Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Stuff

I went to the faculty meeting yesterday to meet the teachers at the school where I will work one day a week. So, first of all, I thought I had it in the bag for next year, but then the principal says it is only guaranteed until the end of the year. This he says, really, to the teachers. The hell?
Alright. I am going to a job faire Sat. for the Archdiocese of SF Elementary schools. I am hoping to make some contacts for a position of some sort. We'll see. It will be swamped. So many people are looking for jobs right now. I missed the High School Job Faire two weeks ago for the Catholic Schools. I was pretty bummed about that as a job in high school would either lower my tuition or eliminate tuition for high school for my son in two years. Tuition is in the 18-20 something thousand a year range. So you see why I am desperate to find a job!

The 8th graders found out where they got in on Friday. It was a HUGE thing! In San Francisco the public schools are so bad that they really are not an option. There is only one public that is a college prep. Lowell High School. It is very difficult to get into. I am pretty sure my son has the grades for it, but he doesn't want to go there...course not. He wants either Saint Ignatius or Sacred Heart. He really wants to play sports and Sacred Heart recruits their players from two AAU team in particular and that is not his team, so he fears he will not be able to play basketball there. Maybe football, though. He plays rugby on one of the top teams, at least in the Bay Area, SF Golden Gate. Crazy Game, but he LOVES it!
Anyway, so now the kids have to ramp up their community service, make sure they do every extra everything, win every contest, get straight A's and then maybe, just maybe, they will get into 1 or 2 of the 3 or 4 schools they apply to.

Our Principal was furious, I heard, and ranting, even at the last Women's Guild Meeting. A few kids only applied to two schools and did not get in to either. She had to go and fight to get them into a school. I can't believe it is so difficult for our children to get into our local schools. 

Perhaps if the peninsula kids went to their local schools and Marin kids went to their local schools and we did not hold a certain number of spots open for these kids and leave San Francisco kids out in the cold. I don't even want to get started on the athletic situation!
Done with my rant....for now!

Thanks for listening!
L

4 comments:

garnett109 said...

hope your boy gets in the school of his choice

Beth said...

What a shame that the public schools aren't better than they are, and it's a problem everywhere. It's obviously something that needs to be worked on, and I hope we see improvements in the coming years. I went to public schools, but in a small town that didn't have major drug problems, etc., in the schools.

Good luck with your job faire. [fingers crossed!]

Hugs, Beth

Tawnya said...

I understand about the job situation. That was kind of crazy to say to the teachers. But he must have had a reason, one would hope!!! Schools are crazy!! The ones in FL are pretty good where my kids go. They like their schools, so that is a plus!! You will find something and your son will get into the school he wants, I have faith!!!

Gerry said...

It is good to hear what even qualified people like yourself are experiencing in the job market, and I understand all these concerns about schools your kids want to go to. My last two kids ended up in a 'ghetto' school, but they had a program where it was the magnet school for computer science and my son said he never had a better computer teacher. But this year the cuts to education are going to be unreal because of the deficit here in Arizona. What about there. I am very interested in your struggle, because I think it is the signs of the times. I just hope you don't lose heart, as things are bound to get better as long as you keep struggling. Gerry