Need a school for my son

[Anonymous]

8:05, I'm sorry your child didn't get into 4 private schools, but your frustration seems to be spilling over into the thread.

OP, I'm not sure why you would assume Lowell if it's "progressive" would be unstructured or lack academic rigor. Or kids at Lab wouldn't be intelligent? You need to actually tour the schools, talk to the faculty and parents. An educational consultant is fine although expensive. You are making assumptions about schools without doing your own homework.

[Anonymous]

I don't think there is any reason to castigate OP for not "doing [her] own homework." She is asking for suggestions of schools to further research and presumably to visit. OP, I third the Maddux suggestion. DS was there for two years, and it was a phenomenal way to give him the "bump" he needed both academically and socially. He is a VERY social child and made a ton of friends in Maddux's structured and supportive environment. As for whether the children all have "SN" there, well I can say that there were plenty of children for whom if they had a disability, it wasn't really apparent. The tuition there isn't really different than the tuition of many of the better early childhood/childhood schools (Harbor is similar, NCRC is same, etc), so the person who said about that no one would pay the "incredibly high" tuition at Maddux unless there were major needs is not entirely correct. YES, Maddux offers a ton of support, but there are plenty of seemingly "typical" children there to act as role models. It's definitely worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

I'm the first poster to recommend the Newton School. One thing I think we all need to remember is just because our SN kiddo wasn't admitted to a certain school, doesn't mean that the school doesn't serve kids with similar profiles. These schools get so many applicants that not everyone can get in. I also want to address the issue of typical peers. You need to look at your child's social maturity level to determine whether he/she will be friends with the typical peers. I know my dc is much more comfortable with similar peers. Dc is socially immature and can't keep up with more sophisticated kids. Finally, I want to address the behavior issues -- pp was spot on.

[Anonymous]

Dear 12:42 with (formerly?) impulsive child, would you be able to say where your DS was admitted and/or the schools you looked at for him. We have some of the same issues (and others, too) with our son and it would be helpful to know what schools you thought might be a good fit. What school would really work with a child who was disruptive/impulsive?

[Anonymous]

Is your child at a public school now? I ask because we have been very pleased with public school. Our child is 100% mainstreamed, but still gets some support. We supplement with private services like ST. Yes, the class size is large, but kids are broken into small groups for reading and math, etc and you are definitely surrounded by a lot of typically developing kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think there is any reason to castigate OP for not "doing [her] own homework." She is asking for suggestions of schools to further research and presumably to visit. OP, I third the Maddux suggestion. DS was there for two years, and it was a phenomenal way to give him the "bump" he needed both academically and socially. He is a VERY social child and made a ton of friends in Maddux's structured and supportive environment. As for whether the children all have "SN" there, well I can say that there were plenty of children for whom if they had a disability, it wasn't really apparent. The tuition there isn't really different than the tuition of many of the better early childhood/childhood schools (Harbor is similar, NCRC is same, etc), so the person who said about that no one would pay the "incredibly high" tuition at Maddux unless there were major needs is not entirely correct. YES, Maddux offers a ton of support, but there are plenty of seemingly "typical" children there to act as role models. It's definitely worth looking into.

I think OP has every right to post here as part of her/his research, but I agree with that poster in that, if you don't want to hire an ed consultant, you need to visit these schools. When we looked at private schools I found on this SN board often every school sounded the same-bright kids, some with ADHD, mild learning issues, rigorous curriculum, etc. If anyone suggested that one school worked more with learning issues than another, sometimes a thread fight would break out as though working with significant learning issues is somehow implying kids aren't capable. Kids needs vary and some schools provide more support and have more tolerance for issues than others. When you visit you get more of a sense of whether it's the place for your child and what the school can accomodate. You see how structured it is, whether they work with some behavior challenges even if they say they don't. The schools are for the most part very different much more so than I expected after reading here.

[Anonymous]

Ed. consultant here. Also, please remember that the admissions department builds a class each year and tries to balance out the different strengths and needs of the group. Therefore, an applicant with significant ADHD might be admitted one year and not admitted another year. If the school’s mission fits your child’s profile, then go for it!

[Anonymous]

I think you need to talk to as many people as possible and visit. What PP said all sounds lovely about missions and balance, but the reality is kids do get counseled out of schools and you want to make sure it's a place where you think your child could be successful and happy.

Some years fewer applicants accept spots than expected and the school is more likely to take a chance on a child who might not have been admitted in the past. That chance could lead to tremendous growth and learning for the child or it could lead to a miserable year and encouragement to look elsewhere. This is not to discourage you, but to let you know something else to consider.

[Anonymous]

16:45 again-forgot to mention, I worked in admissions for a number of years. I don't recall sitting around talking about balancing out different strengths of the group. The question was is this school a good match and do we think we can handle this child's needs. It didn't matter if you had a class of kids where half or more had a similar profile. You want kids who will happy and successful in your environment.

[Anonymous]

I'm 16:25 and it's obvious that the PP and I worked in admissions departments for different schools. OP, this just illustrates why you need to visit to see which school feels best for your DC.

[Anonymous]

Auburn School in Silver Spring. Work with bright kids who have emotional/learning issues.

Extremely supportive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean School of Maryland & St. Andrews

Mclean School is neither tolerant, or academically rigorous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: You are making assumptions about schools without doing your own homework.

Nothing wrong in asking for suggestions. OP is rejecting schools in a knee-jerk fashion without basis.

[Anonymous]

I looked at McLean and I felt like my kid would learn all sort of new tics and inapproriate behaviors. The classes I saw were out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I looked at McLean and I felt like my kid would learn all sort of new tics and inapproriate behaviors. The classes I saw were out of control.

I haven't heard of children learning tics. Tics are neurological and very difficult to control. McLean is known as a place that does not accomodate significant behavioral issues. Children at any school from time to time might show inappropriate behaviors every now and then. I did not see anything concerning at McLean? What behaviors specifically concerned you?

My impression of McLean is positive. It sounds like you did not have a good experience there. Hope you found a school that was better suited for your child's needs.