September just might be the best month here in Marin County. The summer fog has lifted (for those of us who live in the southern towns), kids are back in school and our neighbors have returned tanned and rested from wherever they ‘summer.’ The theme of this month is education, hence in The Right Place for the Right Mind, we showcase schools and organizations that foster neurodiversity, a somewhat new word for me, which is ironic, since in fifth grade, I was tested and told I was dyslexic. I’m sure I would have benefited from a different education that catered to my strengths, but as the proliferation of Instagram memes of deadly playgrounds, long walks to school and a “Be home by dark” parenting style prove — us Gen-Xers had to grin and bear our way through life.
In this issue, we are thrilled to deliver our popular annual Private School Guide. Every year, we inevitably get a letter or two asking why we don’t publish a public school guide. Simple answer is the public schools are attended by kids in the neighborhood. The private schools we have listed offer a different experience. As parents we possibly overthink these decisions, as did I, as soon as I was pregnant more than 20 years ago. Warned by neighbors about not getting into “the best preschool,” I signed up at our neighborhood preschool, then I panicked thinking it seemed too institutional for my unborn child, so I signed up for the Montessori option as well. My then-husband, Pete was a private school kid, and I went to public school, so our deal was elementary would be private and then the girls would go to public school.
The interviews were horrible. I was there for all the wrong reasons. I figured if my kid gets into Stanford, all the mistakes I’ve made in life will be diminished. When Grace, age 4, interviewed at Saint Hilary School in Tiburon, she looked up at a statue of Jesus nailed to a cross wearing a crown of thorns, and said, “Mommy, look, is he dead?” She had a three-minute education on Christianity and Catholicism, aced the interview, and our girls both enjoyed their time at this excellent school, before going through the Mill Valley public school system. I’m happy to say they are both thriving and neither went to Stanford.
Another product of a good public school education is associate editor Mimi Pinson’s eye for detail. When she took a look at the AI-generated image that art director Ryan Mastalerz created for our cover, she pointed out that it looked more like a Plains Indian, not Miwok. We brought in a founding member of the Coast Miwok Tribal Council to work with Ryan on multiple iterations of this piece of art until we got it right.
Besides the smarts earned and learned from schools, community is my favorite part. I cherished my time with other Saint Hilary parents with family dinner parties, which could end in everyone dancing or an impromptu volleyball game – and having just returned from my own high school reunion, I am grateful for these lifelong friendships that often start in a classroom.
Speaking of classrooms, I hope you enjoy our staff ‘yearbook’ outtakes:
