Reply to Structured/traditional vs Progressive school for adhd/anxiety

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[quote=Anonymous]I am deciding between two school options for my 1st grader and wanted to see how other DCUM families have made these decisions. We are trying to decide between structured, academically focused parochial school and progressive, very neurodiverse inclusive school that doesn’t profess to be super academic.

My kid: bright, creative, empathetic, over thinker. Loves music and storytelling and theater. She’s wildly creative and has the best stories. Mature at times and then frustrated she is 6. She is “behind” in reading (just finished K), and we are working with a tutor. Maybe dyslexic (testing in December). What we’ve noticed is that one on one her adhd is super visible - hard time focusing etc. our hypothesis is that this is because she is 1:1 and can’t escape the hard work. She is really coming along and benefits from repeat practice at home. This doesn’t square with what we see in the classroom which is she looks like she’s paying attention, but it seems obvious she is just pretending/masking because we see in throwing that she doesn’t actually know what is going on.

Given she is behind in reading, I can see the benefit of a structured classroom focused on academics. I can also see her liking the structure, expectations, and sense of home that this school is known for.  On the other hand, I like the idea of school focusing on curiosity, SEL, whole person etc. she might really like being with other people who are different and having that celebrated.  It’s also nice to have creativity and room to explore in the classroom. Big theater focus which she would love. Parents rave about their kid leaving with confidence and being excited to learn. Both can handle dyslexia and both have SEL.

My question: obviously we are letting her visit and also are talking to so many parents, but I was curious: if you have a kid with a similar profile, what type of schooling is working best? Is traditional desks facing a white board teaching hard for your ND kid and did they miss the creativity, or do they like the routine? Or did you prioritize whole person/love of learning that some independents are known for, knowing your kid might be behind in some areas absent tutoring?

Thanks - and please note I am not saying you can’t learn in both environments or that only one environment will produce a well rounded kid… but the styles are just way different [/quote]

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