"School Could Use Girls Like C and D"

C and D got into the only private school we had decided we would choose over moving to the 'burbs and going public. We are thrilled and freaked out all at the same time. It was the first school we visited a few years ago and from the moment we stepped onto the campus we both had a feeling it was the place for them. No other school gave us that feeling (I visited 10+). We put our best feet forward, many factors played in our favor this year, and C and D were offered spots.

There are, of course, tradeoffs. Besides the obvious financial, we are not moving closer to Carmel and the airport, and our kids will have to take a bus to school (but isn't there something cool about bussing across the GG bridge to get to school?) And we will eventually move further from many friends who already seem to live too far away. And I feel like I just let down my city by forgoing public school.

But for now we don't have to move which is a big relief. And until proven wrong we think our kids are going to love the school. Given the hellish process that is getting into a public or private school in SF, we feel incredibly lucky that we got two spots and we have the ability to send them.

More than anything I learned a lot in the process. I learned that any choice we had was going to be vastly better than what many American kids get today, and for this I am both grateful and guilty. I learned that there are amazing things happening at public and private schools today, as well as some troubling things at both. I learned that when you ask C to write "as many numbers as you feel like" in a school assessment she will choose to write "2, 4, and 5" because "that was just what i felt like writing." (D heard it as "write as many numbers as you can" FYI (she claims she got to 23, though writing numbers is not in their wheelhouse yet) and no, this was not at the school they will be attending). And I learned that on things like this A and I make a good team.