Young couple considering move to Wichita--advice??

[pioneer88]

I think that Wichita will be able to meet your needs. Take some time to get to know the city and look into things of your interest. The way I see it the only thing that will be difficult is being on the water if by water you men having a major lake "in" town but they do have the arkansas river and lakes in the area so you can boat, ski etc. I believe there is some excellent sail boating around there. Lake Afton has a public observatory which I find quite cool. They have good museums and art just take the time to find out.

In regards to road construction, that sounds like every city I've ever lived in or visited.
Wichita is definately a car city, they do have bus routes but I'm not sure how many etc. The upside is good road systems that keep the commute times low.

"Schools are OK, as long as your child gets a teacher that cares, and you're willing to stay on top of the teacher AND your own child."
This sounds like every school in the world to me. A Education relies not only on the teacher but also on your student as well as us as the parents. It takes all 3 to get the most out of a school. (of course their are exceptions)

Anyway, seeing that you are going the alternative route to becoming a teacher I would talk with the higher ups with the Wichita Public Schools. There is always a need for teachers and being that they are such a big district they might have ways of getting you involved somehow while you are still finishing up. I would recommend Substitute teaching or the AVID program which I know they have. It's a great way to develop interpersonal teaching skills as well as using the socratic method and developing higher level questioning skills which will definately prepare you for the classroom. PM me if you would like to know more about it.

Being that I'm around your age and in a similar situation I understand this is a huge decision so good luck in your new plans.