Ideally we believe that a child under the age of five will be the best fit for our family, but we are willing to consider a slightly older child if the right situation presents itself. Because of that, and the fact that once our paperwork makes it to the state D*C*F*S offices, we could be called fairly quickly (especially for an older child) I’ve already started thinking/ worrying about the schools in our area.
I am a complete freak about education. I loved school growing up and just devoured every book I could get my hands on. While I realize that a child coming into our home may not have that same intense love of learning, I want them to have the opportunity to have a great, well-rounded education. Because of where we live, our child would attend the county schools. My knee-jerk reaction to that is simply, “Ummm, no.” The stereotype in my head is that county schools are poorly funded and that fewer of their students attend college. I am working to find out if that’s actually true, but I’m going to have to be shown some pretty compelling evidence otherwise to change my mind.
So that leaves us with two options.
I think it would be possible to send our child to city schools ten miles in either direction. One city is considered to be one of the best school systems in this part of the state. It’s a growing community with many families moving into the area. I think that would make it easier for our child to fit in as a “new” student.
The other option is where my in-laws live and where my husband grew up and went to school. The problem? That town is, without a doubt, the cliquey-est town I have ever encountered.
People are perfectly nice but if you haven’t lived there twenty years and don’t go to the right church, you aren’t getting “in”. I’ve been here over four years and not one woman from there has ever reached out to me in friendship. My local friends are from other surrounding areas. So, I definitely have concern about sending a child into that situation. Perhaps because my husband is from there, and his parents are well known and well thought of in the community, our child would have an “in”, but I don’t know if I’m willing to take that chance.
I guess what started me thinking about all this was an event we attended on Saturday night. Our niece participated in the local high school beauty pageant. When we arrived, it was like every other event we go to in that town. My husband was greeting people left and right and I was holding his hand and tagging along behind him. Once we were seated, I just people watched for a while and was struck by how alone I still feel in that community. The best way I can describe it is like this: When my husband and I get together with his family, the conversation is quite often about people I don’t know, events I didn’t attend, places I’ve never been, story after story about “back in the day”. There is absolutely nothing for me to add – no place for me to get a foothold. (That doesn’t bother me as it once did. I love to sit back and watch O & his family tell their stories. It makes me happy because I love each one of them.) My experience with R'ville feels just like that, except on a grander scale. I guess if I'm being honest, it hurts my feelings.
O absolutely doesn’t get it, both because he’s from there and is "one of them", and because he’s a man and men interact differently. Men are SO not cliquey.
The plus side to the town is that it's a wonderful community that supports its' school events, sporting teams, etc . . . a great small town atmosphere, if you're on the inside.
The plus side to the town is that it's a wonderful community that supports its' school events, sporting teams, etc . . . a great small town atmosphere, if you're on the inside.
Blah blah blah – I don’t know that this post even has a point. Just thinking “out loud”, I guess.
But the good news? Our niece won best freshman talent and interview, and is one of two class representatives on the court. Isn’t she beautiful? I can tell ya, I didn’t look like THAT when I was 15!
But the good news? Our niece won best freshman talent and interview, and is one of two class representatives on the court. Isn’t she beautiful? I can tell ya, I didn’t look like THAT when I was 15!
