Reply to tell me about middle school at GDS?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It can be pretty chaotic. It works for some kids, not for others. I had a quiet, introverted kid who really did not like it. Other kids love it. I have a DS there now who is very happy there and even he comes home some time annoyed by some of the behavior. The HS is very different in the classroom. What grade are you applying into? If its 5th or 6th, that’s a long time to be somewhere that does not feel right for you. [/quote]

Can you elaborate on the behavior in middle school? How is the high school different?  I'm curious why the middle school is set up so differently than the hs.  My kid also attended a shadow day and was unimpressed.[/quote]

I did not mean “Chaotic” as a negative, necessarily. It’s a great place, and as another poster noted there is a lot of talk of kids having agency and advocating for themselves. That has a lot of positives, but since you are dealing with middle schoolers, the freedom to advocate for themselves creates an environment where kids are not necessarily raising their hands before they speak so there can be a lot of calling out, and a strong personality can send a discussion sideways. Some teachers harness that better than others while still offering kids that freedom to speak up. By the time you get to the HS, kids are better at moderating their impulses to speak out and take over, and the teachers are better at signaling the behavior that is appropriate in their classroom. So, the HS its not set up differently; its just that in the MS they are letting kids find their way, and by HS, they have largely found their way, at least in this one behavioral aspect.  If you DC loved the shadow day then they are probably very well suited to the school. But a child who felt out of place may want to go with their instincts.  [/quote]

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