I'm Thankful For Our Public School. (Aren't I?)

Today, my girls were in their first Thanksgiving performance at school. It was adorable, of course - 110 kindergarteners singing in unison, smiling, as their proud parents stood immobile with a smattering of videocameras and smartphones. As I always do at these events, I teared up, caught up in the mix of pride and nostalgia I felt watching my five year-olds participate in this rite of childhood.

I also felt, as I usually do at these events, very lucky that our kids can go to this school. It's a DC public school, but it's considered one of the "crown jewels" of DCPS. Even the mayor opted to endure public indignation when he enrolled his kids there this year, out of boundary. The fact that we get to send our daughters there for the cost of our DC property taxes, which are pretty low, makes me very grateful.

But there is something that nags at me and makes me wonder if the girls are getting shortchanged in a way that they wouldn't at a private school. It's not the academics - it's the other classes that make up a well-rounded education. They have music, art, and P.E. each once a week. That's it - once a week. I guess I always pictured kindergarten as a time of creative intensity and a high level of physical activity. The fact that they only have these classes once a week - all of which are taught by the same teacher - gives me pause. Is this solely a budget issue, or is this typical for a kindergarten curriculum? Would it be any better at one of DC's fancy private schools? Am I capable of picking up the slack - of doing enough craft activities at home and playground outings on the weekends - to help make up for what they aren't getting at school?

I know that budgets are tight everywhere, and that DCPS is no exception. And ultimately, I am comfortable enough with what they are getting from their school that I am not thinking about pulling them out or taking out a second mortgage to pay for tuition. But this is always in the back of my mind, and I've got my eyes open.

Original D.C. Metro Moms post. Gayle also blogs about books at Everyday I Write The Book.