First Day of School

I remember a few things from the first day of school, like getting punched in the stomach by another girl. Thanks to the pictures in my scrapbook, I also remember wearing pigtails and a red shirt. I also remember being really excited.


Three decades or so later, I feel terrified at the thought of going back to school. Not in a formal sense, and my terror is in no relation to my own performance or my own insecurities, but rather the terror that acccompanies parenthood. I plan to educate myself on education, and that seems like a formidable task. I recently had my second child, a girl, and my 2-year old son just keeps getting bigger, louder, and more rambunctious. I, like most parents, want what is best for my children, but I am worried that education isn't as clear cut as it was when I first climbed the steps of that big yellow bus (or was walked to class by my mother - I don't remember the details). Or, maybe things are just like they have been for over a century - parents buy new school clothes, strap a backpack on their 5-year old, cry a few tears, and send them off to school. This is what I plan to find out.


My mindset at the present, not having done too much research, can be summed up by the following observations:

• Public schools are as varied as the children that attend them, which means that as a parent, it is no longer okay to simply send my child to the nearest bus stop and hope that the corresponding school serves him well.


• No child left behind has left behind our best and brightest.


• Schools limit my own interaction with my children, so that time better be worth the time spent away from home.


• I don't really have a clue as to what my options are, or how to best serve the unique and individual needs of my very individual children.

This is where I am starting, I hope to finish with a more clear vision of the road ahead.