The Heights School

[Anonymous]

We're looking at our private school options for 4th grade DS. Would you mind sharing your experiences? Please only respond if your son goes or went there. I'm interested in why it works or didn't work. Thank you very much.

[Anonymous]

My son is a current 9th grader. It is the best decision we ever made. He adores the all-male faculty, and we do too. They really know how to engage the boys in the classroom. They are in tune with the ways boys learn, and make the classroom interesting to boys. I know many people here on DCUM disagree that there is a specific "learning style" for boys vs girls; that aside, in our case only, our boy was floundering at our all-female faculty parish school, where the classrooms were all lectures, there was very little movement in the classroom, group discussion and debate was discouraged, books always had female protagonists, and students were expected to sit in and move between classes in silence (sometimes even were subjected to "silent lunch"). At the Heights, there are few rules, boys run and climb (and learn about the Romans by re-enacting roman battles on the field!) and debate and engage with teachers and are mentored by these wonderful faith-full men who stand in front of them in the classroom and (if they choose) attend mass with them every day. They are given an hour for lunch, during which they can eat and play handball and move around and get fresh air without restriction. My son has ADHD (inattentive type) but does well at the Heights with no accommodation because of the way the classrooms work. He is encouraged to work ahead, he is challenged, he is engaged in the classroom every day, and his attention is focused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is a current 9th grader. It is the best decision we ever made. He adores the all-male faculty, and we do too. They really know how to engage the boys in the classroom. They are in tune with the ways boys learn, and make the classroom interesting to boys. I know many people here on DCUM disagree that there is a specific "learning style" for boys vs girls; that aside, in our case only, our boy was floundering at our all-female faculty parish school, where the classrooms were all lectures, there was very little movement in the classroom, group discussion and debate was discouraged, books always had female protagonists, and students were expected to sit in and move between classes in silence (sometimes even were subjected to "silent lunch"). At the Heights, there are few rules, boys run and climb (and learn about the Romans by re-enacting roman battles on the field!) and debate and engage with teachers and are mentored by these wonderful faith-full men who stand in front of them in the classroom and (if they choose) attend mass with them every day. They are given an hour for lunch, during which they can eat and play handball and move around and get fresh air without restriction. My son has ADHD (inattentive type) but does well at the Heights with no accommodation because of the way the classrooms work. He is encouraged to work ahead, he is challenged, he is engaged in the classroom every day, and his attention is focused.

Thank you for the detail.