Excuse Me?

Robs "starts" kindergarten in the Fall.

But I have a dilemma.

A big one.

The public schools...

I really don't know quite where to begin.

And the private schools?

They pull a Rumpelstiltskin

and ask for your first born (grand)child in addition to tuition.

(Not to mention Text books, Year books, Family Fee,

Enrollment Fee, and a deposit of the non-refundable variety.)

Call me stubborn, I'm not willing to do it.

So I've been putting it off.

All the while hoping that I wouldn't have to visit the elementary.

Or that perhaps the local gerrymandering fairies

would magically re-gerrymander the school lines

so Robs could attend a slightly better school...

(The one within walking distance.)

None of it worked.

So this morning I carefully applied my happy face.

We drove the seven minute drive.

I held Robs' hand... (for my very own sake.)

We marched past the tattooed arm in the idling car...

...through the main (video camera'd) front doors...

And introduced ourselves at the front desk.

I did the talking.

Robs did the smiling.

We made the best of it.

(I'm as proud of Robs as proud can be.)

We met all four teachers.

We saw all four classrooms.

And when the special needs child escaped his class room and grabbed my rear,

I took Robs' hand and moved down the hallway so the teacher could guide him back inside.

And then I started asking questions.

Curriculum?

...decent.

Class size?

...okay.

Typical day?

...not preferable, but we'll make do.

Expectations?

...acceptable.

Discipline?

"...The paddle is kept in the principal's office."

Excuse me?

I thought the teacher was kidding.

She was not.

She said at the beginning of the year I can sign a waiver,

allowing the teachers to paddle my child if they deem it necessary.

I didn't know that was legal.

Here is my dilemma.

I'm confident Robs would never find herself on the wrong side of the paddle.

And I would, of course, sign a waiver to make sure of that.

But can I really send her to a school that honestly believes paddling is okay?

And embraces it?

I didn't mention this before, but the racial background of the student body favors one color,

and puts Robs' in a small... very small minority.

(I counted three.)

I have no issue with her being a minority,

but pair that with the paddle comment,

and I HAVE TO ask,

"What does this say about the student body?"

Or the school in general?

At one point in my life I swore... I would never homeschool.

But after today I'm at a loss for words with which to swear...

And homeschooling is starting to entice me.

Kindergarten:

Home school?

(Considering she's getting antsy with our daily routine...)

Public School?

(Considering all of the above...)

To anyone who still reads this blog...

Any insight?

Any opinions?

Any experience?

Please share.

...Please?

(And as a general rule, we do not paddle anyone on this blog.)