Pity me.

[heidi]

I am sitting in front of my son's elementary school-to-be, and I'll be here until 11 tonight, at which time Aaron will come and take over for me until 6am, at which time I will return with donuts and bagels and will wait until the registration office at the school opens so I can enroll Harry in the 'magnet' program at said school.

Oh, the mob-with-pitchforks against the mom who came at 530 and is first in line.

But not until we've enrolled the kids. Can't risk getting arrested before enrollement's completed! We'd lose our places in line!

Comments

[february-sea.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's AMAZING. How long is the line, already?? Are you assured of a spot for Harry? How many spaces are available, and how long will the wait list be?

It's incredible, isn't it, the things we'll do to ensure that our kids have a worthwhile school experience...it should NOT be this much of a struggle to get children a good education.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Right now, we're at 14 people, but #2 has twins so... There will be at least 15 spaces, and there may be 22 or 26. So...

The program has a maximum of 46 kids, and there are already a number of kids in the pre-K program who, if they don't speak Spanish with both parents at home, will automatically get into this program.

[webbapettigrew.livejournal.com]

Why are you waiting in line? Is this some special school, as opposed to public school?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

This is a 'magnet' program within the public school.

[moondroplette.livejournal.com]

What's a 'magnet' program?


*luck!*

[storm-maven.livejournal.com]

I heard about those lines. I will pray for you and Harry.

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

Are y'all at least all in your cars? Or are you doing the camping-on-the-sidewalk thing?

And, um, don't drink too much. :D

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Sidewalk, baybee.



Le sigh.

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

This is the kind of thing that requires photographic documentation, if for no other reason than to give you something to pull out to guilt the kids later on.

I bet it wasn't that long ago that you were camping out for concert tickets, was it? Life just keeps going on....

(Yes, I am amused. Yes, it will be my turn next year.)

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Hi. It's 13 years later and I'm showing this post & comments to Harry. Kids, lol.

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

Wait...your waiting in line...for school?

This is so different from when I was little.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Same here. This, in fact, is my elementary school. But they've only had the program for about 6 years or so.

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

What is this program all about?

Hee, have you ever seen the movie Baby Boom?

[likebunnies.livejournal.com]

Oh, I feel for you! My son goes to a regular elementary school here in PBC, but at least it's an A+ school unlike the one in the next district over. He also went to a private, small kindergarten so he learned to read before first grade whereas the kids who went to kindergarten where he goes to school now did not. I'm not really sure what they learned beyond being nice and playing in the sand. It's so hard to get them in a good program in this state.

[shelaghc.livejournal.com]

There was a big stink many years ago in Pittsburgh about the waiting line. Not because there was one, but because the schools had a mandatory percentage quota to be filled for each minority. Many of the minority parents never stood on the lines at all, but literally almost walked to the head of the line so the schools could fill that quota.

Most had not problem with the Affirmative Action quotas. I think they mostly minded that they'd been standing on line for hours and hours and someone else just walked past them.

It's the sort of thing that hurts the liberal in me.....

[chickadilly.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Good luck with the line! I'd bring you some munchies if I could. :)

[luminousmarble.livejournal.com]

I pity you. Nobody should have to give out poisoned doughnuts to take out parents-in-waiting wait in line for a great education.

At least it must be warm there...

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Sorta. It's about 67 now and we assume it'l get cooler. Wibble.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

And here my reaction was "hey, at least it's not the depths of summer!"

Also, at least you can camp out for it. Here in Luvly Pinellas County, we have to write our top five choices on an application and just hope we get one we like, because the county has instituted county-wide school choice. It sounds nice, until you're the parent whose child is being bussed to the other end of the county because you didn't get any of your "picks."

Then again, we won't be enrolling Meg for a few years... maybe it will change, again, by then.

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

You have to wait in line? That's crazy. Why don't they just test all the kids and then admit based on that? Save you a lot of trouble. Poor you and Aaron.

[sincelastjuly.livejournal.com]

THAT'S INSANE.

And I sympathise. As a fanatic of a certain band who does GENERAL ADMISSION SHOWS, I totally sympathise re: sleeping outside (though of course yours is for a better cause, but yes.).

*sends good thoughts of time passing quickly your way*

[riibu.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have to wait in a line! That's insane. Good luck!

-Riibu

P.S. Did you receive my Regulusfic I sent you for betaing a couple of days ago? I have had some trouble with e-mail lately.

[elfundeb.livejournal.com]

I sympathize with you. Our countywide alternative schools changed to a lottery system because too many people were starting to camp out 48 hours in advance in January to get in, rewarding the lucky instead of the determined.