New to Private School World, Need Advice – Rising 4th Grader
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Anonymous
| My child switched from DCPS to private in 4th grade. There wasn't formal differentiation -- no "advanced math class" -- and no acceleration. But the curriculum was more engaging and in depth and, especially in math, the teacher was better at having extension activities for those who quickly showed mastery in the unit. |
Anonymous
Your view of education seems narrowly focused on academics. Private schools, especially in the elementary years, tend to have richer arts offerings, more time spent on arts and "specials," more assemblies and cross-grade activities, character education, more outdoor time, smaller classes, and a cozier, more "customer-service" orientation (ie, if you email the school, you get a quick response, problems are solved pretty quickly, everyone knows your kid and your family). It might be academically better (depends on your public and probably varies by teacher/area) but it's also just different. When you get to MS, you do start to see sharper differences academically, I think, but again, it depends on the specific schools (and we had a pretty crummy experience with math instruction at our private school--our public is much stronger in that regard). I think you are kind of creating a problem that doesn't exist. Your kid sounds happy. The issues you worry about (not developing resilience or facing challenge) seem like projection from your experience or your spouse's experience. If your child graduates from HS without ever having faced challenging academics, that could be a real issue. But I would say that it's normal for a smart kid not to have run up against anything challenging academically at this point. In fact I think it's more normal than not. |
Anonymous
Not sure if you are considering remaining in the immersion track but WIS or Rochambeau may be more lenient for a capable child out-of-cycle if they have an opening in that grade. I called around and asked who was willing to take out of cycle admissions last year before deciding our best bet was to stay put and apply regular cycle. However, I found the admissions offices pretty willing to discuss if they would consider an out cycle placement and for which grade. FWIW, regarding your will private be challenging. We now find our private far more engaging and challenging than the immersion public we were in last year. Also, my kiddo has a Fall birthday so was one of the oldest in DCPS but is middle of pack age wise at her private because many summer birthdays red shirted which I think makes the group more challenging in the early years. She is still linguistically strong but being stretched more on some of the science/math assignments compared to DCPS. I think you get a pretty good vibe which schools will be challenging and which ones will not from the orientation. For example, one school mentioned rereading the same book repeatedly to reinforce phonetic associations and we immediately crossed that one off the list knowing our kid would not even sit still for that funness. |
Anonymous
OP, I thought more after posting this, and I think you should go visit some private schools. I think maybe what you are really saying is that you don't like your kid's school and are disappointed in the experience he's having. If that's the case, you might be excited by what you find in private. I would avoid framing it in terms of differentiation or challenge and think about it as seeking an enriched environment and perhaps a different peer group. |
Anonymous
Yes, I like this poster! I was also going to suggest that you go visit a few schools. A few gross generalizations: 1.) If you keep him in public, there will probably be a few years (probably 6th-8th) where he will be MORE accelerated in math than he would be in private. Public school tends to push higher math at earlier ages. But what we've found is that sometimes the foundation is rocky. Kids who get great grades but might not have a perfect fundamental understanding are often recommended for acceleration. Then, the wheels fall off around 10th grade. 2.) You might want to bide your time now but save the money for a private high school ... kind of depends on what the options are like in your area. 3.) If you go visit, you might think the private schools are behind. Let's say the 6th grade is learning about Egypt. You go visit and you see a papier mache pyramid, and you think, "Big deal, my kid made that in 3rd grade." But what you don't see is that they are spending a month or more in Egypt, and the curriculum wraps in geology and religion and history and the arts and current events. The pace is less rushed and the curriculum often goes deeper. All this to say, both public and private have their strengths, and it sounds like your kid will do well anywhere. I wouldn't make a rash move for this kid, but definitely start doing your homework. |
Anonymous
| OP - We switched our kid from MCPS to private for MS, and don't regret it one bit, especially because the pandemic made a so-so MS experience even worse at our local MS. But if you do apply, don't express it as your child is gifted and public school doesn't cut it (even if both are true and you say it much more politely than that). Skip those points and accentuate how your child can benefit by what is different at a private school, which others have articulated. Because the truth is that the top private get plenty of kids applying each expansion year with your kid's profile. |