Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Suggestions as to WHAT to ask prospective School

When I was touring the gifted schools in my area the answers interestingly all focused on the kids not reading. These were kids who had to test to get into the schools and there was fear about their kids not reading well. I tried to find out through questions what they do with the advanced readers and could not get a straight answer about how they differentiate!!! Now in one of those schools which would not specify, they differentiate for DS in that he reads books on his level, regardless of how far above the other kids it is. However, the class does work on books which are at the average of the gifted class or are classics for their accelerated level. They do reading groups sometimes to have the top readers together and other times pair strong and weak reader or readers by interest.

None of this was apparent in discussions and through questions, yet it's working for us. I went with vibe - and on some level had to trust that they wanted a kid like mine.

Probably a crazy approach, I would have preferred detailed answers to my questions, didn't get them and had to choose with the info I had. And not having the answers did not necessarily mean they wouldn't serve an advanced kid.

Not sure this is helpful!

DeHe

I avoided writing stories like the plague when I was younger.

When required to write something for any writing contests, I generally wrote political satire plays involving Ollie North.

These generally weren't well received.

You have some good questions...some thoughts:

- Will each child be accommodated and an individual, or as part of a specific group/small group?

I can guarantee this will get a a blahblahblah schoolspeak answer.

- How with the school determine the appropriate grade level of the child in each area and as a whole?

This, too.


- Will the school take into account that certain children do not need as much repetition in order to master a concept - being in Math or Social Studies. How will you accommodate each child individually when this fact come into play? Will this be achievable in relation to the Curriculum set out for each grade?

I would also expect some blah here.


- Will the school strive to create a community by organizing social events such as a "welcome back BBQ" or "Spelling Bee"?
Great question.

- Will learning projects be an integral part of your program, vs just worksheet based? If so, will children be guided towards their own discoveries, or will it be the responsibility of the parents?
Great question.


- What if a child just beats to a different drum or does not fit into most boxes - will you be able to handle such a child gently, without seeing it or the child as a problem.
Expect blah blah.

- Your intended school hours seem short. Do you think that you will be able to fit all of your great ideas into 5.5 or 6 hours?
(Dr. *****, even if you just manage 1/2 of what you envision, you are already doing immeasurably better than most. )
This might raise hackles...I don't think I'd ask it. They're not going to change their hours.

- How will you encourage children to build positive peer relationships?
Good question.