End of Summer

Well, it is officially the end of summer. This morning Angie took Grace to school so she could start the 1st grade. Wednesday we drive Megan down to Muncie where she will begin her sophmore year. Balin, well he's just going to stay at home and keep growing eating and growing some more.

Gracie was a bit nervous this morning and didn't really want to go to school. I think she was worried about chaning to a different teacher and not having friends in her class. Well, her worries were without merit and there were at least a couple of her friends in her class. I think, like kindergarten, she will fit in immediately and really start to enjoy school again. I think she is going to be a very good student. She is such a smart little girl and when she sets her mind to it, works extremely hard.

As I drove in to work this morning the news came on and mentioned that Fort Wayne Community Schools was investigating breaking up the high schools in town and making them into magnet schools. Now, Grace is in a magnet school now, and Angie and I both love it and know that Grace will continue to enjoy going there. For those who don't know what a magnet school is; it's a school that has a concentration in a particular field. Croninger, Grace's current school is a communication magnet and provides kids with opportunities they wouldn't normally get at a typical school. They are already teaching the kids Spanish and they have a fully functioning television studio where kids learn broadcasting. They also put a huge focus on public speaking, giving kids skills they normally don't receive in elementary school.

So, from what I've heard they are looking at breaking up the high school by focus. Snyder, the high school Grace is slated to go to and the one closest to our house would become a medical magnet, giving extra attention to the hard sciences and offering classes they currently don't/can't. Other schools might be social science magnets, or business magnets, or other type of schools. Frankly, I think this is a great idea and even if we were forced to take Gracie to school so she could get the applications best suited for her eventual goals, it would be worth it.

I feel lucky to have gotten through high school and still be able to progress through college. I want that same thing for my children. Working for the two years for Southside coaching debate gave me an idea of how good Fort Wayne schools actually were (compared to the extremely limited curriculum of Woodlan) and as much as I would like to move back to the country, I would still want Gracie to stay in FWCS. It offes a whole lot more and as bias as I may seem, I think Gracie is going to be extremely special. She is such a beautiful girl and is extremely smart. I really want to provide as many doors for her to open as I can and FWCS seems to do that.

That said, I also need to think about Balin, who is also going to be a smart one. Balin is slotted in to Croninger without me having to run him through the lottery like Grace was. I certainly don't want to lose my spot there becuase it is (studies and indicated this) the best elementary school in the county.

Anyway, today is a big day. Wednesday will be even bigger and then we fall back into our routine. So is life. Before we know it we will be celebrating Balin's first day of school and Gracie will be driving. Oh how fast time flies.