Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Touring a school for the gifted.

I think DD is happy where she is, socially. Academically, she is not as driven as DS and she is happy to do lots of reading at home.

DS does not seem to be clicking with any of the kids at his school. He just doesn't fit. He has never known anything different, though, and seems to accept the situation for now.

Neither of the kids knows about me shopping around. DS would probably be excited about trying this new school. DD would not. I don't know how I would manage having them in two different schools...

I might be able to talk the GT school into an arrangement where I could teach math there in exchange for part of our tuition. But then I think that if I were going to do the teaching, I could just homeschool my own kids and they would get even more benefit than they would with a student:teacher ratio of 12:1 without all the driving around. So I don't know. I'll have to think about it. My first impression is that I didn't fall in love with the place enough to make a heroic effort.

The loosely organized, experiential learning format is new to me. What are some of the cons you have seen at your school?

Thank you, Dottie.

I think I got all the pros during my tour The lady who showed me around was very helpful and seemed to really understand HG+ kids.

The kids who were there all seemed engaged and had peers they were working with. Except one kid, who may have just been having a bad day...

We were in a very similar situation with our school choice. We had met with the principal of the local public school and walked away feeling that they would not really meet our son's needs. I went to an open house at a private gifted school, and walked out feeling like we had to do whatever we could to have him go there. It is kind of out of our financial league as well, but we are trying to make it work. He started Kindergarten in September, and is thriving. We are absolutely gaga over his teachers and the school.
Everyone's situation (and child) is different, but for us, it was the right choice. While the "cons" pointed out earlier are real, there are "pros" that are just as real...

You know I'm really, really surprised and disappointed that there aren't more gifted private (or charter) schools in our area. It's frustrating really. The only truly GT school is 1.5 hours away from us...

Cathy, I sympathize. This last week has had us looking at alternative schools to check out our options. Average cost was $15k which is probably not feasible for us either unless I switched jobs. And then I wonder if they're not catering to GT kids then that's a really big risk to take for a situation that may not be any better.

JB

Cathy, at least you know what the school is like. It's good to have a knowledge about available options. Do they offer any weekend or afterschool program? That may be all your children need and it may be a nice balance between ps and gt school. DS6 is homeschooled but he attends weekend gt program and goes to alternative (non gt) school 2 afternoons/week.

Yes, it is good to know what options we have. They don't offer weekend or afterschool courses, though. This is only the second year of operation for this school, so I am also a little concerned about whether it will stay afloat financially.

I would hate to get the kids all settled there only to have to move them back to ps the next year having lost their spots. Around here, the public schools are overcrowded. Priority for your neighborhood school is assigned by enrollment date. If we leave and come back the kids would be overloaded to other (lousier) public schools.

Still, if things get really bad at the ps, it's nice to have alternatives.

We toured a school nearby for gifted children. It really seemed very cool in a lot of ways, but about $20k/year. Plus they organize a school ski trip in the winter, and Im sure have other costly events. I figured if we really really stretched, got some aid, etc., we could swing it. Lots of sacrifices but ds8 would probably really like it.
But, I also saw that it had a parking lot full of $50k/cars. I know this probably sounds lame, but I thought, there is no way we as a family are going to fit in at this place, unless I work 4 jobs! hope that doesnt sound class-ist.
Lastly, ds is very artistic, and really they didnt offer much more than the regular schools in this arena, so in the end I decided not to feel too guilty about not doing it.

I'll post in a new thread later today when I get a few spare minutes. It's been a big mixed bag.

JB

I just returned from my first two hour round trip school commute for the day.

I never imagined our son would attend the �rich� school where he began this fall. Because it is so far away, I haven�t attended any of the Mother�s Club events yet, but my husband and I did chaperone the junior high dance recently and met a few other parents. I found the parents and teachers to be extremely genuine and the kids (boys from the school and many girls from the community and other private schools) were respectful, courteous, self assured and did not strike me as overly materialistic.

Just as I never looked down on families (that I knew of) who received financial assistance at our last, more moderately priced school, I assume any one worth their salt is not going to snub our family if they learn we receive financial aid at this 15K+ school. In my opinion, the most pretentious and materialistic individuals are often more �posers� than truly the �haves� anyway. The reality is that just the gas to get him there, in combination with my lost work day availability for my part time career, is quite a financial sacrifice for us. (I wish I could get comp time as my work responsibilities have not decreased.)

So far, this private school is well worth the effort and sacrifice. Most of the teachers treat the students with what I can best describe as �professional courtesy� and mutual respect even when addressing negative situations. The teachers and administrators don�t have to be autocrats in order to establish they are in charge. This grown-up treatment, in addition to the very high academic intensity for most classes and his high ability classmates make this school the absolute best environment for ds to spend his days. Also, he loves it.