I keep erasing my post because I am trying to figure out exactly what I am trying to say/ask.
We are struggling a bit at our current situation which is 2nd grade in a public school (good school/good district but no GATE until middle school). DD is bored, apathetic and just passing the time at school at this point. She is not acting out or miserable but just ok.
We have not exhausted our efforts to work with this school and teacher. I have met with the teacher once so far and have another conference this week so we may be able to do a little more with this school but I just don't have alot of hope from our past experiences and from what I hear from others who have gone before us.
There is a new option that we are considering and I am both excited and apprehensive about it and looking for advice/perspective I guess. There is a new very small private school that has opened near us for gifted learners. I think the ages span from 1st to 5th but more from 2nd to 4th. There are only about 20 kids in the entire school and the school just opened in Sept. They split the kids loosely into 2 classes and there is alot of flexibility and differentiation. They have core classes in the morning and then in the afternoons they have specialists come in to do various activities from art, spanish, writing, theater, chess etc. In many ways it sounds fabulous. I guess I am just still a little hesitant to leave the public school system which I am used to (and went to myself) even though it isn't really working. I am a little nervous about a school that is brand new this year although it seems to be going smoothly from parents I know. Also I am wondering about the social part of it. On one hand she may finally have a group of peers for her friends. Also, instead of hiding her ability she may thrive in an environment where the kids love to learn. It is just such a small group of kids spanning over several years and it somehow troubles me (though I am not sure why) that she won't have the larger groups of kids to interact with as she does now. The other issue of course is price. Its not sky high but certainly not free.
Overall I think my DD might do fine where she is now (though never great) but I am not sure that her younger sister is going to be fine with the public option when she starts school soon. I think we owe it to DD to check out this school. We could always go back to our own school since it is our neighborhood school.
Any thoughts or tips on what to look for in this new school. Would anyone hold off on a school that is this new or a school this small for those reasons alone. Am I just crazy for not jumping on this opportunity immediately?
