How far away does your child go to school?

[elfie]

I'm moving to a place that has very little alternative schools close by. There is a WONDERFUL Waldorf school that I think my dd would thrive in, but it is about 45 minutes away. My dd is only 4 and I think the drive may be too much for her. Plus, I have a 4 month old and I don't want to spend our life in a car. There is a Montessori about 15 mins away that I had originally planned to send her, but after talking with the folks at Waldorf, I feel that it is really a better place for my dd. She loves to go to school so I don't want to keep her home (I'd only send her 3 days a week anyway). Am I making to much of a big deal about it for a 4 year old. Should I send her somewhwere closer by for now until she's old enough to take the ride better, or even carpool? Maybe it's just too far in general.....

Just wanted to get an idea if others travel long distances for schools and how they deal with it?

[bestjob]

Walking is a huge priority for me... I cannot imagine getting everyone in the car for a daily commute to school.

You'd be spending 3 hours each school day in your car.

[Seeking Refuge]

I drive my kids over 30 miles to school every day and I wouldn't have it any other way. Yes my son (he has been making the drive since he was three weeks old) and I are in the car a lot and the environmentalist in me cringes at this amount of gas we go through but there is no making up for a poor education. We hope to relocate soon. The PS system we live in is awful I wouldn't send my dog there. So we drive the girls the extra distance to a public school system in a college town that is nearby. We are very lucky that Iowa has an open enrollment law. You are fortunate to live in an area where you have alternatives. The only private schools near us are catholic schools which IMO are no different than public schools except for the religious training and I am not a Christian so that would be of no interest to me.

We enjoy the drive. We use the time to practice spelling words or talk about their day at school. I like that I have a little bit more control over the time they spend with their friends. My ten-year-old has a lot of friends who are running around all over town without any supervision. Because of the distance if we stay after school to play at the park or have a playdate, I am usually close by. It is a side effect I hadn't planned on but kind of enjoy. We have a lot of overnights now that the girls are older too.

HTH

[christymama]

my daughter walks to school it is just down the road if my youngest is still sleeping I then stand on the porch and watch her walk to school. She usually meets up with a little girl who goes her way and they walk together. It is really cute I watch her walk all teh way into the school yard where the teachers are there watching them then. I feel safe with it.

[calgal007]

We commute 8 miles each way, but it's in a busy stretch of the highway, and takes a good 20 minutes at least.
Our reasons are that the school is worth it, and our child is getting the education we chose, rather than the "default" option offered by our local public school.
In the car we listen to books on tape from the library alot. We also listen to a lot of cd's; sometimes kid choice, sometimes mom choice. Depends on how cooperative kid was getting out the door!
I chose against getting a regular car, versus the ultra-low emissions vehicle that we drive. It's small, but there's just the two of us (plus dog).
Yes, yes, yes to the bonus about if there's an after-school playdate, I am already close by. That is an added plus.
Our neighborhood, by the way, is filled with children and our child has tons of friends here. We just don't agree with the public school policies, and our neighbors are cool about that. I don't have an axe to grind with anyone; I also volunteered in the local public school because it's so pathetic the kids there need all the help the local community can give.
Good luck making your decision. We have become accustomed to the car time, although in a perfect world, it wouldn't be part of our daily routine. Calgal

[Sunshine Girl]

It takes about 10 minutes to drive to my son's school. It would be too far to walk.

[Tanibani]

T

Originally posted by bestjob
Walking is a huge priority for me...

I'm curious... what has your experience been? Do you find it bonding? Relaxing? Energizing?

That's a really good idea. 1. I would get exercise and he would too. 2. I don't have to pollute the air.

There is a local public school. It is walking distance. It's a 30 minute walk though. I hate the idea of driving there. I was toying with the idea of biking him to school every am. Maybe I'll walk in the a.m. and bike on the way back.

[Len]

Hi Elfie! I was reading your post and I have exactly the same situation! What did you end up doing? We just started last week on a Waldorf preschool 3 days a week. It takes us anywhere from 35 to 45 mins and so far, it's worth the trip. 95% of preschools in our area are in the basement of a church and I don't feel good about it, to start with. We also have a Montessori at a walking distance, but their hours just didn't work for me (I'm still trying to make some money to pay for school and gas : ) So we are going to give it a try! at least now that it wouldn't be so dramatic if he changes schools before Kindergarten, and if all goes well we may end up moving closer to the school.

[elfie]

Len--- could have probably just signed my name to your post! We ended up at the Waldorf school and it is well worth it. The community there is so great. They have pointed me towards really cool stuff to do around town if I choose to hang around. We just started so the drive isn't so bad yet. I'm sure as time rolls on I'll get into a routine. I would love to move closer to the school eventually, but for at least a few years I am staying put.

[Len]

Elfie, hopefully we can keep in touch to "support" each other with our decisions. I am finding a lot of strange looks from people who thinks I'm nuts for not going to our local schools, but I thinks there is one other family from the school that lives very close to our house!