I guess that’s not surprising because that describes me, too. As a young child, I was very smart, but also severely hard of hearing, dyslexic, and had a speech impediment. In second grade, I was doing so poorly in public school that I was on the verge of being labeled and relegated to Special Education (in the 70s, this had a very different and dismal meaning). I’m grateful that my dad took me out of my neighborhood school and found a magnet school for me, that focused on the whole child. It was exactly what I needed. I credit that one decision -to provide me with an opportunity to spend every day in an environment that was such a wonderful match for my strengths and weaknesses- with the fact that I was able to grow up with a love of learning, a Master’s Degree, and a decent professional career. Things could have gone a very differently for me.
I’ve called Mountain View my home for over 15 years and the decision to settle in Mountain View was intentional. I visited during an Art & Wine festival and was utterly charmed by it, with its intelligent and talented population, multicultural feel, and lively and progressive community.
I know Mountain View has been changing… The cost of housing has skyrocketed, many renters have been forced to move to more affordable locations, there’s been a huge increase in new development and traffic. I’m not thrilled with these changes (especially as a renter) but I’m not giving up on Mountain View. Yet.
However, my two kids start kindergarten this fall, and I’ll be honest and say that I’ve been worried about my options for public school. It has forced me to consider some very hard choices. I have very seriously considered relocating. Giving my children the opportunity to grow their whole selves, to foster all their creativity, to learn empathy and important social intelligence, to learn with context (project-based learning provides excellent context) rather than rote learning, to learn how to be good citizens; these things mean everything to me. So, I was thrilled to hear that Bullis Mountain View was a possibility. Bullis Mountain View would be a true game changer.
Bullis has proven, at their Los Altos locations, that they can provide an amazing whole-child educational experience. Why on earth would we not want that option in Mountain View? Because it will take away from the public schools? I don’t buy that. I cannot imagine the problem is funding. Maybe it’s what is being done with that funding. If Bullis Mountain View adds pressure to the Mountain View Whisman School District to up their game, well, I would consider that to be an excellent added benefit.
As a community, I believe we would be foolish to pass up this golden opportunity to improve our educational opportunities in Mountain View. As a parent of two kids entering Kinder, I will jump at the chance to send my kids to Bullis Mountain View.
Stacy Dow, resident of Mountain View and mother of two children, both age 4.
