I have been married for 5 1/2 years, but my husband and I are still in the "when we grow up" phase of our lives. We have lots of plans for the future, which is not a bad thing, even though we don't agree on the same things always. It's part of being in a relationship and part of compromising for each other.
One thing we have discussed is building a house in a few years when we are at the right point financially, when we are ready to make the transition and when we find the right location. That way, we can have all the bells and whistles, but for a cheaper price, since his dad is a framer and has built houses for a living.
In discussing where we might live we have gotten into the debate about schools, which is natural because we have a kid. He grew up in a small town with the population 220. I grew up in a city with about 19,000. Neither place was large, but still, it's a considerable difference between the two. He had a graduating class of 16, I had a graduating class of 316. (Not exactly, but close). Technically, he wasn't even in his graduating class, because he got his GED. But, you get the point.
His activities while in school: Basketball. My activities in school: Band, Choir, Drama and Student Council. Needless to say, I did more and had more opportunities. However, our families philosophies were also different. His parents said that a teenager should be with his family or studying, because family is forever. Plus, they have to earn their keep and help around the house. My parents said that I should help around the house for allowance, but I should be involved in school academically and in extra curricular activities.
*Note- I have never thought negatively about small schools, but I have just never thought they were for me or my family.*
Recently, I attended four graduations, three for work and one for a family member's graduation. After that, I have come to a couple conclusions.
1) Unlike one speaker said, smaller schools are not better than bigger ones. Just because you go to a large school doesn't mean you are "just a grain of sand on the beach." You can excel no matter where you are and no matter where you come from.
2) Bigger schools are not better than smaller ones. To quote one of my favorite 2014 speakers giving an address for a graduating class of 30, "The size of the city you are from has no relevance to your intelligence. You will go on and meet people from places like Hong Kong, New York City and Tulsa. You will have to compete against some of these people, and you will do just fine."
3) It's important to find a school that focuses on academics, but has fun stuff too. A graduate of a small school recently told me "I wish I had gone to a bigger school. I would have had more to choose from."
4) When it comes to the extra stuff, some schools have co-op sports and activities, so if you choose a small school, all is not lost.
Maybe I had the wrong outlook and still do. But I considered HS important because it leads to college. If you get bad grades in HS, you won't get into the school you want. Other than that, you are still a kid. You should have fun because when you grow up, there will be a lot more responsibilities to worry about.
