Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Regions Silicon Valley School experience?

Well, if you ever get involved in a project to start a school for fifties around here and you need some help, feel free to call on me!

Back to the original idea, I am also astounded by the lack of schools for gifties and the costs of the ones that do exist. I suspect that people just don't see the need.

Sounds like you have made a decision, but take a peek at Almaden Country Day in San Jose. It has all art, music, and drama and is academically excellent, and reasonably priced. My kid is 2E, and we are sticking with public for the IEP, but would have picked Almaden if not. Best wishes!

thanks, DDTJ. Never heard of it before. I will look up Almaden Country Day school.

This thread is fascinating. We will be moving to the general geographical
area Ashley referenced. My kid will be attending a public school, and I am hoping it works out with me supplementing at home.

I am curious though -- are private schools so much better than public schools ? I n way way ? I looked at Challengers and Stratfords ratio and they did not seem all that better than public schools (there was a difference of 3 kids). Also, I am amazed that people spend 40k on a private school. I am going through some sort of a culture shock, reading this. Where I live now (east coast), people generally go to a private school for religious reasons or if they live in a really crappy school district. Maybe I am missing something ?

Sorry about all the typos and grammatical mistakes. My phone just won't cooperate today

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Thanks, Ashley. No, your thread did not scare me, but I was (still am, to some extent) wondering about investing in private schools. Where I live, the quality of schools (depending on where you live in suburbia) range from good to excellent. And, there are usually teachers on staff for art/library/music/PE/technology/. So, I think I should set my expectations really low, based on reading your thread.

Also, I am surprised -- but when does Science start ? My kid's K class had science and social studies. Should I expect the school not to have either science or social studies ? I am guessing so, but this is sort of 'culture shock' I am referring to. Also, the schools and community seem to be very strongly tied (where I live). Most kids go to the same school from K through 5, go to the same middle school, and then high school. From what I read, it seems like the school population is rather transient in California (am I reading this correctly ?).

My biggest problem last year was the lack of challenge and the teacher suspecting a 2E issue. Thanks for the reference to the curriculum (I will read up on those). Also, when I checked out the school districts in PS in CA, they seem to sway rather wildly from one geographical area to the next.

No, I don't doubt at all that Harker is an excellent school. I am also not saying that no one in the East Coast pays 40K for early elementary education. Just that it is more the exception, than the norm.

Thanks for your post. Rather enlightening to me. Plus, now my expectations are super low.

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