Choices

I am happy to report that all of the struggles to get my child into a private school have come to a positive conclusion.  He has gotten into 3 schools & now the burden is: which one.  Which one will best help him mold his future pathway to college.  Which one will nurture & support him the best--where will he begin to become the adult he will one day be?  Tough questions--of course the best place MUST have a rigorous French program--for a kid who's functionally fluent in a language--it is one of the more important aspects of our choice.  And finally, where did my son feel the most at home--did the other kids tell him how much they loved their school?  Or, as in the case of one that he visited, tell him how much they hated the school & that he should not go there.  My son will tell you that he's already made his choice--I am not so sure.  His opinion is certainly one of the deciding factors as all three schools offer a rigorous college preparatory program that I am satisfied with, but I need to be as sure as I can & so I investigate them all.  Conversations with the French teachers are the first order of business--an honest discussion as to whether or not the school can offer him a challenge in the upper grades.  He is currently taking what is equivalent to French III in high school in the 8th grade.  There's only 2 levels beyond that so where does he go after tenth grade?  And, over all--a well-rounded academic & extra-curricular setting--not just sports, sports, sports, or arts, arts, arts....a mix of both.  And the acceptance that both are important to my child.  He will never be the one always making an assist in the middle of a soccer game or always acting in the middle of a play--he loves both & that is the kind of child I am happy to have--I want that encouraged.  I must say however, that it is nice to have the choice of the three--but it certainly poses its own challenges...