Urbandale: Des Moines:
15 kids in a classroom 28 kids in a classroom
3 recesses 1 recess (even for 1st graders)
on-grade level readers special ed teachers in the room during reading
involved parents parents that don't return your phone calls
project based learning on the No Child Left Behind watch list
It is amazing what a difference 7 miles make in the Des Moines metro.
4 comments:
I send my son to Greenwood - supposedly one of the best schools in the district - but I don't know that he's reaping any special benefits from the location. I wish we had a non-religious-affiliated private, magnet or charter school choice. Cowles or Downtown? Can you even open-enroll your children in Urbandale if you live in DSM? Do you have to move? I see this debated a lot on the Register's "mommy" blog. Definitely wish there were more choices - looks like you've found a decent alternative...
Sounds like things are going good for you and you may be making some decisions on location. Every experence you get will lead you closer to your choice of teaching location. You will make a difference to the children you teach, where ever you go.
Love,
Mom
I'm actually at Rolling Green in Urbandale for a couple weeks and I believe you can open enroll even if you do not live in the community. I also know that Cowles is part of DSM public, and they have open enrollment too. However, I will say that DSM public has a very successful reading curriculum that has impressed me more than any other district I have been in. It's hard to make those choices, hopefully I'll have a good idea by the time my son starts school next year.
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