We were approved to adopt an 8 year old girl. So now this discussion of school is real to me. I am evaluating all the local private schools and the public school. Some of the local private schools are already full for third grade. The local public charter school says we can apply for next year because we need to enter the lottery. Based on what is available for a mid year transfer, my finalists are the public elementary, the Catholic school and the Waldorf school. I am including the public charter school because we will enter the lottery just in case we do not like the school we pick this year. There are pros and cons to each.
Catholic School (15 min drive)
Pros: We are Catholic. Small class sizes. All in person learning. Goes through 8th grade. One spot left for 3rd grade. She is currently in a Greek Orthodox school and likes the structures and does well in school. (Greek Orthodox is similar to Catholicism.)
Cons: The Catholic high school she would go to is about 45 minutes away (but that is a future problem).
Waldorf School (10 min drive)
Pros: Really small class size - just 8 students in 3rd grade. Focus on nature and creativity. Holistic approach. Beautiful 40 acre campus in the foothills.
Cons: No electronics or computers even at home. Mixed stories on how rigorous Waldorf schools are. The Waldorf high school is 45 min away (future issue).
Pro or Con: Same teacher through 8th grade (depends on if we like the teacher). Unique curriculum and approach to learning that could be great if it meshed with her learning style or it could be a disaster if it is not a fit.
Public Elementary (5 min drive)
Pros: Free. Would not contribute to the economic divide by supporting the public school. Closest school to us. Public middle school and high school are about a 15 minute drive.
Cons: Hybrid school (Starting Oct 5th, 3 hours on Mon/Tues, remote on other days). Only goes through 3rd grade. Larger class sizes.
Public Charter School (10 min drive)
Pros: Free. Would not contribute to economic divide. Highest rated K-8 school in our area. Public high school nearby (same high school she would go to if she went the public elementary route).
Cons: No opening this school year. Would need to enter the lottery for a spot in 4th grade. Larger class sizes. Hybrid learning this year.
All in all, I am leaning toward the Catholic school. They only have one spot left for 3rd grade. We are touring the schools this week. If we decide on the Catholic school, I will register her and put down a deposit asap to save her spot.
This is so exciting! We have been trying to adopt for fours years. In 2018, we even went to Taiwan to pick up two siblings we were approved to adopt but at the last minute, the crooked dinosaur judge decided we were “too successful and accomplished to understand the special needs of children in an orphanage.” This was after meeting monthly with the kids through Skype and spending three full days with them in Taiwan. I think this was child abuse.
Below is a story about biased dinosaur judges. It is a tragedy. At the time we were there, the kids were 7 and 10. It took us a year and a half to get through the process (and $40K) just to get rejected. I doubt the kids were adopted by another family as it is hard to find families willing to adopt older kids, esp siblings. Plus even if someone else were interested, it takes a long time to get approved so these kids would be close to 9 and 12 if they were adopted. They have lived in an orphanage for their entire lives and I suspect they are still there. I get all worked up over this. So unfair and unjust to the children.
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
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