Should We Send Our Daughter to Our Neighborhood School or Where I Teach??

S., I'm on the fence. I am leaning for her to go with you b/c it is kinder and it would be great for you to be able to walk down the hall and participate in the class parties throughout the year. Maybe have lunch with her occasionally. If she were older, I may lean to McKinney but since she is so young, I like the idea of her being with you. It won't be a big deal for her to change schools and attend her home school in 2nd or 3rd grade. I am a teacher and I totally get where you are coming from. I started teaching when my sons were in 3rd & 6th grade, too late to take them with me. However, my youngest would love to come with me but I know it's better he stays at his home school.

I know many teacher's kids and I have never had a student pick on a teacher kid or have them ostracize them b/c they are teacher kids. The kids can't be in their mom's class (in most cases) so the tattling issue isn't much of a big deal.

I know lots of Teachers at my kids' school, that have children as well, and ALL of their kids, attend or attended the school in which the Mom worked at or is a Teacher at.
And these children, have never had problems because of it, nor did the parent who was a Teacher there.

LOL... So a normal 5yo, according to hubby, should be in school and daycare 12 hours a day and not see her parents at all except for breakfast, bedtime, and weekends.

Huh.

Just stumped on that one.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of people have no choice, but that's generally what families try to AVOID whenever possible.

So will your mother in law be keeping her after school if she goes to the neighborhood school? I honestly would keep her with you. That way you can be more involved. She will still have the friends in the area that she already has but you wont take her away from the ones she's been with for a few years. Yes you would get home late sometimes but she would be with you.

Good luck and God Bless!!!

As a teacher, I'm faced with a similar dilemma. What my husband and I finally decided was to send our kids to their home school. We want consistency for them, and since you're looking for a new school, that means your daughter will have to change schools with you. I would love for my kids to come with me every day, but I don't know that I will be teaching at that elementary school for six years. I vote for sending her to the home school.

S., I would keep her with you. If you end up getting a job at the neighborhood school, that's great. But your life will be SO much better if you two are together.

My mom taught at my school for 3 years. I have fond memories of being there with my mom. Things went smoothly for me with students and teachers, and when I think back on it, I wonder if part of it WAS because she taught there. (I was a good student and easy-going kid anyway, but still...)

Your daughter WILL get to know people in her community. You will too and she will be with you and together you will make friends. So don't let that push your decision. I have plenty of neighbors who choose parochial schools for their kids or private schools; our neighborhood kids go to public, private and parochial. They STILL get to know each other as neighbors.

Anyway, it is a real blessing to get to teach where your daughter goes to school. I promise.

Dawn

I would send her to the neighborhood school. I worked in an elementary school that some teachers had their children enrolled in and they all regretted it. They didn't get to spend any addition time with them, the children never developed strong friendships (all the parents mentioned this) because they played with the neighborhood children and not the ones they attended school with, and as another mama here mentioned children sometimes feel they can get away with more because a parent works at the school. One male teacher even had to transfer his 6 year old daughter in November to another school because of his daughter's behavior and his being constantly called to the office, she was an entirely different child once transferred.

And if you get the position near home you'd have to transfer her, correct? Just enroll her near home, you'll work out the logistics like other parents do.

If it were me, I'd keep her in the school in your neighborhood, for all the reasons you've listed. If what you ultimately want to do is be closer to home, might as well be one step closer to that goal by keeping her there, instead of switching her school later.

I would have her attend the neighborhood school that is closer to home.

There was a boy whose mom taught at the school. He loved to pick on my son. Each time something happened the teachers, and myself were leary of approaching the mom about the problem. Then the mom got reassigned to a new school. All of a sudden the kid was no longer picking on my son and they actually became friends. I think having his mom working at the school actually affected his attitude in a bad way.

At our daughters elementary school, every teacher, or administrator that had a elementary school child attend that school, whether they lived in the hood or not.

Never did I hear of a child being treated differently.

The teachers at this school tend to not transfer, to continue teaching after becoming moms, so their children ended up also attending the middle and high school that belong with these schools.

These teachers did this for the exact reasons you are speaking of.they already spent so much time ther, it was easy to have their child there.

They were going to have to wake and dress their children and have them ready before they left for school... Then they would have meetings, etc afterwards.. It was just easier for them to all travel together.

Yes, the social life was an effort, but if there was a play date on Saturday or a birthday party, many times the teacher would drop her child off to play by the school and she would go on to school and get some of her work done.

As parents, you become friends with your children's teachers, it did not blur any lines. If anything, I liked hat it showed this teachers trust and dedication to the school. If it was good enough for the teacher to transfer her children, it must be a good school.

Your husband has a lot of preconceived ideas. I think he will be very surprised how well this is going to work out. This will become your daughters " normal" and as a teacher, you are going to grow into an even better parent/ teacher since you will be invested in this school on 2 levels.

I can send you some email addresses from some of the teachers down here if you have questions.

As I always say, follow your mommy heart and brain, it will help. Then no regrets!

Without reading your pro/con list, I would send her to the neighborhood school. She will have to make new friends, but she'll be fine. I would think being at the same school as you would actually not be a good thing. She's beginning kindergarten, and she needs to learn how to navigate her school on her own. She needs to get to know her teacher, the other teachers, the school nurse, etc, and learn how to be ok without Mommy there.

I went to a Catholic grade school, but it wasn't at our neighborhood parish (my parents didn't want us to go there), and it was awkward. All of the other kids could play after school and do things on weekends much more easily than I could and I felt like an outsider.

It will be a challenge of she gets sick, but you'll work it out. Send her to the school where the neighbors go. It will work out.

When I was in grade school one of the teacher's daughters was in my grade. She didn't have a lot of friends. No one wanted to play with her because they were afraid everything they did would be reported. Everyone kind of looked at her like she got by with stuff cause her mom worked there.

I know that none of our perceptions were necessarily true but when you are dealing with young children does it matter? It is not like you can say no she isn't, we see what we want to see, ya know?

I would never do it.

I haven't read all the answers. If you were here in California, I would absolutely advise you to put her in the school by your home. Teachers' jobs here are so unstable. Even if they are guaranteed a job, they aren't guaranteed that they will stay in the same school from year to year, much less for 13 years that it will take your daughter to go from kindergarten through high school. So I would just say, take into consideration how likely it is that you will be able to stay at your job for as long as you would want to keep your daughter in that district. Or how willing you would be to either pull her out of that district or continue commuting there if you get a new job.

Good luck. We just went through this whole choice process for kindergarten, and I know how nerve-wracking it can be.

I think that you should sent your daughter to the school in her neighborhood.

My ex BF's dad was a teacher and coach at his school. It was TORTURE for him. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Your child should be able to interact at school just like the other kids.

I'm going to say this because you mentioned that God is central in relation to where you work/live.....Pray about this situation. You will find your answer and then you will be at peace with it....I promise. :)

I am a teacher as well and my daughter will start K next school year. We live in one district and I teach in another, so I understand the thought process, questions and pros vs cons that occupy such a decision.

Leave it in His hands and you will know you've made the right choice.

Blessings to all!

I would pin hubby down and make sure HE understands if anyone gets sick he has to take off work and manage it. He would be the emergency contact, he would have to go pick her up if she has an accident and needs care, he would be the main parent in any situation. He would have to take her to school, pick her up, get to do the extra time with her while waiting on mom to get home, starting dinner, etc...it would all fall on him and not mom.

I think if he is on board for that and understands it then let her start school in her home school. At the very least she can change back if it is a horrible situation.

I would also continue to hound the local school district about a job closer to home. That would be my first priority.