PUBLIC SCHOOL IN NYC, MANHATTAN

We are zoned for a great public school in New York City. We make it by 2 buildings. The lines for zoning in my area are a bit screwy, but who cares, we make it!

My son is in 2nd grade. He started in this school 2 years ago, entering at the Kindergarten level. The school is only a few blocks from our home so he had an immediate feeling of neighborhoodliness. Yes, that is a word I just made up, don”t tell his Principal!

Having just come from a daycare/pre-K where they were attended to all day, I did not know what to do with him after school, so I signed him up for an activity every day. Would you like to guess how long that lasted?

I am a stay at home dad. originally not by choice, but currently with my son’s needs, it is the right course for us at this time. The 2nd semester of Kindergarten I found the NYC playground on the corner, 2 buildings from school. We have been going there ever since. All those activities? Completely unnecessary. He finds friends all over this playground from his school and he is quite happy to go there every single solitary day after school. Me? I talk to all the parents, I am the Mayor!

The school has a policy of keeping the parents in the kindergarten class to read to their kids for the first few months of school. In our year it went on for 6 1/2 months, that was way too much. They have since shortened it. What this time afforded me and the other parents, in between reading to our kids, was a fantastic opportunity to bond! I still feel I met the greatest group of parents in our first year at this school. Most of us will be friends till 5th grade and hopefully beyond!

I would also like to throw in that as a “diverse” family, it was very heartening when one of my son’s best friends the 2nd day of Kindergarten was a boy with 2 moms. This helps explaining things a lot! Also, in 1 st grade, 4 out of 20 kids in his class were adopted, just like him. These types of things are what I look for to show him all families are different, not just his (I don’t say that last part out loud). He also has some friends who have a mom through single parent adoption, again, helps our cause!

So my point is, in New York City, we go to public school and we have the most amazing sense of community. I had no idea it would even be safe to send my kid to public school in Manhattan, let alone be of such high quality and friendliness. And this school has a great reputation of getting kids into excellent middle schools, yes the application process is 3 years away, I have started interviewing already!

There are 2 concerts a year at the school, the music teacher works very hard getting the kids together for this singing. For 1st grade there was a Circus Arts module and we got to see our son perform with his classmates with a hula hoop around his neck, he was awesome and stole the show! There are many other activities here, they start them with chess in the early grades, dance troupes come in to teach classes and also there is a Museum module!

I have not had the easiest time with the administration, they fight the fact that “boys will be boys,” even after showing us a movie admitting it. But for my son I will keep up the fight! That is all i will say about that!

The school nurse knows my son. When he has an issue she is there to comfort him and keep in close touch with me. I am grateful to anyone who gives this lovely attention to my child. And I am sure she does this with everyone, she is an asset at our school.

The recess and lunch ladies know my son. I ran into one of them over the summer in mid-town Manhattan and gave her a big hug and kiss, totally shocking her! I am always happy to see people out of context, especially from the school. She was totally floored and appreciated the nicety. This can only help my son! Another one saw me in the morning and talked about his hunger at lunch and I asked her to push the salad bar. How nice of her! the other one I see in the playground with her family and we have built a nice relationship.

This school year my son decided he wants to partake of the gourmet buffet breakfast. This means me quickening my morning schedule- OY VEH! It is completely free for all kids, I don’t know how the Board of Ed swings that, so no questions asked, it is a great service provided for us and others.

I consider us super fortunate to have such a great neighborhood school, with such an awesome sense of community. It is not what I expected, but I am glad we have this for my son, I know it makes him feel happy and safe. I am hearing that NYC schools overall have improved and people with the financial means to send their kids to private school actual choose public school in a lot of cases. That’s why there are more and more summer house owning people in our school!

This New York City school is not impersonal. The Principal knows the names of all the kids. My son has even been able to have lunch with her on occasion! But that’s another story!

UPDATE #1: My son’s 1st report card comes on Monday with the Parent/Teacher conference following on Tuesday. I reserve the right to change all the above opinions based on the outcome of these 2 events next week!