School

    Living in a place where the homes are the priciest in the state, brings along with that, some of the best schools, as well. It was, also, one of the bigger reasons we moved onto a boat, in this harbor. 

   The schools where we lived prior to this, were pretty bad. When 2nd graders are threatening to get their dad's gun, come to your house, kill your whole family, complete with graphically drawn pictures, and 3rd graders bring knives to school, it's time to reevaluate your child's educational options. I pulled my daughter out just a few months into 3rd grade (after the knife incident) and homeschooled her for the remainder of 3rd and all of 4th grade. It was kind of crazy timing, with my husbands first injury happening pretty soon after, and then morphed into a 16 month debacle. 

    I had called the new school months ago, to see what they would require to show proof of residency. Living on a boat, you don't have an physical address. We have a PO box, but, like the dmv, banks, insurance companies, (and many others I'm learning!), including the school, will not accept addresses with PO Boxes. The woman I spoke with assured me that if I had proof of owning the boat, the mooring, a utility bill with current PO box address(another complexity, as boats don't have utilities hooked up to them), and a drivers license with new address on it (that the dmv won't allow)! 

    Long story short, it took 2 weeks for me to get all of those things together, to present to the school district Address Verification office. When I entered the office last week, there were posters all over the walls that said things like, "if you living situation isn't stable, your children still have the right to attend school" and similar things like that. With all the hoops they made me jump through to show proof of residency, it was quite funny. It made me wonder how folks who are living in their cars or are living in temporary situations, enroll their kids into school. 

    The school my daughter would be attending is on the beach - the playground is directly on the sand of the beach with no fences. I was told they have do their science experiments down near the shore, as well as have surfing lessons as part of the after school enrichment classes. On the very first day of school, we went into the office, where we awaited someone to take us on a school tour. It's not every school you can store your surfboard in the school office, and all the little surfer boys have long hair. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto! 

    It was one of those same little, long-haired surfer boys who asked my short-haired daughter if she was sure she wasn't a boy! Hilarious! She told me she thought about asking him if he was sure he wasn't a girl, but kept her cool. She found out where all the kids go to Trick or Treat, and made a friend. I'm praying this will be an entirely different school experience for her. 

   I think it will.