School has started! and we are officially a Hanalei-ian. Well, at least, getting closer. My kid has enrolled in the public school here and we are slowly chugging along to build our off-the-grid family farm in Kauai. More to come on this later...
I was born and was mostly raised in LA and attended LAUSD myself. I attended schools in K-town and Hollywood where it was not as 'posh' as the one my kid attended in the Santa Monica mountains. However, I am familiar with the district and many budget cuts LAUSD has had.
These are the few differences between my kid's school in LA and Kauai that I will note so far.
Parents are allowed to eat breakfast and lunch with kids. $2.40 breakfast for adults and $5.50 for lunch. What?! Wish I had this when my kid was a bit younger since I don't think he will let me stalk him now but I will try.
School lunches offer papaya bread, rice and rice, edamame, and sweet & sour pork! They cook better meals than me and you know, I love rice!
Hanalei Elementary school offers school buses! I don't have to fight traffic and be in a mad rush to drop my kid off before the school bell rings. Not good for road rage... and where did all the school buses go in LA? With the thousands of kids in LAUSD, you would think they would want to provide school buses to lessen the traffic in LA. And here in Kauai, there is no traffic. I think a kid should experience school buses. It's good to go outside your small circle and learn to be independent.
You are not allowed to wear high heels in school but you should wear your slippers aka flip flops. Great! Because that is what I would wear to show up in my kid's 'posh' LA school. Flip flop, the pajama for feet.
You can bring treats to class for your kid's birthday! For some odd reason the children in LAUSD have many allergies, only in about this last decade because that wasn't so when I was going to school.
I have not been asked to give an annual 'donation' for the amount of $2200 per child yet! or was it $2400? It seems to jump every year by a lot. The school in Hanalei has been the other way around, they ask if parents need assistance.
You can bring your surfboard or skateboard like you would a bike to school.
They have Tsunami drills instead of earthquake drills.
School here is just beautiful and quaint. This was also true in my kid's LA school since the school was located in the Santa Monica mountains. Some would say we were blessed since most of LAUSD is an asphalt jungle but it's just a bit different vibe here. It's aloha.
Hope your virtual classes are going well and y'all staying sane.
I have kept my kid away from digital addiction until this pandemic started and now with virtual schooling and virtual playdates, I have officially lost the battle. Perhaps a topic for my next blog on kid. How many times can you say, "turn off the computer?"
But I might want to share my experience living in Hawaii vs the LA next time or perhaps many stories of my family trying to build a farm, off the grid!
On that note, I have to say, I do love a man that knows how to use his tools.
Aloha and stay well.
yoMamaRice