Another Glimmer of Hope

I can't remember if I've written about it, but around Christmastime we decided that Miss M's school, while educationally sound, was not socially the best fit for her.  She is naturally a leader and very outgoing, and she is somehow. . .less than herself at her current school.  I can't put my finger on it exactly.  It's nothing specific--no mean behavior or anything like that.  It's just not her tribe, and she just is not happy.

When we made the decision, it was really late to be considering private school options, and ooof, the tuition around here.  We didn't think it would really be feasible to both find and pay for a private school, but we found a school for Miss M that we thought would be perfect for her, and we set about scrambling to meet application deadlines.  This school's tuition is really high, but, they have scholarships available, and we thought "why not try," so we did.  I obsessed over whether she should have taken a muffin on her way out the door to her interview (argh! she was more interested in the muffin than saying goodbye!), and then we basically forgot about it.  She got wait listed, and that was kind of that.

Except, they then asked us to come in and meet with them, and at the meeting, they told us how much they loved her, what a leader she was, how much spark they thought she had.  And we told them how loved she was, and how much we agreed.  And then we reiterated that we could not possibly pay full tuition, and they assured us that a scholarship was a possibility.  They also said they thought they were going to have a spot in the class for her.

And then nothing.

So I emailed on Friday, because we are trying to sort out next year.

And I heard back today.  They **might** have a spot for her.  They are trying to work out the scholarship.  And they need some things from me.  Which of course I am providing.

It has become so complicated since we applied.  If Miss M gets into this school, and we can afford it, it will be an amazing opportunity for her.

But, if Miss M doesn't enroll in our local school, SB will lose her slot there for next year, which is tied to having an enrolled sibling at the school.

SB's private preschool is really ideal for her, and I would love, love, love to have her stay there next year.  But it is insanely expensive.  They have invited us to apply for a scholarship, which was so incredibly kind.  It really would be ideal.  But it is pretty much impossible for me to imagine that we would get enough aid to put two kids in private school.  And I feel guilty taking aid.  We have so much, compared to so many.  But so little compared to many in this city, I suppose.  And if it turns out that we can afford to have only one attend private, who do we choose?  It's an impossible question, which really depends on who needs it more.  In truth, they both need an amazing year.  This one was tough.  Here's hoping we can find a way to make it all work out.