The Race to the Starting Line

I, like many others, had the opportunity to see what it looks like when you have parents who are serious about their children getting off a to a good start. Just this past weekend, I had the opportunity to take my three year old to his interview for the pre-kindergarten class at Harry Stone Montessori School in South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas). When we arrived in the parking lot at 9:15, there was nowhere to park and we had to park in the parking lot of the church across the street. That sent a strong message about how serious this process would be and how serious these parents took this process.

Once inside the school building, we noticed that there were parents standing outside the auditorium and the auditorium was crowded. This also let us know, contrary to popular opinion, there are parents who care about their children being successful in school. We know that the key to a strong education is a strong early childhood education program. We have had our son in school since he was eighteen months old because we knew the sooner he was in a learning environment with other children his age, the better prepared he would be when it came time for grade school.

As was shown in the popular documentary, Waiting for Superman, parents who are serious about their child’s education are willing to stay up late and wake up early  to make sure that they take advantage of whatever opportunities exist. This sacrifice makes the difference in those children who not only graduate from high school but graduate ready for college or the world or work.

To see not only how committed the parents were but how serious the faculty and staff took this interview process was very impressive. They are aware that they have the ability to shape the minds of the next generation of business owners, judges, doctors and elected officials. The level of competitiveness also indicates that this is a school that has a reputation for quality education.

While conventional wisdom teaches us you have to be the fastest runner to get to the finish line in a race. When we are talking about our children’s education, it is not so important who is the first one to the finish line, but its about who is the most prepared when they get to the starting line that counts.