Talking at Target

I find that the most interesting, thought provoking, and truthful conversations happen in the least planned for places. On a recent trip to a nearby Target the store is not set up for lengthily in-depth conversations and it white and red isles with linoleum floors and metal shelves do not offer a comfortable or specific place to talk about issues. I have noticed that because so many people spend so much time at Target they become comfortable with the environment and they are willing to freely express their concerns and openly start conversations with other shoppers and since they are already at Target they don't have to go out of their way to express their opinions. Generally the people that you most often fall into discussions on shopping trips with are the single older ladies and mothers. Topics range anywhere from rental laws to the quality of local schools. The last conversation that I was a part of started with a mother picking up a deck of math flashcards and examining them. Another mother chimed in to say that they were fantastic cards and before we knew it our conversation about flashcards branched into a conversation about the public education in our area. The participants in the discussion had strong opinions and the tone was rather tense. When another mother joined the conversation and thought that her child’s education was perfectly fine in the local public schools the other mother had a look on their face that said “then you must not be paying attention to your child’s schooling”. Shortly after that the conversation broke up and each woman went her separate way with her cart. Overall the view of the group was pessimistic. For these mothers their child’s education is one of their primary concerns and if they have a negative outlook on that then their overall outlook on the community is not the best.

A change in the Educational Norm

The average sixth grader living in Otsego Minnesota attending a public school can expect to have English, geography, math, science, history and gym classes as part of their school schedule. In Minnesota the state is divided into districts and within those districts they further broken down into school zones. Up until recently most of my community believed that if a student’s home falls in zone A then they attend elementary, middle and high school at A schools. If a student lives in zone B they attend schools that are in zone B. Known exceptions to this rule were children being home schooled and children whose parents are paying for private school. Recently the population in my town has become more aware of the different schooling options available for their children. Magnet schools, which have been around in the United States since the late 1970’s have recently grown in my community. The school district that I live in 728 has partnered with districts 286, 877, 279, 883, 11 and 14 to create four different types of magnet schools:
• International baccalaureate schools
• International baccalaureate world schools
• Visual, performing, literary and new media arts schools
• Science, technology, engineering and math schools.
The magnet schools serve kindergarten through 12th grade and provide specialized courses aimed to promote high academic levels. As an example students at a visual, performing, literary and new media middle school can choose from elective classes such as dance, orchestra and drafting. Not only do students at magnet schools get to choose from electives that are not offered at normal public schools but basic classes such as math and English are adapted to fit the purpose of the school such as to promote and learn through the arts.
I went around my community and asked people what various questions regarding the magnets schools that were offered. I learned that there are still a lot of people that don’t know about these schools and their benefits. I was able to talk to some parents of students who attend magnet schools and some of the children who attend the magnet schools. The parents commented that not only is the education at the magnet schools a step above the normal public schools but the free transportation that is provided and fact that magnet schools are free lifted a huge weight off their shoulders when it came to their child’s education. The students also seemed very pleased. They commented that they liked the variety of electives that they get to choose from and the fact that the school caters to a specific area such as science, technology, engineering and math. One student remarked that the only thing they didn’t like about the magnet school was that they didn’t go to school with children in their neighborhood. Overall magnet schools are a great benefit to students and a great addition to my community.

For more information on magnet schools in the north western suburban school districts of Minnesota please visit http://www.nws.k12.mn.us/