Beauvoir and Active Children

[Anonymous]

I would appreciate any thoughts from Beauvoir parents as to whether or not you feel active boys (or girls for that matter) are a bad fit for Beauvoir. I have heard on a couple of occasions that active children (all other things being equal) might not be happy there.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I have a very active / athletic child who we'll be applying next year also. From my experience with another child there, I do know that they take them out on the playground 2 times per day, have PE, etc - so I do think active kids get a lot of outdoor/active time. I do think, however, that active kids need to be able to sit still for circle time, and so on - and need to learn the self control to walk quietly through the halls in line....and as they get to older grades need to be able to sit at their desks, etc - so I think it would depend on what 'active' means for a particular child. I'd love to hear replies from other parents.

[Anonymous]

Active, yes; undisciplined, no. That is, there seemed to be lots of active time. Pre-K and K are designed with direct-door access to a private (pre-K only and separate K-only) play area, so when a teacher feels the kids are getting antsy, they can have 10 minutes outside. By 1st grade, they tend to be limited to scheduled recess and PE.

The single most obvious characteristic we saw that pretty much all Beauvoir children shared was sitting and listening attentively when a book was read to them. The couple of children who could not do that fared badly.

They get taught to move through the halls silently, so as not to disturb other classes. They "hold a bubble" in their mouths, or other tricks. It's taught as part of the "Respectful" Beauvoir life rule. It doesn't always work perfectly, but Beauvoir's halls are noticeably quieter than, say, GDS's.

[Anonymous]

My active child (has trouble sitting still paying attention for a long time) is very very happy at Beauvoir but does not get the highest marks in some of the social skills parts of the report card. The teachers say it's normal at this age.

[Anonymous]

pp, is your child in K or an older grade? if she/he has been there for a few years, have they been helping him/her work on improving attention span rather than giving time outs for not paying attention, etc?

[Anonymous]

Beauvoir gives times outs to children for not sitting still? Is it true they take away recess too?

[Anonymous]

Is "active" in this context a euphemism for "not as well behaved as the majority of his peers, with less self control"? Or does it mean "enjoys playing soccer and riding his bike after school"?

It's always so hard to tell but I bet it's the former. Why don't people just say what they mean in an anonymous forum? It's not like we know you.

[Anonymous]

OP Here. To PP, I would say both. To clarify, I am speaking of a Pre-K child. My child is very, very social and happy and loves to chat and be in the middle of "the action". My child is also loves to help (being involved) and to please. That said, DC has a tough time sitting still unless a favorite show is on or is being read to. DC will not also sit quietly if DC has a question about a story, for instance.

[Anonymous]

PP Beauvoir parent here. My kid fits both of those descriptions and is in K. I do not think time-outs have been used and outside time has never been taken away; my child responds to gentle reminders (the school uses the responsive classroom system and the reminder is the first step) but needs more reminders than most of the other kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. To PP, does your child get discouraged in this environment or feel badly about himself/herself?

[Anonymous]

This is another one of those stupid rumors started about the Cathedral schools, along with NCS girls are mean. My fidgety boy went through 5 years of Beauvoir and he did great. One teacher made special arrangements for him because he physically NEEDED to fidget. I don't know any teachers that tried to make active kids feel bad. It's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

This is not true! My child is the most active child and he is doing just great at Beauvoir and has had no problems whatsoever there. He is respectful of his teachers and is a good listener but definitely active and chatty. I must say that a few of his friends are also quite "active" and outgoing etc... and they seem to be doing just fine as well! Beauvoir's program is NOT stringent or boring. It is a fun program that really engages children. In fact, I think my active child is perfectly suited for the school because he is kept busy and engaged so he isn't ancy. Visit the school and others as well and see what you think. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

to 11:25. My kid doesn't feel bad at all. Great self-esteem and very happy to go to school every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is another one of those stupid rumors started about the Cathedral schools, along with NCS girls are mean. My fidgety boy went through 5 years of Beauvoir and he did great. One teacher made special arrangements for him because he physically NEEDED to fidget. I don't know any teachers that tried to make active kids feel bad. It's ridiculous.

Like what kind of special arrangements?

[Anonymous]

Uhm, the part about NCS girls being mean? With some exceptions, of course, this rumor isn't so far off from truth. Been there, done that.