McAllen, Texas (Houston, Commerce, Center: sales, public school, place to live)

[casper03]

This is VERY exaggerated! Mcallen is a GREAT place to live in! I would def. raise my kids there. I was raised there and i am blonde and NEVER EVERRR had a problem. The drug issue wont affect you cause you will live in a nice area. The only way it will affect you is if you live inthe bad areas (and you WILL know if its a bad area) AND if you are involved in drug dealing which im sure you are noT! You and your families will LOVE it! You have absolutley NOTHING to worry about!

[lemonfresh]

Originally Posted by NeoPlanner

What do you mean by select few, and how would you know? I went through that stage in 8th grade when all my classmates and I were given the paper that asked if we would like to attend one of these schools. They've been public as far as I'm concerned.

I mean the enrollment is small, aka "select few", also they are public in the sense that they are open to the public but they are basically magnet schools.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by lemonfresh

I mean the enrollment is small, aka "select few", also they are public in the sense that they are open to the public but they are basically magnet schools.

Lemonfresh is correct. IDEA schools are outstanding, however you must be chosen in a lottery. This is true for charters in general. As for Med High, you must be at leats UT material to get in. If you aren't, you are stuck with the publics or hoping for the IDEA lottery. I've heard people on these threads say "Weslaco is an outstanding district." Most people don't consider 670th out of 1036 outstanding. There are no 5 star districts in the Valley. Sharyland is the best statistically and they are ranked 377 out of 1036; hardly outstanding. Another thing that is overlooked is the fact that Valley publics are heavily staffed with Teach For America teachers. In pretty much every area outside the Valley, a school that has a lot of Teach For America teachers raises a red flag. One starts to wonder why experienced teachers don't want to teach there.

[caspien]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Lemonfresh is correct. IDEA schools are outstanding, however you must be chosen in a lottery. This is true for charters in general. As for Med High, you must be at leats UT material to get in. If you aren't, you are stuck with the publics or hoping for the IDEA lottery. I've heard people on these threads say "Weslaco is an outstanding district." Most people don't consider 670th out of 1036 outstanding. There are no 5 star districts in the Valley. Sharyland is the best statistically and they are ranked 377 out of 1036; hardly outstanding. Another thing that is overlooked is the fact that Valley publics are heavily staffed with Teach For America teachers. In pretty much every area outside the Valley, a school that has a lot of Teach For America teachers raises a red flag. One starts to wonder why experienced teachers don't want to teach there.

Your information regarding the STISD schools is not exactly correct, and I'm guessing that you've got a little personal spin on them.

I attended and graduated from the Science Academy, it's a free "public" school which is funded by the state like any other public school. The school district will take any students without a major (i.e. having been expelled) disciplinary infraction that apply. The application simply consists of general information and a 500 word essay.

The swing to these schools is that they are specialized, Science Academy specializes in engineering, computer engineering, and the sciences. Med-High preps for pre-med and nursing.

(To anyone looking at moving to McAllen in general)
In McAllen, specifically, Cathy and Morris are both decent middle schools. Any of the bunch north of Nolana and east of Ware tends to be good elementaries. The only high school I really don't recommend is Nikki Rowe.

I grew up for my first 20 years in McAllen, I am caucasian and had platinum blonde hair. Hair touching occurs for younger children, but it was always benign, and in fact a sign of admiration. I never had a friend, aquaintence, or anyone I knew go missing or get stolen. It very very rarely happens on the American side of the border.

The one downside to the culture in the region is that it is insular, people who grow up in the Valley rarely leave, and so do tend to lag behind the rest of the country culturally by about 5 years.

People who have grown up in the city tend to be nice, friendly, accomodating and bilingual. People who've grown up in Reynosa, but spend most of their time in the US tend to be more arrogant. They typically belong to a class in Mexican society that is referred to as "New Money." They have a sense of entitlement that would probably be best defined as "semi-aristocratic," but they tend to keep to the south side of town.

