Beauvoir

[Anonymous]

I am also a former Beauvoir parent. We didn't see any of the issues you highlight. Beauvoir does not go in for heavy drills, for which we were grateful. My children learned their math facts at school, and certainly had reading groups. I thought that they were very efficient at getting the children up to the required level, and then used the extra time for enrichment. At times I would have preferred it if they had used the some of theistime to teach more advanced concepts, but reviewing 2nd and 3rd grade material would for us have been a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am still incredulous that I had to teach my kid to read. WTH? And why didn't my kid know cursive after third grade? (or even get INTRODUCED to cursive) Why didn't my kid come out knowing math facts?

PP who was disappointed by Beauvoir, I just looked at B's curriculum online (http://www.beauvoirschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=22709) to try to compare to some of the issues you raised. I'm curious. Was your complaint that the curriculum was not rigorous enough, or that it just wasn't followed? For example, I see that according to the curriculum, cursive was not meant to be introduced until 3rd grade anyway. I'm not sure what you mean by "math facts" -- subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions?

I'm not trying to argue with you -- if you were disappointed, so be it. But I'm trying to understand the nature of your complaints. It seems like some other B parents had better experiences, but maybe they can shed light on this too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:19:44 here. Yes, I was a Beauvoir parent (5 years). And I don't actually detest Beauvoir. I just think it was incredibly overrated. I am still incredulous that I had to teach my kid to read. WTH? And why didn't my kid know cursive after third grade? (or even get INTRODUCED to cursive) Why didn't my kid come out knowing math facts?

They should have spent a little less time patting themselves on the back about how much people want their kids to go to their school and spend a little more thinking through a curriculum.

Strong words from someone who kept her child there for all 5 years. Why did you stay if you had such a negative experience? Seems kind of silly.

Well, for one thing I actually did want a Cathedral school, so it would have been silly to pull my child OUT of Beauvoir at the time I realized there were significant gaps in the education. I think up through first grade everything was lovely. I didn't really notice any gaps until around 2nd grade, when I realized my child never had a reading group and didn't know addition facts and never had a single paper corrected for spelling or punctuation. In my case, I thought, "Maybe it's just this one lousy teacher. I'll work on this stuff at home". But then you're in third grade and it's still lousy. And at that point you're already applying out.

I am not saying this to be mean. I know Beauvoir did a lot for my child in many ways. I'm just saying that from my experience (and every single parent that I know from my child's grade), Beuavoir didn't teach what it should have taught in 2nd and 3rd grade (and maybe earlier...but I didn't notice). Take it or leave it.

Did your child get accepted at STA or NCS? And how did s/he fair academically in the year(s) immediately following Beauvoir?

[Anonymous]

Disappointed Beauvoir parent here again.

First, yes, my child went on to the other Cathedral schools and is doing great.

Second, it's probably correct on some front that Beauvoir never said it would teach cursive, and it's not exactly specific about the reading (of course they do SOME reading, but not the type of daily out loud reading that kids absolutely need to be able to develop proficiency). You realize the curriculum deficiencies when you leave Beauvoir. As for math facts, I think the curriculum indeed only goes through concepts. That sounded good to me until you leave, and every school expects your child to know their math facts cold. I suppose you're just supposed to devote the summer between 3rd and 4th for boning up (and not just to go on to a Cathedral school...every other school in the area expects kids to know math facts entering 4th grade)

I was enchanted by all the talk about young minds and fostering a love of learning. But in reality? Kids love to learn anyway. Beauvoir has this attitude that they're the only ones trying to nurture our little seedlings for lifelong love of learning. And so they avoid anything which wouldn't be conceived of as fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am also a former Beauvoir parent. We didn't see any of the issues you highlight. Beauvoir does not go in for heavy drills, for which we were grateful. My children learned their math facts at school, and certainly had reading groups. I thought that they were very efficient at getting the children up to the required level, and then used the extra time for enrichment. At times I would have preferred it if they had used the some of theistime to teach more advanced concepts, but reviewing 2nd and 3rd grade material would for us have been a waste of time.

I am so impressed with Beauvoir's curriculum and how they are able to combine fun and engaging activities into learning! While academics I believe are strong at Beauvoir, for us we are thrilled that they focus on the child as a whole - not just math and science but drama/music class, language, and focusing on living by ife rules. I see a difference in how my child that attends Beauvoir plays with her friends from what I have seen with some of my friends' children. We teach kindness etc.. at home but it is really emphasized at Beauvoir which is important because my child is away from us now most of the day. It is such a special school and maybe I am crazy but I am happy that my child has a fun learning experience filled with fun activities and a love of learning at age 6, especially in DC's competitive environment. They are children and I am happy that they are learning but also enjoying doing so with fun activities! No school is perfect - but Beauvoir is perfect for my child and for us. I respect that you disagree and hope you find a place that suits you and your child. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

8:27: I am the poster your quoted. I must not have been very clear. I don't think that we disagree. We were very happy at Beauvoir. The children enjoyed their time there and loved going to school. I wrote to applaud the fact that the curriculum was concept based and was not heavy on drills and reviews of math facts etc. You are emphasizing fun while learning. I think that the two go together.

