I've got a parenting dilemma and I thought the Mustachians would have some advice.
My son (Little FL) will go to kindergarten in the fall. NYC allows parents to apply to the public school they want to attend.
There's a school a few blocks from my home, in easy walking distance, with perfectly good state scores. That was the obvious choice, until I found out that there's a separate application for gifted & talented programs. Not every public school offers those, and the nearest one that does is several miles. I'd have to drive him every day, with all the time and traffic and parking hassles that would entail.
Little FL is a bright kid, and I'm sure he'd do well in a G&T program. It seems like conventional wisdom that parents have a responsibility to give their kids every advantage. Admission this year is by lottery, not a test, so he might not get in - but what would it say if I didn't even apply? Does that mean I don't believe in my own kid's potential?
On the other hand, I hate the expectation of getting kids on a treadmill of achievement starting at 5 years old. I truly don't believe that the difference between a G&T program and the regular curriculum is
that large, especially in kindergarten. If I did it, I'd be doing it just for his resume - and it galls me that kids that young should even have to
have a resume.
Personally, I'd prefer to send him to the school in our neighborhood, where we can walk every day, and use the time we save to do more educational activities as a family. We've been walking him to pre-K this year, and I like that peaceful little interval and want it to continue.
Plus, I want him to have time to be a kid. I want to show that kids can thrive without
Ivy League parents forcing them to always do the hardest thing.
But I don't know if my reasons are sound, or if I'm just being selfish and lazy. I'd appreciate an outside perspective!