Reply to Considering Private - Where to Start? What am I Even Looking for?

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "Considering Private - Where to Start? What am I Even Looking for?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]When it comes to social skills, in a big public, only giant issues are flagged and smaller issues get missed. In a traditional private such as Sidwell, smaller issues are flagged but not supported in the sense that a child needs to go elsewhere for support. Furthermore they don’t admit kids where small issues are already flagged and not remediated.

Small privates like Norwood and St Pats do flag and support small issues, but the teachers have traditional teacher training. They are not professionals with training in social issues — ie they are not therapists. They are caring and sometimes that is enough. However sometimes it is not. Sometimes between their caring and their expertise they can recommend and work with good therapists, and that is enough. However sometimes it is not.

Specialized schools such as Green Acres and Deiner do have different levels of therapeutic support. Sometimes it’s just teachers informed by therapists. Sometimes it’s more.

Take a social issue such as bullying. It’s both normal and common but to understand and resolve requires an understanding of human psychology. However most bullies don’t receive therapy, and many simply grow out of it or evolve into the next stage in life. Sometimes this leads to children who grow into adults with complicated issues where therapy takes years. Sometimes the kids grow into adults who are totally fine. It’s hard to know. Traditional teachers have anywhere from 12-24 students a class and are focused on teaching academic or other traditional subjects. This is not their space.

In terms of rigidity, we have known kids who were onlies who simply wanted their own way. However, once they realized they were tired of being lonely, it was like they flipped a switch. They figured out different ways to connect whether through humor or interests. If your child already wants to connect deeply and is having challenges, I would take my child to a respected therapist. Your child might not have the kind of “problem” that’s a red-flag fire, but it can only help a lonely kid. Also the advice being given, such as to compromise, won’t help a child form a connection. A child doesn’t choose playmates based on who compromises. A relationship develops based on who “gets” each other. It’s emotional.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics