Texas DISers...need some help here

[disneyjunkie]

How do you know what the schools in your area will be like five years from now? Are there any public Montessori schools in the area?

Have you looked into going to college?

If you really want your child to attend a private school, I think you should look for ways you'll be able to pay for it yourself.


Can someone tell me what ISD stands for?

 

[KathyTX]

ISD is Independent School District. DISD would be Dallas Independent School District.

 

[janette]

ISD = Independent School District. School districts in TX are not by city or county lines. It can get pretty confusing, the town I live in has 4 different school districts you can be in depending on where you live.

I was very careful when purchasing a new home that I knew what school district I was in. The only district I wouldn't even look at houses in was Dallas.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I would suggest you start back to school right away, get a better job

If there was anything I was better at or more interested in than selling stuff, I'd go back to school. But being the born salesperson I am and given how much I love (99% of the time anyway) dealing with customers, Retail Sales IS my dream job. Sure, salespeople may not get paid much but it's rewarding in it's own way. DH has chosen retail as his field too, and that after getting his B.A. in Radio/TV/Film. *shrug*

Are there any public Montessori schools in the area?

Montessori schools (AFAIK) are all private institutions, as are Primrose Schools. I realize that Primrose only goes up to like 2nd or 3rd grade, but I figure a great start might help better than no start at all. *shrugs*

I was very careful when purchasing a new home that I knew what school district I was in. The only district I wouldn't even look at houses in was Dallas.

We didn't even think about that when we bought our house. We weren't planning on having kids for awhile..at least another 3-4 years and the house was purchased based on price, neighborhood, potential going up of local property values due to new construction around us both of homes and commercial properties as well as distance from our respective places of work.



TOV

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

But being the born salesperson I am

Well, you being such a wonderful salesperson, I would imagine it would be easy for you to sell somebody on giving you a new job.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Montessori schools (AFAIK) are all private institutions,

Well no. Montessori is more of a method of education, not a "chain" of schools such as Primrose. There are several Public and/or Charter Schools that use the Montessori methods of teaching, especially in their younger grades. The Acadmey my son attended was a Non-Profit Corporation that was actually started by several of the churches in the area. The tuition was quite reasonable, but parents were expected to donate heavily in the areas of time and helping to run fundraisers and such. If you couldn't meet the committments for that, then you did have to pay extra. I usually spent a 4 to 10 hours a month in the computer lab working with the kids.

If you are interested in the Montessori Methods, there is a ton of reading material available through your local library. You can also buy many of the Manipulatives and Puzzles for your own home to work with your Preschooler.

Right now you might be interested in doing some reading on the benefits of reading to your infant everyday and exposing him to classical music and such. These have both been shown to be beneficial in developing language and thinking skills, and it is something that you can do for James now -- as compared to 3 to 4 years down the road.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

It would be, if only I could get an interview! I don't know the reason WHY I'm not getting any interviews, considering all the apps and resumes I've turned in during the last year.

But I'm going to keep looking. And for now, because I want to get OUT of this job more than anything, I've been looking in other fields besides retail. My resume is on Monster.com and I am using that and Flipdog.com to try and find something other than this kraptastic position I'm in. I'm going to KEEP looking until I find another job. I refuse to let myself get stuck in this forever, knowing I won't go anywhere or make any money doing it.

TOV

 

[dcgrumpy]

We weren't planning on having kids for awhile..at least another 3-4 years

really?

That's funny,I must have confused you with someone else. LOL

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

We knew we WANTED kids, but when we first moved into the house almost 4 years ago, we thought we'd wait till I was in my late 20's and DH in his early 30's to have them, tbh.

BUT...to be totally honest..it's not like we were TRYING to have kids, but we weren't trying NOT to have kids either. *shrug* Stupidity and naievete' on our parts due to being young, I suppose. Thinking that because I'd been told that while it wasn't impossible for me to get preggos without help,it was going to be hard to do it on our own without a dr's intervention, drugs and what not.

And after awhile..a couple years go by and I see all these kids running around, I see them at work all the time I start wanting one. SO we keep doing what we're doing..not trying but not preventing it from happening if it DOES happen. I pray and I beg and I plead...and after about 6 mos go by, nothing happens. I figure I am not going to have kids unless I see a doc about fertility treatments.

I didn't even KNOW I was pregnant the first 11 wks or so. I thought my funky cycle had gone through a 'burp' again like it did last year at that same time and I didn't worry about it till DH brought home the HPT and proved I was pregnant.

