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We are moving in a few months and there is a community that looks good and it has a builder we like, but it will have a school opening up in the Fall of 2008. Our oldest will be in Kindergarten in the Fall, so obviously we have not done public school before. How do you all feel as a teacher and/or parent about having a child go to a brand new school that obviously has not been rated? Thanks for everything!
It really depends on the district. A lot of times, if new schools are a bit of a rarity, the teachers with the most senority get to transfer there if they want. This can be good because you end up getting teachers with a lot of experience. New school doesn't always equal new teachers. If you are from an area where new schools are popping up all the time I would just research the other schools in the same general area and assume (hopefully) that the district knows what it is doing and the school will be good. Also remember that how well your child does in school does not entirely depend on the teacher, parental instruction at home is just as, if not more, important. As a teacher myself, I always stress to my parents that I am just the "presenter" of the information. I need their support at home to follow up and "push" their child to reach their full potential. It always drives me crazy when parents complain about homework. If they only knew how little time we actually have in the classroom, it is crazy to think that teachers can fully complete instruction in the classroom with no follow through at home.
We found that new schools often have younger teachers. That means both less wisdom and experience, but also more energy, enthusiasm, and new ideas. Some young teachers are too immature, or try things that are just plain stupid, but on the whole, we found it worked out very well to have younger teachers fewer of them are burned out.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
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Originally Posted by therewego
We are moving in a few months and there is a community that looks good and it has a builder we like, but it will have a school opening up in the Fall of 2008. Our oldest will be in Kindergarten in the Fall, so obviously we have not done public school before. How do you all feel as a teacher and/or parent about having a child go to a brand new school that obviously has not been rated? Thanks for everything!
What you need to do is look at the existing feeder schools that will feed students into the new school. Usually there are 2 and sometimes 3 such schools. Then you can see how those schools rate and get a real clear idea of what the new school will be like.
I think as a parent you become as involved as you can. PTO, and working in the classroom. You will get a "behind the scenes" view. I'd almost rather have a young enegetic teacher than an old wise burnt out one!
Really, if they are just entering Kindergarten, you won't have much of an issue. Kids at that age aren't really nostalgic for old friends the way they become around age 8 or 10. So, unless your child is just antisocial, then you won't have any problems.
If, on the other hand, you have a child who is 7-16, I think it becomes really important to involve that child in a lot of activities, whether it is Boy Scouts or athletic teams or some other activity. That way, they can begin to make friends in short order, and not feel quite so dislocated. We did that, and it worked like a charm.
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