Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Looking for the perfect school situation

Hello!

I am feeling frustrated today and thought I'd reach out here for some advice. I'm thinking ahead towards the next school year, and I'm considering a change of venue.

A little background: DS 12 has been homeschooled for a while now because we couldn't find a good fit in public school. We tried skipping, unskipping, different district, etc.

He's been participating in Duke TIP since his "4th" grade year, whatever that means in our situation. He took the ACT this spring and scored a 28 composite...with Eng. 29, Math 27, Reading, 28, Science 29. It's very level...nothing really high or low.

This year he takes foreign language online, math online (AOPS), science at an a la carte school for homeschoolers, and self-studies for English and social studies. I'm sorry but although I love my child, I don't love teaching, and he's now at a level that I'm no longer qualified to teach (other than humanities.

The science is going well, and he can take an AP class next year. He hates the AOPS online school, though. He's already taken up to Algebra II and Geometry, and he's balking at the thoughts of Algebra III in that venue. I absolutely insist that he has a math teacher, though. Lots of homeschoolers use CDs or workbooks, but I don't roll that way. For those of you who use AOPS -- he doesn't mind the AOPS curriculum, but he has a lot of complaints about the classroom and their Alcumus system.

I'd love to get him into more brick and mortar classroom environments as he moves into his teen years. I looked into dual enrollment classes for math classes, which would be a very early admission, but the counselor was rather dismissive of my detailed email explaining my son's situation and recent test scores. Basically, he said something like, "Well, we'll talk to him but we really want our students to be 16 and juniors." Kind of a vague way of saying "kiss off", right? It reminded me of the days when I had to deal with teachers who could not believe my child needed more challenge than their class provided.

Should I consider asking him to try public school again, albeit with a grade skip to 9th? Is this crazy? Maybe things would be different this time around. We're allegedly in an excellent school district now.

Should I try to get him in Davidson scholars, so that we have an advocate with the schools? What would I submit for a portfolio item? I have no idea what is considered 2-3 grade levels ahead.

Should I try to bite the bullet and somehow scrape up enough cash for private school? When I looked into private school before, it seemed like they were just as obsessed with test scores as the public schools, just the Terranova instead of the state test. It seems like the schools want to keep my child in the lower grade in order to boost their statistics. Or is that conspiracy talk? Should I put away my tinfoil hat?

Maybe I should continue with our current schedule, pushing through another year, but maybe with an extra class at the a la carte school?

I looked into online public school, thinking perhaps that might work with a skip or 2, but in my state you cannot enroll in an online charter school unless you were enrolled in a brick and mortal school the previous year.

I don't even know what to ask myself to help make this decision!

I look forward to hearing any advice, questions, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Kitty

For math, what about trying to set up a private teaching situation with a local high school or college math teacher? Or maybe you could even find a math major from a college who would be willing to work with your son? You could set up a situation where you pay them just like you would a math tutor.

EPGY (Stanford) and CTY (Johns Hopkins) offer online math courses with instuctors.

For brick and mortor public schools, you might look into Davidson Academy in Reno if you are up for relocating...

Looks pretty incredible.

Hello again!

Thanks for taking the time to read my rambling, semi-panicked email and give some good suggestions.

I would love to enroll him in EPGY, but the cost is a factor for us. This is the same problem I have with local private schools -- I don't want to spend our entire college budget on secondary education.

I would also love to try Reno, but right now we're in a really good location for my husband's line of work and we have a solid social and business network here.

The idea of a private math student tutor sounds really promising. I'm wondering where I might post to find somebody? Should I contact a math dept. at a local university?

Just another point of information: I did have a conversation by email with the local high school counselor. She was very concerned about (brace yourselves, homeschoolers) "socialization" and thought that if ds were to transition back into public school, it should have already happened in middle school. (For those of you who are not homeschoolers, I want to promise you that whatever vision you have of homeschoolers, we're not all like that.) Anyways, her comment let the air out of that balloon!

In addition to the private math tutor, I'm also interested in Keystone Online High School. Any experience with this? I think it might require some supplementation in order to keep ds well-read and moving forward with math, but it would give me a "spine" to work off of, and would give him the opportunity to earn tranferrable credits. They do not care about the age of the child, as long as he can show evidence of completing eighth grade equivalent work (test scores count). Also, they will review his homeschool transcript, and he can potentially transfer in credits for the high school level courses he has already completed at home.

In our area, there is a special free university-run math and science academy for gifted 11th and 12th graders. If he could earn enough credits through Keystone to become an official junior, he may have a good chance of being accepted.

This sounds like a possible plan? Any thoughts?

I enjoy reading the posts here! Thanks!

Kitty

Hello Kitty, (that sounds funny)

It seems like you already had an answer. Sounds like a really good plan. You should apply DYS just in case your DS may want to do summer camp there. They do give out scholarship.

Good luck!

Hi, Kitty,

It sounds like you have a good plan and I have to commend you for staying on top of the situation and working so hard to support and educate your DS.

I'm discouraged just reading all the resistance you've encountered and by their insistence that your DS fit into their idea of what a student should be, rather than how can they best help?

Good for you for not letting it get to you...

When it comes to the dual enrollment in math, did the counselor say he could NOT enter in the class desired or simply that they, "...want our students to be 16 and juniors."? Counselors will often attempt to dissuade students doing anything that isn't typical, however, unless there is policy against it, they also can't refuse enrollment if there isn't policy against it. I know we've been in the same situation numerous times and our assurance of knowledge of the risks and insistence of enrollment in particular classes have resulted in exactly that. If you're not comfortable with that approach, ask if your child can try the arrangement and if it isn't working out make changes at that time, assuring the counselor that you're aware that there are risks but that you feel it very important that the arrangement is attempted for the well being of your child.