Overall, I have look back on my time in McAllen fondly. I never once got into a verbal or physical fight based on the fact that I was a gringo. So long as you respect the fact that there are two different cultures in the area and don't act as if your own is superior, simply because it is the one you know, I do not thing you will have much trouble.

[caspien]

As a quick sidepoint I forgot to mention: as a teacher, I do know that the major problem to teaching in the area is the emphasis on bi-lingualism. A VAST majority of new teachers don't know a lick of spanish, and that is an instant disqualification in valley schools for teachers.

[extexanwannabe]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Lemonfresh is correct. IDEA schools are outstanding, however you must be chosen in a lottery. This is true for charters in general. As for Med High, you must be at leats UT material to get in. If you aren't, you are stuck with the publics or hoping for the IDEA lottery. I've heard people on these threads say "Weslaco is an outstanding district." Most people don't consider 670th out of 1036 outstanding. There are no 5 star districts in the Valley. Sharyland is the best statistically and they are ranked 377 out of 1036; hardly outstanding. Another thing that is overlooked is the fact that Valley publics are heavily staffed with Teach For America teachers. In pretty much every area outside the Valley, a school that has a lot of Teach For America teachers raises a red flag. One starts to wonder why experienced teachers don't want to teach there.

Idea school students are NOT chosen in lottery. They are as public as ANY public school. Jeez do you people just make crap up as you go along? Why would you folks listen to someone who lives in Houston, and talk s--t about McAllen? The Idea school system does not teach the TAKS. They strive toward the IB program, and they hope someday all their schools are only IB. There ARE lots of TFA teachers here and at the IDEA schools. I have lived in Mcallen most of my life. I started in 8th grade, graduated from McHI, and attended the local university. I have never heard of people "touching blonde-headed people" (I am blonde), much less kidnapping them. Drugs are EVERYWHERE in this country and around the world. Certainly there are lots of Hispanics here...BECAUSE MCALLEN IS 7 MILES FROM THE MEXICAN BORDER!!!! The cost of living is cheaper here than in much larger cities; housing for instance. Of course, with lower cost of living, wages are not as high either as in larger metropolitan areas. The summers are brutal...that's why we have air conditioning! The winters are usually mild. Natives will always talk about the big freeze of '89 or the freeze of '83. There are museums; several of them. There is a professional local symphony. As mentioned in an earlier post, there are big name stars that perform here. Yes, we have crime here...just like everywhere else. If you are in the medical profession, this is the place for you. The classifieds are filled with ads for nurses. Yes, it's very flat. If you don't like flatland, move to the hill country. The rush hour lasts about 20 minutes in McAllen. If you want to do lots of big time shopping, drive to San Antonio and shop. My parents did that for years.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by extexanwannabe

Idea school students are NOT chosen in lottery. They are as public as ANY public school. Jeez do you people just make crap up as you go along? Why would you folks listen to someone who lives in Houston, and talk s--t about McAllen?

Actually, you are completely wrong. My brother in law attends IDEA and my daughter attended Quest (part of IDEA). My daughter got in via lottery. My brother in law got in because he enrolled the first year. The demand for IDEA is so high now, you must get on a waiting list. Hardly like ANY public school as you state.

As for folks listening to someone who lives in Houston? Simple. I lived in the Valley for 6 years. My view is much different than a native of the Valley. Especially someone who is blonde. I am going to assume your family has money as poor anglos in McAllen are pretty much non-existent. Haven't you ever thought for a moment that perhaps your perception of the Valley is quite skewed? Your viewpoint is the same as the Chamber of Commerce. Mine is reality. I didn't get my 600+ reputation by talking s--t. I got it from telling the truth.

[texan55]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

I didn't get my 600+ reputation by talking s--t. I got it from telling the truth.

LOLOLOLOLOL.


The internetz is serious bizzness.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by texan55

LOLOLOLOLOL.


The internetz is serious bizzness.

It seems to have caught your eye....

[texan55]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

It seems to have caught your eye....

I just like to read mostly.

Happened to make me chuckle.