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Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Social vs. Scholastic, Part Duex

Okay, it's coming down to crunch time.

J. is on track to go to Auburn Mountainview, and the fix is in (I think). We had been planning on inertia making sure her BF came with her, but just before spring break started this week, we learned she'd turned in her waiver to Auburn Senior High School. Damn it.

So now what?

Mountainview is a superior school, with generally better teachers, and more honors offerings. However, if BF goes to Auburn Senior High, there goes J.'s afterschool ride, and there goes most of her friends.

Now, I know, you can always make new friends. But these friends are a good lot. And they will have more influence over her as time goes on, I know.

So do you pick a better school, or an established group of friends, all on the honors track? And for those of you that remember this angst from 3 months back, yes, I'm still chewing on it.

4 comments:

MommyCheryl said...

Friends. They have more influence over a teenager than any adult, including teachers. She'll still be in honors classes, right? And really, how much better could the other school really be? If it were THAT much better, you wouldn't even be asking.

The problem, as I see it, is hat if you send her to the better school, she'll start out bitter and angry with you. And that will impact her choice of friends ... and that will have more long-lasting implications than having a better history teacher would.

Of course, my kids are just starting kindergarten next year. Talk to me in 9 years or so and I may have changed my tune ...

Anonymous said...

This is a toughie. AHS is bound to harbor more dangerous characters than M-view. But on the other hand, those bozos generally don't make it into honors classes.
I'd see if you can do a walk-through on a school day at both places. Get a feel for both when the inmates are running the asylum, then decide.
GOOD LUCK!

Anonymous said...

It is a tough call, but I lean toward the best school (sorry mommycheryl!) unless it is a really close call and you think the honors courses will make up for what the school lacks in general. Friends at this age can change on a dime. The friends I started out with in high school were not the same ones I ended with. I agree with angela's mom - go check out both to get a better sense of the decision you are making. I'll send good energy your way that whatever decision you & your DH (and J) make will leave you with no doubts. I'm sure J will thrive at whichever school you choose.

Barbara Clements said...

Thanks for all the advice, ladies. I will take it to heart. It depends on which day you talk to me, as to which dec. I will stick to.

I had discussed an evil plan with your significant other, mommy cheryl, of going to the middle school principal to make sure the waiver was "denied" or last on the BF part. Underhanded, I know, but I KNOW this school would be better for BF. However, feeling bad about being that sneaky, I've abandoned this plan. I do plan to go to the mom this week, as Gary will do BF's dad, and make an appeal here for common sense.

Or at least my version of common sense, and have both girls go to Auburn Mountainview. I have talked with the PTSA at Auburn Senior High, and some other parents we know through soccer, and I think J. would do well there, regardless (because, believe me, all the teachers would know my name).

But J. has decided she wants to be a molecular biologist now and has just talked with a woman scientist up at Harborview Medical Center about this profession yesterday.

She gave her a list of classes to take, which year, and what she took, and what to look for in a college (I was amazed at the prep work she did!). When I looked at the class list, I did not that Auburn Mountainview had more of these classes than Auburn Senior High.

Okay, you can see me doing the back-and-forth again.

I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks all, Barbara