Also, any reassurance that any of the private schools we're applying to would be any better?
Bk1 I�m really sorry to hear that your son�s school situation hasn�t improved yet. I applaud your efforts and encourage you to continue with them. I�m also sorry to hear about your husband being laid off. That happened to us a long time ago when I was newly pregnant with our oldest. I can understand why your husband isn�t up on the idea of home schooling for now.
I would encourage you to pursue the private school route in addition to continuing to work with your local district. I�ve lost my romanticism for public schools although I realize there are vast differences among the best and worst schools even in the same state. Private schools can also be very different from each other. It sounds corny, but you may want to look to the mission statement for insight into the philosophy of each private school you are considering.
The last private school our kids attended was a better option than public because it allowed greater flexibility in the form of early entrance and grade skips. This school was far better suited for our dd than our ds based on the temperament and priorities of many teachers. Our daughter also lucked out by landing in the very smart class/year which resulted in faster, more rigorous instruction than my son experienced two years later.
The HS and MS/HS they attend now are EXACTLY what we were looking for. They each happen to be single gender schools which I think benefits my son especially well since the teachers there CHOOSE to work with intelligent, high energy boys and in most cases, used to be intelligent, high energy boys. Also, most teachers hold a minimum of a master�s degree for their specific academic subject so they are experts beyond the grade level they are currently teaching. The school culture is so very different than what he had experienced previously and he is now thriving both academically and socially. -This is quite a reversal of fortune as compared to this time last year!
