Quiet Child in Middle School - Deal? Latin? BASIS?

[Anonymous]

We are in boundary for Deal Middle School, but I worry that my middle schooler will be completely overwhelmed at Deal. The elementary school is already overwhelmingly loud, and the teachers are always asking for my child to raise his hand more. I wonder if he will just get gobbled up at Deal, and basically ignored. His academics are middle of the road, and he's not one to get excited about school. No issues, other than that. Can someone chime in from any of these schools with their feedback? Is a smaller class size available at BASIS or Latin? And what really is the class size at Deal?

[Anonymous]

Consider sending your child to Hardy. Much smaller than Deal, with smaller classes - teachers and administrators know and pay attention to every child in the school.

[Anonymous]

Our kids was at Latin for fifth and really got a ton of attention. Now at Basis and getting a better education which will continue thru highschool (and we really hope BASIS sticks to their word and that those who fail the sixth grade comps go to summer school, and if they fail again either repeat sixth or leave) but it is a lot of pressure (although self imposed, and most of the kids from the JKLM cohort have no problem) and she does get less attention unless she goes to office hours. But in general you cannot lose by going to Latin if you think you are going to go private for high school. Walls seems in flux now and Wilson may be to large for the child. Private is not an option for us and we have a highly gifted math kid (not my doing!)

[Anonymous]

Sounds indeed like a smaller school will be a better fit altogether. Middle school is hard enough as it is and downright intimidating if shoved aside. I only know these places now from visits, not first hand but here my thoughts: pick Hardy if music is part of what he likes and if he is proactive to get into advanced opportunities; pick Latin if he indeed does become proactive in small group settings (but the Socratic method doesn't sound like it squares well with your child's maybe more contemplative and not questioning/inquisitive learning methods); pick Basis if he is somewhat nerdy and likes to work on his own (I don't mean that in a bad way).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:His academics are middle of the road, and he's not one to get excited about school.

I'm not either OP or a PP, but I'm really puzzled that, after a statement like this, anyone would suggest BASIS? The entire model is geared towards advanced academics. Can someone - ideally, a poster suggesting BASIS - explain why this would make any sense?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His academics are middle of the road, and he's not one to get excited about school.

I'm not either OP or a PP, but I'm really puzzled that, after a statement like this, anyone would suggest BASIS? The entire model is geared towards advanced academics. Can someone - ideally, a poster suggesting BASIS - explain why this would make any sense?

Because maybe his academics are middle of the road because he has different work habits than the dominant ones that now characterize many schools (lots of group work, lots of discussions, first do/then think). While my child is totally like that, maybe this particular child works better on his own, maybe he is the type to take off when put into an environment like Basis, which - at least from the presentations and explanations - departs (again) from the premise that every child must "do", explore, and speak up at all times, sets aside time for lectures, homework, workbooks etc. Some kids are like that and they too can excel in an environment that takes that into account.

[Anonymous]

OP we have the same child. We were really considering Burke for the size but decided to give Deal a try because we heard good things. Couldn't be happier. The teachers are great. Know my child well and he isn't overwhelmed. He does a lot of small group after school activites and goes to study hall each week (team teachers are all there so he can ask questions, work on projects, retake tests, etc).

I think I had a harder time with the transition than he did! Obviously you know your child better but I would take the time to really look at it and not discount it based on size.

[Anonymous]

What about arranging for shadow days and seeing where your child fits in best?

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Thank you so much for all the feedback. I have also heard that BASIS is really meant for children who are highly focused, need a challenge, and want to excel. I think the pressure of needing to move up a grade each year or get kicked out would be too stressful...for me!

Thank you for your feedback about DEAL and to the person who said they looked at Burke but decide on Deal and it was fine. Can you tell me what the class size is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

Thank you so much for all the feedback. I have also heard that BASIS is really meant for children who are highly focused, need a challenge, and want to excel. I think the pressure of needing to move up a grade each year or get kicked out would be too stressful...for me!

Thank you for your feedback about DEAL and to the person who said they looked at Burke but decide on Deal and it was fine. Can you tell me what the class size is?

Basis does not kick students out if they fail. Basis offers tons of supports during the school such as tutoring and teacher hours and has 5 grading periods and as well as mid-grading period grades. Parents are kept in the loop quiz by quiz and test by test as to how their child is doing at Basis. As for tests including comprehensive exams, Basis offers extensive review sessions prior to tests and comprehensive exams. Basis also teaches note-taking, test taking, and study skills. If a child were to fail a grade, they would be given supports and the opportunity to take the comprehensive exams again. More importantly Basis identifies students who are struggling early so they can offer more supports for said students before they fail a grade. If they fail the repeat comprehensive exam, they would repeat the grade which actually could be a very good thing by allowing a student time to catch up. Lastly, Basis is not geared to only high achieving students. Basis is primarily geared to average students willing to do hard work.

[Anonymous]

"Basis is primarily geared to average students willing to do hard work."

Kool-aid much? What a load of BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Basis is primarily geared to average students willing to do hard work."

Kool-aid much? What a load of BS.

The Basis curricula is based on European style education which is typically more rigorous the US education. The fact is that average students all over Europe succeed with a rigorous style education. Basis is an adjustment for many students since their previous schools had low expectations and little content. However, Basis provides many supports and fun in that adjustment from a low expectation school to a high expectation school.

[Anonymous]

I have a sixth grader that loves Deal but she is very extroverted. I have met several parents that have more quiet, introverted kids and they have done ok but do feel like it is pretty intense. For what its worth it may just be the many class switches they will have to do regardless of the size of the school. The clusters they use at deal are about 100 kids so they are not huge even if the school is large.

[Anonymous]

I suggest having your child shadow at Latin. It will give him a feel for the community and whether it is one he wants to join. (Although keep in mind there will be the new campus next year - currently the facility is one of the major drawbacks of the school). The teachers have very close relationships with the students and class sizes are small - it may be just the right environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Basis is primarily geared to average students willing to do hard work."

Kool-aid much? What a load of BS.

+1 My DC goes to Basis. If my DC was not gifted, I would not have sent my child there.