[Anonymous]

I applaud concept based as well. I applaud the life rules. I applaud a lot that Beauvoir did. I also can look back critically and say Beauvoir didn't prepare my child well academically. I was the one who had to read with my child every night because it was not ever done consistently at school. Phonics were never taught consistently, so I had a child that didn't know how to sound out 'au' or 'ie' or 'ough'. I didn't even intervene before 2nd grade so it's not as if I am some flashcard carrying ubermom. I just realized that my child was not really being taught how to read. The children had books they was supposed to read in class by themselves, but no one monitored them every day.

As for math, my child had all these fun math games which made math fun. That's great. But what is the problem with memorizing 4+5 along the way?

And as for other parents' experiences, all I can tell you is that we laugh a little about our Beauvoir days. Great school, total waste of time academically. No one thinks the school was strong. It's the inside joke if you end up over at the Cathedral schools. Beauvoir bought you the ticket to the other side of the Close. But it didn't prepare your child for those schools at all.

[Anonymous]

We have to disagree on this. My children had no problems learning math facts etc. at Beauvoir. In fact, we felt that fourth grade math had much too much repetition of concepts they already knew and had mastered. More along the lines that you are advocating would not have worked for us.

I suppose that different children learn differently and that what works for some does not work for others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have to disagree on this. My children had no problems learning math facts etc. at Beauvoir. In fact, we felt that fourth grade math had much too much repetition of concepts they already knew and had mastered. More along the lines that you are advocating would not have worked for us.

I suppose that different children learn differently and that what works for some does not work for others.

Did your children go on to StA/NCS? I can't speak for NCS, but I can speak for StA, and I do remember even at the tour the 4th grade teachers mentioned the Beauvoir children came in weak on math.

[Anonymous]

To the poster who was not satisfied with B academically, were your children there many years ago? My DD just left B to go to NCS and I cannot disagree with you more. My DD had math drills everynight to complete. Maybe they started doing this because of the criticism you mentioned. She was writing in cursive at the beginning of 3rd grade. In fact, they had cursive writing workbooks. She had to read every night and keep a log. They also had read aloud every day and Jolly Phonics was amazing. She was sounding out words and decoding words in 2nd grade very well. During journal writing, spelling and punctuation were not corrected because they wanted to encourage the free flow of ideas and creativity, but during writer's workshop and word study these things were corrected.

I was thrilled with her B experience. Not only did she love every day of school unlike my other child who was at another school, but she is extremely confident, inquisitive and an avid reader. Would she have been all of this without her B experience. Not sure, but I do give B credit for the prepared and confident student that she is at NCS. So far she can handle all of the math and reading assignments that have been given to her.

[Anonymous]

Confirms what I've had at STA about Beauvoir. Perhaps Beauvoir has taken heed and added a little more academic muster to their program.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, PP. My DD, if anything, has been ahead of her peers academically at her next school (not NCS, but one much discussed here). I admit that I worried she wouldn't be, and I have been pleasantly surprised. I think Beauvoir does a fine job of preparing kids for the next step...and also differentiates to each child's ability level very well, without making a big deal of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I applaud concept based as well. I applaud the life rules. I applaud a lot that Beauvoir did. I also can look back critically and say Beauvoir didn't prepare my child well academically. I was the one who had to read with my child every night because it was not ever done consistently at school. Phonics were never taught consistently, so I had a child that didn't know how to sound out 'au' or 'ie' or 'ough'. I didn't even intervene before 2nd grade so it's not as if I am some flashcard carrying ubermom. I just realized that my child was not really being taught how to read. The children had books they was supposed to read in class by themselves, but no one monitored them every day.

As for math, my child had all these fun math games which made math fun. That's great. But what is the problem with memorizing 4+5 along the way?

And as for other parents' experiences, all I can tell you is that we laugh a little about our Beauvoir days. Great school, total waste of time academically. No one thinks the school was strong. It's the inside joke if you end up over at the Cathedral schools. Beauvoir bought you the ticket to the other side of the Close. But it didn't prepare your child for those schools at all.

Thank you for this post. You seem like a very honest, unassuming mom, whose is willing to look at both the positives and negatives of DC's school experience. Very refreshing to say the least!

We are thinking of applying DC to STA, and we're wondering if you have any advice about where he should be academically by 3rd grade so as not to run into trouble at STA if indeed that is where he ended up.

[Anonymous]

No consistent phonics?? No reading groups? What about the year-long jolly phonics program in pre-k and the comprehensive review in kindergarten? And the kindergarten reading groups? Don't those count?

[Anonymous]

I find it so discouraging that so many Beauvoir parents are unable to handle one modicum of criticism about their school. We have 2 children at B and while for the most part we have loved it, there have been certain ares which have not been as good as we would have liked. But again, I don't feel defensive about this as I feel like the DC's Beauvoir education is only one part of a very large pie. Why can't other parents acknowledge that Beauvoir can be a wonderful place but still have areas that perhaps need further focus or improvement??