Evrything I Need to No I Lernt in Skool

I got schooled, so to speak, today at lunch by my co-workers. I found out exactly how far behind I already am on planning for Cooper's scholastic career. I learned I really need to be picking houses according to the best school districts so I can participate in the lottery to get to send my kid to a charter school or a magnet school. I can focus his educational goals on liberal arts type programs with an emphasis on language, including a school that has a curriculum of both Mandarin Chinese and Arabic, with the goal of a tri-lingual child. Or the schools that focus on medicine, math and technology, or how about pre-law. Oh and this is not just at the high school level, nooooo, these important decisions need to be made for enrollment in one of these programs at the kindergarten level. Not only that but I also learned about the pre-school programs I really need to be considering. One co-worker told me about her grandaughter's pre-school that has an extensive waiting list, a 5K annual tuition, and a ten-step application process that includes comprehensive testing of the child, a two hour interview, and a separate interview to evaluate the parents (the parents?? oh, we are soooooo screwed).
What ever happened to reedin', ritin', and rithmatic (and I really don't know how to spell that one-case in point for specialized education).