Well, I visited the Montessori school again today, and ds had a couple of hours there as well. This particular school does a very in-depth "getting to know you" processo with the entire family and the child. So, from my previous post about Montessori and gifted eduction, I've gathered that it's sometimes not a great fit. But, I really LOVE this particular school. I know all Montessori schools are not created equal, and this one just seems to be a perfect fit for ds. I'm very nervous about committing to a year (spending LOTS of money) b/c what if it doesn't work out? I spoke with the director of my concerns about the step-by-step nature of Montessori, and she said it's definitely more that way in the primary school. The early elementary allows for much more flexibility and opportunity to research areas of interest. I was quite impressed with the level of academics for each child. Also, there are 3 other gifted students in the class of 16, and the school's IOWA scores are in the 99th percentile average. The lowest score in any area of the test was 87th percentile. They don't start the testing until 3rd grade. Ds loves it, but that's just after a couple of two hour visits. I really want him to be able to be back in school; homeschooling is good for now, but for us I don't think it's a permanent solution. Are we crazy if we decide to just go for it and give it a shot? I guess I'm just needing to voice my concerns somewhere. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for "listening."
Jen

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Did you get a chance to observe the 'early el' room and see the 'flexibility and opportunity' in action? For that kind of money, I would sit quietly and observe the teacher.

Also - can you start mid year? From the money point of view, it's better to start in January, pay for the half year, before you commit to the whole year.

Also - I would ask the Director about allowing you to pay 'by the quarter' instead of signing up for the whole year. She'll probably say no, but after what you've been through, you can at least ask.

It isn't that you are being non-committal, just that these kids regularly take these incredible leaps from moment to moment. It's just their nature.

Anyway, it's great that you found a school you feel happy about - yippee!

Smiles,
Grinity

I have had two 2-hour opportunities to observe. First, in the primary classroom. Second, in the early elementary classroom. I do see the difference between the two. They also gave a 4 hour overview of the curriculum and Montessori in general. This school is nationally and internationally accredited.

I was able to observe quite a bit of freedom in the classroom, children researching areas of interest on the computer, others choosing to work in teams on a history timeline, and two boys voluntarily and spontaneously consulting each other on the best ways to do long division. Ds found a buddy, and she helped him a lot. The teacher spent a lot of time with ds one-on-one. The curriculum is differentiatedand and they say it's limitless; the students are not confined to a
particular grade level. This school goes to 6th grade.

We have the option of starting in January, so that's a great point about committing to half a year instead of a full year, Grinity! Ds loves it but then again he loves everything at first. He quickly habituates to new routines, and tires of them very quckly as well. So, it's definitely a risk, both financially for us and personally for ds. I also feel like we've invested so much time, energy, and money into homeschooling; I hate to stop before we've given it a good chance. At this point, we're still getting the hang of everything. What if we end up loving hs just as much as the Montessori school?! Ahhhh! I just want to do the right thing for ds. Decisions, decisions. At least we have options, right?

I couldn't have said it better. I've noticed the same thing with DS3. I wonder if this is more pronounced with gifted kids and/or common with all children.



You're a good mom. I sympathize with your concerns. I think your "mom gut" will lead you to the right decision for now. B/c you're so invested in making the right decision for your child, it (mom gut) will also lead you to make any changes as they become necessary. I think it's good that you're contemplating pros/cons now. Maybe you can give yourself some time afterwards to not think about it at all before making a decision. I'm not sure when you have to commit to a decision.

Not that the decision is his, really, but have you asked your son what his ideal would be -- the Montessori school or homeschooling? I would be careful to say that it is you and your DH making the decision and that you're still not sure what you'll decide, but that you're trying to make the best decision and you were wondering about his thoughts on the matter.

Also, I totally agree with the go with your gut idea. In the end, that's always what it boils down to, and if your decision doesn't work out then you've done your best and you can always adjust. And that's a great lesson for any kid.

No. My DS is the exact opposite.

Good to know.

It sounds lovely. If you have seen the teachers and 'believe' that they wouldn't be closed minded about 'of course you can't read that level book because you can't spell the words in it, and everyone knows that reading and spelling go hand in hand' sort of thing, and believe that the teacher gets your child, then go for it!

Take the homeschooling as a valuable investment it getting to know your son as a learner, and an 'ace in the hole.' Chances are that you will need to try many, many different things along the way. If the school goes to 6th grade, you can bet that it will fit better now than it will in 5th and 6th grade years, right?

I've never gone as far as pulling my son from school, but in talking to my BF who homeschooled, she told me that the hallmark of a homeschooling mom, to her, was when the parent fully accepted responsibility for their child's education, rather than who did the teaching or where the child spent their days. So you aren't really leaving anything behind, see?

Smiles,
Grinity

I have asked ds what his preference would be, and he says he'd prefer the Montessori school. We even did a pros/cons list for both Montessori and hs. His primary PRO is that he would have friends to go to school with and that he would have lots of lessons to choose from (tons of materials). For dh and me, the cons of Montessori are the expense and fear of ending up in the same situation we were in before. Of course, this school is soooo different from our previous school. For ds, the only con for Montessori is the fact that he has to go to school ALL day. He likes that we can complete academics in a few hours at home. At the Catholic school, he says a minute seemed like an hour. I'm sure it did; he was concentrating the whole time on sitting still and being quiet while he learned nothing. Anyway, that makes him a little wary of another ALL day situation.

Homeschooling is definitely harder than I thought it would be; I knew it would be a challenge to keep up with ds academically. I underestimated the emotional and psychological aspects involved with teaching your own child, however. That said, I'd do it forever if it was best for ds.

Thanks for everyone's input. If anyone else has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them. I think they'd like for us to move ahead and make a decision soon, but I think I'm going to tell them we need a couple of weeks to think about everything. If we decide to go the Montessori route, I'll be looking for a new job! Bleh! I had no intention of putting ds in any school until next school year at least. Now I'm thinking it might make sense to start Montessori in January if we go that route. If that's the case, we'll need my income.