By JIM VERHULST, Times Suburban Editor
Published August 29, 2004
(This article originally appeared Sept. 14, 2003)
Back in the day when my wife and I embarked on our first school search, there were no magnet schools or "choice" schools or anything of the sort. Heck, there were no FCAT scores or school grades.
This long-ago world a decade gone should have been so simple. Visit a few schools, see what's out there, and perhaps end up back at the original spot - the public school for which we were zoned. How quaint.
We looked into a few places. In the teachers' lounge of one of the schools we visited, we saw a note pinned to a bulletin board. The piece of paper wasn't directed to us, the parents. It was seeking teachers for a "magnet school." What's that? we asked. Don't really know, they answered. But, they added helpfully, here's the address of the school.
On a bit of a lark, we went for a visit, a chance encounter that changed our lives. Our journey led us to Perkins Elementary, which was just about to metamorphose into a new place - a magnet school for the arts. For the next 10 years, we would have sons attending school there. And their wonderful experiences have greatly influenced the young men they became as they have moved on to middle school and high school.
Perkins is now the most popular elementary school in the county, based on the number of students trying to get in. Ten years ago, we had no idea what the school would become. Frankly, neither did the people running the place. Sometimes things just work out well, something to remember when looking at new schools that lack a track record.
Our search, as old as it is, still has some worthwhile lessons:
--Luck can play a big role. We just happened to see a note tacked to a wall.
--You can improve your luck. If we hadn't already been out touring schools, we would never have seen the note.
--Trust your gut. One school was out of soap in the restroom the day we visited. That was a deal breaker for me, no matter what else the school offered.
--Look at the people. Schools are run by people, not programs. We believed in Perkins, untried as it was, because we believed in the magnet coordinator. She told us of her hopes for the school, but she admitted to some doubts. The school was new to her, too. We liked her candor, and we believed she would do everything possible to better the school over the years. Our trust paid huge dividends.
--Ask those you trust - friends, neighbors, relatives - who have been through the search. Winnow their comments, and work from there.
--Find out everything you can. There is no such thing as too much information.
--Tour the schools. It is vitally important to see for yourself what's out there.
--Don't be afraid to take a chance if it feels right. Only you can judge that.
