Why Do We Bother to Educate our Kids?
March 9th, 2008 Categories: Life In Denver, Relocation Tips
School search while relocating?
My kids know everything, they don’t need to learn. They certainly know way more than I do - and they won’t hesitate to point that out on a daily basis. But some people seem to want to provide an education for their offspring. How many times have we Realtors heard, “where are the good schools?” It’s hard enough to find the perfect house, without having to worry about visiting every school. Rest assured, Denver has excellent school choices. Our metro area public and private schools offer programs designed for every type of child and style of learning.
How do you know which schools to focus on?
My boys have been attending Denver Public Schools since kindergarten - and, ugh, now they’re teenagers. I have one son who is gifted and another with an emotional disability. The Denver schools have been supportive of both of them, and the teachers work hard to give them what they need to learn. We ask questions and stay involved. It isn’t enough to look just at CSAP scores. Go visit the schools, interview the teachers, observe the classrooms. It is time consuming, especially if you’re focused on house-hunting.
Hunt Schools First
Many of the relocation buyers I’ve worked with have researched schools extensively before even coming for their first visit here. They conduct phone interviews and research online. This helps me narrow down neighborhoods for them. Here is a link to my web site with available school information, www.gretchensdenver.com.
Our experience with DPS goes to show you that children can receive an excellent education from many school situations and from different school districts - even a “city” district like ours. You should advocate for your child, no matter where she goes to school, and pay attention to what he needs. The schools care, the teachers care. I care too, and will help in any way I can with school information.
O.K., I have a confession. My “gifted” son has recently made me revisit the idea of what that label means. He was caught on video last month with a friend writing an inappropriate word on a cut-out of a banana (the top banana reader award). Age appropriate? Maybe. Gifted? Not so much.
