As a woman with almost seven years' experience as a classroom teacher, I'm not going to lie: The educational opportunities in my current neck of the region were a major factor in my decision to move north. It bodes well for the capital of New York State, where the Board of Education is housed, that many of their schools are, at least as I've seen in their more moderately-sized communities, doing a great deal right---regardless of the chaos political edicts may sometimes bring (and regardless of the messiness of the mandate or, at times, excessive panic felt by the public).
Indeed, in a limited way, I can attest to the strength of these schools as both a parent and a tutor. Though none of my children are in the public school yet, the schools seem large enough to have excellent programs, and the communities small enough that children probably less often get lost. I also like the sense of ownership that I've seen many parents take in their children's learning in the younger years. This may be due to having sent my first child to a cooperative nursery school that is funded and run by the parents. However, as a secondary-level tutor I'm sensing that this team effort progresses into the later years of public education as well. (By the way, I have absolutely nothing but wonderful things to say about Glenville Cooperative Nursery School for preschool education.)
Anyway, after working in New York City for many years and seeing my teaching team accomplish great things despite our unbelievably large numbers, I know I'm not reinventing the wheel by saying that you can do more in smaller environments in the younger years.
My first child is starting kindergarten this year, too. We've been testing and screening with the school district for two years, and rather than feel that they are trying to track, peg, and label my child, I've found the school district to be wonderful communicators, aware, conscientious, and compassionate enough for me to see the hearts of most educators worn on their sleeves. I have no doubt that many people I've encountered in my own school district, from the superintendent's office to the classroom, are centered on the well-being and success of my child.
And it's my job to do the rest. When I say my husband and I moved north, first and foremost, for education, I mean it, and I do not even primarily rely on the schools for it. Indeed, simply put, we moved here due to the lower cost of living. Being home to raise my children each day was my top priority in planning for my family. My husband and I, pulling our two salaries' savings north from downstate and with some evening tutoring and waitressing jobs on my part, have made this possible. We have made my being an active part of their daily lives and education our main priority in life at this time. It's a shame that neither my husband nor I were smart enough to make this a more fair and balanced plan. Our biggest regret is what my husband misses. I think it's fair to say that we both wish we could equally work a bit more part-time and share the job of raising children during the day.
Anyway, with the circumstances being what they were and are, this has been the right decision for me, and this area has been the right place to do so, not just due to the lower housing costs. From museums, colleges, and athletics to hikes in the Adirondacks and weekends splashing in lakes, from snowshoeing through parks to barbecuing under the old majestic oak trees in my own backyard, from farms and farmers' markets to cities, fairs, and shows, I recognize that living in this region, simply by right of location, gifts its inhabitants with ample opportunity to share special times with family and friends in a wondrously rich and beautiful country.
Upstate is undeniably a part of New York that offers a cornucopia of the best life has to offer. If you know where to look, this new home of mine thrives with fortune for the whole person and family by way of its natural bed of emotional, physical, and intellectual vitality and health. Like I said, my backyard is full of good soil. Or as my neighbor puts it, "It's a great place to grow kids." This is true, of course, of any place with love. And this area has a lot.
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