Dating Infinity

I have an imaginary dilemma; that is to say, I have been thinking much about a decision that I may not have the opportunity to make. Here’s the situation: DJ seems to be finally settled into his kindergarten class at Sylvan Heights Science Charter School. He enjoys school, gets along well with his classmates (though he hasn’t developed any relationships that continue beyond school hours), and is comfortable with the routine, uniform, building, etc. The teachers seem dedicated, and as a charter school, there is a higher level of parent involvement than standard public school, which translates into less behavior problems and higher expectations for conduct and academic achievement. On warm mornings when we get up early enough, we can walk to the school, and it’s close to Darrel’s work.

Now for the drawbacks. . .there is no grass on the school property, there is a lot of paperwork and not much individualized instruction (as far as we can tell), lunches are rushed, and–the big one–it only goes up through fourth grade.

Enter Infinity Charter School. Located about 2 miles away, but in a different school district, Infinity bills itself as a non-discriminatory school for the gifted (which we’re not convinced DJ is) serving kids in kindergarten through 8th grade. We had applied there last year, but with only 11 slots in kindergarten and priority going to students in that district, we didn’t get in. I wavered on whether to reapply for 1st grade, and finally did so at the last minute.

The dilemma is: would we choose to send DJ to Infinity if we were given the opportunity? (you see why this is an imaginary dilemma—a little bit like deciding what to do with the lottery money you haven’t won yet. I guess you could say I bought a ticket. You could also compare it to the practice of dating someone you’re not sure is marriage material.)

On the side of Infinity, there is the argument that DJ is going to have a school transition at some point; better then to have a transition sooner so that he has more time in a stable environment. It’s possible that a faster-paced setting with more individualized options would open up new worlds to him (how could it not?), but it’s also possible that he may have a difficult transition and have the wind knocked out of his sails when he discovers that kids his age have abilities far beyond his (not that being humbled is a bad thing—not always being at the head of the class is one of the selling points in the Infinity presentation to parents). The risk of exchanging something good for something that seems better is that you end up with something that’s simply different, or worse.

I think my big hang up with Infinity is that it’s not in the city. There are some significant statistical differences: 75-90% of Sylvan Heights SCS kids qualify as low income, compared to 16% at Infinity; 63% of Infinity’s kids identify themselves as Caucasian, compared to approximately 5% at Sylvan Heights. But it’s something more intangible that gives me pause about Infinity. I’ve chosen to live in the city for many reasons—it’s what we can afford on one income, I appreciate the racial/cultural diversity, it’s close to my important places (church and work), living in the city reduces my ecological footprint, I don’t want to be in a position where I’m comfortably shielded from injustice and human need, and I think that informed, active citizens can help restore the vitality of the city. I didn’t move to Harrisburg for the schools. No one does. But if I want to offer Harrisburg life as a viable option for others, then shouldn’t I be able to accept, even embrace, the Harrisburg School District as part of the package? Instead, I already feel hypocritical for not enrolling DJ in the closest public school, but at least Sylvan Heights serves city residents exclusively.

I just took a break and looked up both schools on www.greatschools.net. I only looked at the parent reviews, which are very mixed for Infinity and very positive for Sylvan Heights. On the other hand, the greatschools rating system gives Infinity a 10 and Sylvan Heights a 2.
Ahhrgh. Must stop thinking ahead and focus on the present. I’m glad to have the chance to waste time staring at the computer screen—last week was very stressful, and there was no time to waste. Having imaginary dilemmas is a luxury on so many levels.