Parents' choices

DH had his heart set on DMCC for Mn. After everything that Mc went through in middle school, we wanted to avoid that for Mn. Not that there are any guarantees, off course. Substance abuse and bullies can be found anywhere….but we felt Mn’s odds would be better at DMCC.

I had my concerns. The literature clearly stated that everything would be taught with a Christ-centered emphasis. What did that mean? Creationism vs. evolution? Did the children work out of secular texts or Christian-based texts only? Did they practice book banning?

While I liked the idea that a child was being raised in such a way that his or her faith was an every-day lifestyle instead of an activity restricted to Sundays, I had concerns. I felt that if secular and modern science were eliminated or undermined, the child would be living in a faith outside of the real world. That is unacceptable to me. I didn’t want Mn to become a Bible-beating freak who couldn’t function in the real world. I wanted him to be a person who was comfortable with his ideals, his beliefs, but could also be successful in his daily interactions of life.

So, with these fears in my heart, I wrote a careful letter to the Principal of DMCC, asking my questions in what I hoped was a diplomatic, non-offensive way. Was I ever impressed. Less than five minutes after pressing “send” on my email, I received a call from the Principal. He said my message deserved a one on one discussion. He put my mind to rest on so many issues. Yes, the children worked out of secular texts, receiving the same science, literature, and art background as any other school…..but with more. He said they also taught the Bible side and without any apologies. He told me that there would undoubtedly be times when parents would be unhappy with a school policy…..some parents were extremely protective and wanted to isolate their children from the world, other parents were like me who wanted to expose the children to everything in a safe way. DMCC is in an awkward position of trying to please everyone.

All my fears were put to rest. I gave DH my whole-hearted consent for Mn’s enrollment into DMCC.

The picture in the next blog is one of Mn all dressed up for his first day of Kindegarten. No longer a little boy….no more preschool. Now he’s a big kid in a big-kid school. Some mother’s are an emotional wreck when they send their baby to Kindegarten. Me…..I was excited and proud.

See the big ol’ box at his feet. What a lot of loot a kid needs to start school!!!!! When I went to Kindegarten, it was with a box of crayons, a package of tissues, and a pencil box. How times have changed.

I’m happy to say that we made a good choice. Mn is thriving! I cannot believe how much this little boy has learned in just a few short weeks. He can spell almost all of his colors. He has such a strong grasp of the various sounds that letters make, and is actively trying to read and spell everything. The boy is writing lists all of the time! He already knows some sight words (the, a) and he knows the difference between vowels and consonants. Good heavens, he is going to be reading Beginner’s Books by Christmas, I’m sure of it.

We had our first parent teacher conference last week. I am so impressed with the creative approaches his teacher utilizes to teach a concept. So many different ways of accomplishing the same task, so that the process of learning is not only stays interesting, but actually allows the child to recognize the principals from several different vantage points. Education methods have changed so dramatically….even from Mc’s day. Mn has a beautiful, bright future ahead of him at DMCC.