so much that one factor in choosing our elementary school was that it too was cooperative.
Allow me to share my favorite day-care/pre-school story from the DC area; this one is from a co-worker. A WEEK after their son was born, he went to the day-care/pre-school in their neighborhood (very highly respected, sough-after place). When he asked about day-care, he was told that traditionally, parents need to apply 10-12 months in advance for infant day-care that they intend to roll into pre-school down the road. THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS!! The average 2-working-parents household will take 6-8 weeks of maternity leave before requiring some form of childcare. Add to that 40 weeks of pregnancy and we get around 48 weeks, or roughly 11 months. The administrative person from that day-care was saying that anyone hoping to use their infant day care should apply no later than immediately following the discovery that they are pregnant. How many times does that person have this conversation-starter: "Hi, we're thinking about having unprotected sex tonight as were planning on eventually starting a family, can we get an application for day care?"
I also noticed in the trailer for Waiting for Superman that they talked with Michelle Rhee, the Chancellor of the DC school system. She is a very polarizing figure here who has made big changes in the DC school system in the past 2 years, but she is likely on her way out as Adrian Fenty, the mayor who hired her to fix the school system, was defeated in the Democratic primary this week(the only race of any importance for an office in DC) and Vince Grey, the winner, appears unlikely to keep her around as his supporters included the teacher union she has fought the past two years. She has made enemies, but she appears to have improved the schools and had what I thought (though I'm clearly on the outside) to be good ideas.
Interesting stuff, Kurt.
ReplyDelete:) just read this lady - I LOVE your teacher + momma perspective here, and the pointers. I've barely started the process and also found this fall that the online vs in person distinction is a real one. frustrating!
ReplyDeleteI also think the village to raise a child thing is a topic I could think on for a long, long time and never quite appreciate enough! I've heard that before but was reminded of it here... good reminder!