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    Joined: Dec 2012
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    Originally Posted by indigo
    Originally Posted by Mana
    I think for children who have strengths that make them outliers in that area, at some point, they would need a teacher/mentor who is highly trained in that area and a micro school teacher cannot be a specialist in everything for everyone.
    While this may be true for a micro school, it may be equally true in a large public school teaching to the common core, with a stated goal of closing achievement gaps.

    I don't want to go too off-topic here but sending her to a public school was never truly an option for us. Her father wanted to believe that it was but even he has given up on that.

    Micro schools have their limitations but there are things parents can do to overcome them. We're enrolling at a homeschooling charter school to get an access to science labs and STEM courses. They don't mind if I radically accelerate DD across all subject areas as long as they see appropriate growth. DD would get the consistent socialization by continuing at her current micro school. We are fortunate to have this option but I'm sure there are other alternatives like online classes and homeschooling co-ops.

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    Originally Posted by Tallulah
    Originally Posted by it_is_2day
    Originally Posted by indigo
    Originally Posted by it_is_2day
    It was my hope in this forum I would have a reasonable chance of finding a fair number of folks who went the micro school route, or have children that are going the micro school route.
    Many people join forums to learn of resources and/or to gain assistance with advocacy. By contrast, when a child's educational needs are well-served, parents do not feel a need to seek such information.


    So, are you trying to say that many parents who have gone the route of micro schools have no need for this forum, so I will not find them here?

    It seems to me that a lot of parents who have a child like my daughter would make it to this forum regardless of school related issues. Ie, sensitivities, making ones house child proof when your child can figure out how to break past normal child proofing measures, and behavioral issues.

    To me formal education is far from the most important area of life, but it is one of the areas of life, and it does steal a large number of hours from ones life, so it is important to make those hours as beneficial to my child's whole being as possible.

    I hope I am not alone in looking to the future. I believe that at least a few other parents are of the type to look for solutions ahead of time rather than troubleshooting problems that already exist. I prefer to do preventative maintenance on my car over fixing my car once it is broken. Waiting until advocacy is required is much like waiting until black smoke is pouring from the tail pipe to think of maintenance. She is 3 yo, and so will be entering a school system within the next couple of years. Now, I believe is the optimum time to start planning that entry; not 2 or 3 years from now. Definitely not when she is in the 2nd or 3rd grade, and has had much possibly avoidable negative interactions with the education system.

    Now that we have a great educational fit I am not here nearly as often. I come here intentionally to help others if I can.

    I'm offended by your implication that people with older children are somehow neglectful. Did you mean that how it sounded? Because I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and not make a snarky reply. I composed an awesome one, just so's you know.

    Have you ever considered that your child's personality will change and develop as she gets older and your perfect school will no longer be so perfect? Maybe she'll be a social butterfly, or a language whiz, or be obsessed with the outdoors/computers. Even if she fits the school, she'll need a middle school and a high school and a post-high school option all too soon.

    I'm not sure what your chosen definition of a micro school is, because wikipedia says it's a school with smaller classes which meets only a couple of days a week, not necessarily a small number of students. If you just mean a very very small school my concern would be friends. My kids' school is growing at a controlled slow rate, and we all (kids, teachers, staff) are excited for new friend opportunities with each added student.

    1. It was not my intention to offend. I started this thread for the very self centered reason of getting information useful for my own dd. That is it. I was not pointing at other parents older kids, but rather my dd's older self several years down the road. It was in response to the vibe I was receiving that I should wait and see. I do not believe for my dd the correct answer is to wait and see. I do not share everything about my dd, but living with her, I have a sense that now is an important time for me to start taking action. I do appreciate that some may disagree, and that is okay with me. Folks with that opinion may be correct, but I will not just quickly sway. I must internalize an answer.

    2. Yes, I have considered that my child's personality will change, but thank you for the perspective.

    3. When I started this thread I had never heard of the term micro school. I did not know that such a term was previously in existence. It was a good term to describe the school I was investigating.

    Last edited by it_is_2day; 03/11/15 08:56 AM.
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    it_is_2day, I haven't had the time to read through all the responses you have received but wanted to provide personal experience with a super small school. My dd5.5 has been attending a very small private school (less than 35 kids from age 3 to 8th grade) with mixed-age classrooms since she was 4. It is not specifically for gifted kids but because of the school's philosophy and size, it tends to attract students that are not NT in one form or another (sorry, don't know how else to put it). She is in a room with 7 other kids ranging in age from 5 to 11. She is the youngest as she was grade skipped. We love it. She gets individual attention and the teachers are meeting her at her level across the board. She gets a lot of time outdoors and for self-initiated projects. It is true that the school does not have subject matter experts and has no fancy equipment (like some other private schools that have mac computers, nicely equipped gyms, etc). But it is working great because at this age,I want my kid to enjoy learning and feel good about asking questions and exploring. I am not too concerned about how much academic stuff she learns as she is already way ahead of her grade level. That said, I have been pleasantly surprised at how much academic stuff she is learning just by virtue of being in a room with older kids. I don't know at what point my dd will outgrow this school but I have decided to enjoy it till it lasts. Hope this allays some of your fears about super small schools-they can work as long as the teachers and other want to make it work.

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    Lovemydd, it's so nice to get an update from you on your DD. smile

    It sounds like she is thriving at her school this year. I really wish I could say the same but there is something not quite right for my DD at her current school so we either need to fix it or move on. We think very highly of her teacher so we're hoping we can fix it.

    BTW, that is one of the big advantages of a micro school run by a teacher who is passionate has the flexibility to work with the child and parents. I wouldn't expect a regular classroom teacher to have that much time or energy to address my child's discontent or our concerns.

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    Thanks mana. DD is indeed in a good place. I am really thankful to Val, polarbear and others on this board who helped me when I had doubts about sending her to the small mixed age classroom school. If I can help another parent that is struggling with similar issues, that would be awesome.

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