TOV

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I do believe DcGrumpy is referring to your Childfree Forever I Hate Carpet Creeps phase.

If there was anything I was better at or more interested in than selling stuff, I'd go back to school.

Did you know that many Business Schools offer degrees in Sales and Marketing?

 

[pw2pp]

Montessori schools (AFAIK) are all private institutions

One of the Elementary Schools in our Public School district is a Montessori School and even if it is not the school that you live closest to, you can opt to have your child attend.

 

[phamton]

There are lots of public Montessori schools in Texas. There was even a magnet school (public) in the town I moved from in South Texas. Our town only had 50,000 people and was much smaller than the Dallas area.

Here's a website to locate both private and public schools that are Montessori:
http://www.montessoriconnections.com/schoolsdb/zipcodesearch.shtml

But why you are looking now, is beyond me. Private schools seldom have waiting lists around your area.

 

[Aristocath]

Montessori schools are part of the Fort Worth ISD system, as are applied learning schools. My son attends the Applied Learning Center here in Fort Worth and it starts at kindergarten, as do the Montessori programs. These are special interest programs that you have to apply for and in this districts case, the students are chosen by lottery.
The only pre-k classes in the public system are in low income, monority areas. There is no voucher system in the state of Texas and hopefully there never will be.
My suggestion to you, and sorry if this comes across as rude, is to do like many of us and save up your money to send your child to a private preschool at a local church or other school.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by phamton
There are lots of public Montessori schools in Texas. There was even a magnet school (public) in the town I moved from in South Texas. Our town only had 50,000 people and was much smaller than the Dallas area.

Here's a website to locate both private and public schools that are Montessori:
http://www.montessoriconnections.com/schoolsdb/zipcodesearch.shtml

But why you are looking now, is beyond me. Private schools seldom have waiting lists around your area.

There you go, your state has public Montessori schools.

I don't mean to be rude, but I think you need to use this next 5 years to find a way to increase your salary. THEN you'll be able to send your child to private school on your own dime.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Thanks phantom...I think that list was exactly what I was looking for.

TOV

 

[Kirby]

If you don't care for the public school system where you live, you might consider moving. That's what we did. We used to live in Dallas but didn't care for the schools in our area. Not all schools in Dallas are bad, there are some good ones there. But the ones that serviced the area in which we lived were not ones we wanted our children to attend. So the year our oldest turned four, we put our house on the market. It took a year to sell. We did our homework and found a school district that had good reports, bought property and buildt a house. Our son went to private school during kindergarten because we were between houses and renting in another town. We had already enrolled him in this particular private school just in case the house did not sell before he started school.

It doesn't hurt to start having a plan in mind so you can get your finances in order. Also, not all private schools cost the same. In researching different ones for that one year we found that some were quite reasonable while others were way too expensive for our budget. Also, ask around for references. The Little Red Schoolhouse where my son went came very highly recommended and I thought their price quite reasonable.

 

[MeanLaureen]

TOV - Let me give you some advice about what you were saying regarding retail managers throwing your application into the circular file because you have worked food service.

First off - throwing away an application IS illegal you know. We retain them for a specified period of time

Second - I have several employees working for me that had previously worked in the fast food industry. I don't see it as a black mark against them. Heck, if they had a good job record in a fast paced industry like that I consider it a plus.

Third - and I'm not trying to sound rude but it will come off that way - as a manager, if you are filling out your application using the same attitude as you are posting here - that you are entitled to have things given to you (ex. an expensive private school for your unborn son) or that you are exceptionally "bright" in your opinion - your application won't get a second glance from me. Good managers are trained in how to "read" a person's personality from their handwriting and how they fill out an application. If you use one word of slang like that horrendous "whut" you posted earlier - nobody will give you a second glance.

I'm just trying to help you out and make sure that you take a second look at what you might be saying on applications and on your resume'. That is the first impression that an employer gets of you and as the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

 

[Mr.BsMom]

I have to chime in and agree with Kirby... We bought our first house when I was 7 months pregnant with DS (now 5). We wanted a house by the time he was born (we were in an apartment), and our plan was to sell it and move to a better school district before he was to start kindergarten. That first house was not exactly where we wanted to live... but it was a great place for us to start. Just before his 4th birthday, we decided to put our house on the market and start looking for another. We found one, moved in, and the rest as they say is history...!

What I'm saying is that you still have plenty of time to save $$, plan out what you really want for him, and work to make your dreams for your son come true. Maybe you should do some more research on the school districts around here... I don't think they are all that bad!

He's not even born yet, no need to get in a panic yet.