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Re. high end private schools...

I think that most of the tuition goes toward infrastructure. We are close to a family who's child attends such a school. We often hear about things like:

* Overnight fieldtrips (rafting, skiing, etc.)
* School trips to foreign countries
* Parent meetings with teachers and a middle-school adviser
* Elaborate extracurricular activities, such as specialized lessons in juggling for a part in the school play

The student is clearly getting a highly personalized, top-notch education with lots of stimulation and opportunity...

But even if we could afford the tuition, this school would not work for us. Because they aren't going to let DD11 join as a 8th or 9th grader no matter how she tests (I called and asked) and I'm suspicious about their willingness and ability to support the extreme differentiation she'd need in an environment where "all of our students are gifted."

In terms of the OPs planning around tutoring, I strongly recommend combining at home learning with various classes and group activities... because it provides social stimulation and breaks up the week (the reason school kids have assemblies and other activities is to break up the monotony).

Bostonian just cut your tuition budget by 90%!

Sorry, OP, for hijacking your thread - I had to jump in and talk about these 2 points - my child visited a local "top private school" with fee in the $30K range and he laughed out loud at the extracurricular activities that they teach in that school - my DS has a few years of martial arts experience and what passes as martial arts instruction in that school might be equal to a white belt or orange belt level curriculum for him. And the swim instruction they were giving was way below his league because he is in a swim team already.
They told him that he was welcome to bring a book and read if the activity covered was below his abilities.
What I am saying is that they were not willing and don't have the ability to support extreme differentiation in extra curricular activities either!

So, for kids who want to "specialize" either in extra curriculars or in academics or both, even the priciest private schools will not work.

ashley you make a good point. Even the best private school is simply unable to provide more than a couple hours a week of 1:1 instruction. The business model long used in public and private education just cannot support that level of differentiation. I also agree with the important point that once down this road, there is probably no going back. The kids will just become too far advanced. But that's the whole point. I suppose they can re-enter the mainstream in college.

Seems to be a spectrum of options, from one full time teacher, 2 half-time teachers, and/or several specialists. The latter seem more flexible, but require more management. Still, I seem to be spending 5 hours a week driving my children around, and this approach would probably still need 5 hours but with less of it driving and more of it acting as an administrator of the team of tutors.

Valuable feedback that in fact a child does not really get or need 8 or 6 hours a day of instruction, probably more like 3. This could probably increase as they get older though.

I think the next step for me would be to follow aquinas lead and think about the curriculum and weekly and annual schedule. One more aspect, I would want to build in one or two or three tests a year to measure progress. Not sure which test though.

Bay Area has an excellent gifted home school group. I am sure if I connect with them they work towards solutions on peer group. They probably also have some co-ops and some thoughts on home tutoring.

Portia, Ivy, would your child return to the mainstream at college? FWIW my DS7 and DD9 are probably at the low end of PG and may try for the Young Scholars program some time.

Thx, if you want to bounce any costing ideas off me, please feel free to PM me. I'm in the thick of starting up a school and can speak to the administrative side of the teaching model, as well as offer some high-level commentary on curriculum choice.

Good luck!

DD's current plan is to become a veterinarian. So yes, there'll be college, but it may be some number of years early (just depending on where she's at academically and emotionally).

We feel like on the upper end we have a lot of flexibility. If she's not ready for full-time college when she runs out of highschool material, she can go abroad a year, study part time, do community college, do a deeper independent study with a tutor, spend a year of volunteering or in an internship (in her areas of interest).

And to agree with Portia about community classes, they may not be intellectually stimulating enough. Though I have to say some of her teachers are absolutely top notch, PhDs with young kids who wanted to keep a hand in their field, or with professional experience in the area (writing, art, etc.).

Hi, I have about that kind of plan is that it often relies upon pretty significant teaching sensibility, and very definitely the kind of auto-didactic mindset and KNOW-HOW that tends to come with an advanced degree. I grew up in that kind of every-moment-a-teachable-one environment, so it's very natural to me to BE that way, just as a lifestyle thing. DH did not, but he's an amazing teacher (truly gifted) when he chooses to be. He's mostly all wrong for our DD in particular, though. It's unfortunate.

Are home-school or home-tutor education expenses tax deductible?



http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/answers-about-education-tax-credits-and-deductions-part-1/

http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/answers-about-education-tax-credits-and-deductions-part-2/

I'm not seeing a yes, for federal. Some states like MN might though.