Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Regions Boston/Cambridge Area for Quirky Kid

Hi,
We are considering a move to the Cambridge area, and I am investigating school options for my son, who will be in 4th grade. He is currently in a small Montessori school and thriving there after a few years of public school, where he wasn't very happy. He tested as gifted several years ago, but I'm not necessarily looking for a school of high achievers. He really likes that he gets to work by himself at his Montessori school. He's introverted and kind of a rule follower, but he does have a good imagination. I'm looking at Montessori schools in the area, and we aren't wedded to Cambridge...just has to be within a decent commute for my husband. I'm also not wedded to Montessori, but like that they don't push him into group work. Any suggestions? We would probably prefer private unless there are some awesome public options that fit a quirky kind of kid who's not an extrovert.

Some schools I noticed were....Birches, Acera, Sage (seemed very competitive and high achiever so didn't seem like good fit) and some of the Montessori schools around like Thacher, Meeting House, Adams....(I know there are two in the Cambridge/Boston area but I think they are out of our price range.)

Is there anything I'm missing? Small is better...open to one room schoolhouse kinds of places if faculty is good.

Thanks!!!!

Have you considered Buckingham, Browne & Nichols? Several years ago they hosted an activity that lots of gifted children participate in hoping to recruit new students. Other than that I don't know much about it (but I see it every day on my drive to work).

Birches is in Lincoln, MA. They're small and fairly new, but closer to Cambridge than Sage. I think they're more laid back than the others mentioned, but I could be wrong.

There's a Montessori School in Lexington (http://www.lexmontessori.org/home) and a Waldorf (http://www.thewaldorfschool.org/) - they're closer to Cambridge too.

There's some schools out in Framingham area that you might want to consider too - though they might be too much of a hike for you. There's the Macomber Center and the Sudbury Valley School (http://www.sudval.org/).

Bay State Learning Center (http://www.baystatelearning.org/) is in Dedham and might be doable. I think they're fairly new.

Odyssey Day School in Wakefield (http://www.odysseydayschool.org/) is another one you may consider (or not). They have some gifted kids there.

Phoenix School in Salem, MA is a small, open one-room schoolhouse and Montessori-ish/ gifted school, but again it might be too much of commute from the Cambridge area.

Another alternative is to consider joining Voyages out of Acton (co-op that has gifted kids) and the growing un/homeschooling community around Cambridge/Arlington greater area.

Forgot Parts and Crafts in Somerville - https://partsandcrafts.org/ - some parents are using as an alternative with schooling.

BB&N is very much not the right school for a gifted kid. OP is correct that Sage is a competitive high achiever type of school.

Thanks for these suggestions! I have heard of most of them, so I must be doing good research! I am familiar with Sudbury Valley, but that's just too out there for me, as would be Parts and Crafts and other democratic "let's trust the kids to educate themselves" kinds of places. My kid would play video games and draw all day.

But I would certainly consider places like that if I homeschooled and was looking for some extra educational options and social time for my child. That's my main worry about homeschooling. My child would have no friends in a new city, and although he's an introvert, he needs a friend or two.

I did like what I saw on the Phoenix school website, but I do think that would be too far out, and I also liked the Odyssey School website. That was so much less money than the other schools, I was a little wary. Why? :)

I know there is a public Montessori in Cambridge, but there is currently a waiting list. I don't know how I feel about a public Montessori. I wonder how Montessori it is vs. how public school it is.

I am kind of leaning toward homeschooling for a year to get our bearings...I go back and forth. Does anyone know if there are good socializing opportunities for homeschoolers? Is it easy to make friends? There seem to be a lot of great programs available for extracurricular learning.

Thanks!

[quote] OP is correct that Sage is a competitive high achiever type of school. [/quote]

I noticed that Sage said they specifically looked at processing speed and gathered that meant they wanted kids who produced a lot of output. My kid is not like that.

I don't know about homeschoolers, but I met a really nice lady in a park one day who was in her first week of unschooling!

Depending on the town you choose this is a great area to meet really fun people.

There's homeschoolers in Cambridge and active groups around west of there - in Arlington, MA for instance. There's a homeschool book club that meets at Cambridge Public Library for upper elementary/tweens. There's a bunch of homeschoolers who meet at a playground in Cambridge - I think Homeschooling Together (http://www.homeschoolingtogether.org/) has the details.

There's also group that meets Wed at Beaver Brook in Belmont near border with Waltham when the weather is good; during the winter they meet at Robbins Library in Arlington, MA on Wed. I think they'll be meeting at Walden Pond in Concord on Fridays soon since the weather seems to be improving.

I'd suggest looking at AHEM (http://www.ahem.info/index.html) and MHLA for homeschool groups (http://www.mhla.org/support/supportgroups.htm) and other details on homeschooling. This is my third year un/homeschooling my ds; I basically cut/paste the ed plan and progress report from AHEM.

MIT, Harvard, Museum of Science, various public libraries, and other institutions have many events and other activities - usually throughout the school year - for plenty of learning opportunities.

Yikes, you're right!



I can see the appeal for a school of having a class full of very similar kids, bright but fast. It would be so much easier than differentiating.

It's interesting though, they have a reputation as a gifted school, but according to this they select against kids who meet the common criterion of being at least 2 SD above the mean. Would a child with an IQ of 115 even have trouble at a normal school? Faaascinating!