Hellobee Boards

When I was in 4th grade, I went to a school in a so-so area. Looking back, all I remember is recess and learning my times table. In 5th grade, we moved to an upscale neighborhood with excellent schools. And man.... I noticed a HUGE difference.

We had music classes, crafts classes, typing class (we learned to type on those old school manual typewriters in 5th grade), we had orchestra and chorus. And I remember the teachers giving me more attention in class. They would hold more parent/teacher conferences and send notes home with my progress much more often than in my previous school. I also remember we had library time (they had a GREAT library) where 2x a week, we would all head down to our school library, check out leisure books (any book you want) and read them for an hour before heading back into class (and writing a book report on it). We also had quiet time after recess. Right after we came back from recess, there was always a cup of water on each of our desks. Then we all put our heads down while the teacher read aloud (usually Judy Blume books). We were allowed to either take a nap or listen to the reading for 20 minutes. Then we all got up and sang a song to stimulate our minds before engaging in learning.

So that's what I personally look for in elementary schools now. A diverse curriculum (which includes music & art), more parent/teacher involvement, healthy food offerings, emphasis on reading and just overall body/mind development.

Thinking back, I realize that this school was AWESOME. I learned so much from my 2 years here (5th & 6th). I wish I had attended this school from the get go!

Do they have Business First in your area? They do a yearly run down of school ratings. I forgot the site but there's a site that does statistic of average test results for each school.
And honestly just word of mouth from living in the area.
There's a high school in our area that this year was top 16 in the nation according to a national publication. The high school our kids will be going to was within top 200 in the nation.

@shellio: Yes, it was a very good school! Those 2 years really did shape the way I learned and developed my self esteem. Once in 5th grade, the teacher called me up to her desk. I was so scared that I did something wrong. I slowly walked up to her desk and she whispered in my ear "You have on a very pretty dress today. That's all I wanted to say." and smiled at me. I didn't say anything and walked back to my desk because it caught me off guard. I still remember that moment vividly to this day. It made me feel so pretty and special. I loved Mrs. Johnson!

@joyjoy: Library time was awesome! I think it really made me like to read more, especially since we were allowed to read whatever book we wanted (and not from the curriculum or whatever).

@oliviaoblivia: Totally! It's one of those moments that I always refer back to when I feel kind of down. Such a small gesture that makes such a big impact in someone's life. I remember the dress I was wearing too. White with tiny velvet pink polka dots. I hope my kids have teachers like that growing up.