Would you raise a family in Reynoldstown? (Atlanta, Dunwoody: schools, living in)

[GeorgiaLakeSearch]

NO! I don't even look in Reynoldstown for investments.

I am not going to experiment with my children. And as another person pointed out Grady has improved but it was never as bad as certain schools in APS. Oh the stories I have heard about APS in the 80's from my wife.

[AtlJan]

My brother and I went to mediocre and just plain bad APS schools in the 1980s. I would say a mediocre-to-bad elementary school is survivalable. A mediocre-to-bad middle or high school is dangerous. In my elementary school, a fight broke out every time the teacher stepped out of the room. Not a big deal, usually. However, at my brother's middle school--totally scary fights, with bigger kids, add in hormones, sex, drugs etc. It was ugly.

And whereas the elementary school that we attended did improve, the word "transitional" always sounds like a euphemism to me. It's hard to guess a school's future sometimes, and some schools do transition from bad to worse! I agree with some other posters, growing up in APS in the 80s, we thought of Grady as full of the smart, artsy kids with liberal parents. Comparatively speaking, we didn't think of it as a bad school at all.

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Drug dealing goes on anywhere and I would be packing too if I was in the business.

Do you watch Nancy Grace by chance?


Latest condo blast:

Good morning Residents,
I feel everyone should be aware of a robbery that occurred across the street from OP yesterday evening.

Please remember to always be aware of your surroundings while at OP, or anywhere else in Atlanta. If you see any suspicious activities, do not hesitate to call the police.

When I walk down my street I sure as hell do not have to worry about this. My family shouldn't either.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

Do you watch Nancy Grace by chance?


Latest condo blast:



When I walk down my street I sure as hell do not have to worry about this. My family shouldn't either.

No and what does Nancy Grace have to do with this?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by AtlJan

My brother and I went to mediocre and just plain bad APS schools in the 1980s. I would say a mediocre-to-bad elementary school is survivalable. A mediocre-to-bad middle or high school is dangerous. In my elementary school, a fight broke out every time the teacher stepped out of the room. Not a big deal, usually. However, at my brother's middle school--totally scary fights, with bigger kids, add in hormones, sex, drugs etc. It was ugly.

And whereas the elementary school that we attended did improve, the word "transitional" always sounds like a euphemism to me. It's hard to guess a school's future sometimes, and some schools do transition from bad to worse! I agree with some other posters, growing up in APS in the 80s, we thought of Grady as full of the smart, artsy kids with liberal parents. Comparatively speaking, we didn't think of it as a bad school at all.

Just wanted to say that you have some great posts, AtlJan.

[gumboula]

I lived on the east side of town, south of Dekalb and now I live near ATL Golfer barely ITP. In both places with children. We moved due to work commutes, not for schools. BUT, my rule was that if we moved out of the Toomer Elementary district, we had to move to a good school district. I had done my legwork and put in my time at Toomer well before having children. They knew me, I knew them. That is the only way I would send my children to a transitioning school. And that is pretty exhausting. I am kind of relieved to be at an established school where I can put in a reasonable amount of volunteer time and feel completely comfortable that my kids are getting everything they need at school. A transitioning school is not a bad thing, as long as you have the energy and inclination to be involved at a very high level. An example... I was at a Toomer PTA meeting that was very well attended because the kids were putting on a talent show. The principal stood up and said he needed volunteers for the PTA offices. Not one person volunteered to do anything. Finally he publicly admonished everyone enough to get one person to step up and be the PTA president (who later backed out). At the school my kids are now at, there must be 25 different committees with committee chairs and there are often multiple volunteers for positions. That is the difference. The amount of labor may be the same, but it is spread out across more people at some schools than it is at other schools. I work fulltime, but I am VERY thankful for the college-educated, over-involved, stay-at-home moms that live around me! (IMPORTANT NOTE - MY TOOMER STORY IS AT LEAST EIGHT YEARS AND TWO PRINCIPALS AGO! I offer it as an example of what Toomer faced when it was struggling, NOT what it is like now. It was then what Whiteford is now, IMO.)

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by cqholt

No and what does Nancy Grace have to do with this?

Just trying to gauge my audience.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

Just trying to gauge my audience.

Its not like we are at the same parking lot talking to each other via satellite?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

I am not going to experiment with my children.

I believe we are experimenting with our children no matter where we send them to school. Sending them to a cush private school or a "nice" suburban school may take some of the burden off us parents, but the kids can still turn out to be disasters. Or at least less than optimal.

[essdeebee]

gumboula -- can I ask what neighborhood and established school you are now enjoying? We live near where you moved from and are looking for something like what you moved to! thanks !