Choosing Schools

I picked up a magazine at the gym yesterday (the motivational power of the music I purchased last month has long since worn off and I desperately needed a new distraction) and came across this article in Parents magazine: "Is Your Child a Genius?" This was at least the fifth time I've come across this topic in the last few weeks.

I don't read too many parenting books or magazines because they generally make me feel stressed about all the things I should be doing/planning/creating/buying for my child. Lately the topic of schools and what constitutes a good education has been at the forefront of the things I haven't really been actively planning for but apparently should be.

Part of the reason we moved before Harper was born was because the schools in our old neighborhood were low-performing schools. I checked out the report card for the public school in the new neighborhood before we moved and it got good marks compared to most other public elementary schools in the area, and certainly was a lot better than the old neighborhood. So, done deal, I thought. But for a lot of people that would have been only the beginning, as there are lots of private, charter and open enrollment options I didn't look in to.

Joe and I both grew up in small towns where you didn't have a choice about what school you went to--you just went to school. I suppose options are a good thing, but I also think that too many options lead to over analyzing the schools and kids' abilities/shortcomings. Like finding an article about child geniuses in every parenting publication, particularly when the publication is geared toward parents of kids under 1year old.

I'm not saying that kids who are smarter than their peers don't deserve and need some extra stimulation. I'm just not sure that planning to give my kid that extra stimulation before she's out of diapers makes a whole lot of sense, or that when the time comes that extra intellectual outlet can't be built around the education she can get at the local public school. After all, smart kids don't just come from urban areas where there are lots of schooling options and gifted and talented programs. But would those rural smart kids have gotten even further if they had had options and special programs? I guess that's what I get to ponder at my next trip to the gym. That and how to get Harper to stop eating her shoes.