Open Enrollment Coming to Duval Schools?

[Ajax]

Having a newborn (6wks) in daycare costs between 180-200 a week.
It is almost impossible, to work enough to house/feed yourself on a low wage (less that 12-14 p/h) paying those kind of costs in child care. Not to mention, attending and passing classes.

I agree... it must seem impossible at times.  I commend you for the effort you are making... I am sure it will pay off for you in the end... and will make you a stronger person later in life.

Agreed - and you're setting a great example for your children as well.  Kudos, and best of luck with your studies. 

[GoldenEst82]

Stephen, I appreciate the point you are trying to make- but I understand his question, and where it is coming from.

You might not like my answer, Bridge Troll.

If my parents had decided to teach responsible sexual practices- things might have been different.
There is a backstory to understanding the dynamic.

I had very young parents.
By the time my mother was 31 (my age) she had a 15y/o, a 13y/o, a 10 y/o and a 4 y/o. I am the eldest. They home-schooled me, (and sibs) but were paranoid about me repeating their mistakes- and were very controlling over my HS life.
I never went to a HS party for example- I was not allowed out past 10, on the weekends. I was abstinent (by choice) until I was 17.5. I left my parents house the week I turned 18- (I had already graduated)  and from then on supported myself. I enrolled in Community College, where I met my children's (now absent) father.

I had my oldest son at 20, basically because I trusted my then partner to "protect" me, for me.
There are, of course, other ideas about relationships and the power structures of them, that religious centered upbringing skews- that make it harder for women to "insist" or "make their partner" use protection.

I am not laying blame on anyone but me. Hindsight is always 20/20 though, and I would have felt empowered to make better choices, had my parents been more open people.

(They are now, though!!)

[GoldenEst82]

Oh, one other thing- for clarity.
I am not in school, I never went back. 21 months after my oldest, I had my second. 21 months after that- I left their abusive father.

I have a startup now.
I am pretty broke- but I have a partner that is committed and supportive- which makes all the difference in a family.

One good side effect of my upbringing- I learned how to self educate. Which is how I have managed to get where I am now. 

[GoldenEst82]

Honestly, I am asked questions like that- a lot.
I have realized that if I am offended by those questions- it means I am ashamed.
I am not.
This is my life, and I have moved upwards from some very low places, and I am proud of that.

I understand why you think it would be offensive though.

[BridgeTroll]

Honestly, I am asked questions like that- a lot.
I have realized that if I am offended by those questions- it means I am ashamed.
I am not.
This is my life, and I have moved upwards from some very low places, and I am proud of that.

I understand why you think it would be offensive though.

I appreciate your honest response... and you are right of course... there is no reason to be ashamed of anything.  Had we been having this discussion over lunch... there would have been a less clumsy way of asking the question and getting the answer.  Such is the nature of "forum" style discussion.  For Stephen to point out others "offensive and bad examples" of others is of course... ironic.

My parents were also (by my standards at the time) over protective... though not to the extent you described.  I also left home early and never returned.  I guess I was lucky in that enough common sense my parents tried to impart to actually stuck and I avoided a possible less that successful start.  I shared my experiences with my child in the hopes some of it sticks... we shall see.

[GoldenEst82]

I received a robo-call today from DCPS: Dr. Vitti is encouraging parents to attend one of three upcoming meetings.

http://dcps.duvalschools.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=8080&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=11891&PageID=1

^Points to the scheduled meetings, the ones Mar24-27th are going to relate to school choice and open enrollment.

I also found this page of podcasts linked on the dcps fb page- http://dcps.duvalschools.org/Page/9342 the first of which is about this topic.