Reply to Kid needs lots of structure..which school for middle school

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think there are two kinds of "needs structure" kids.

There are kids who do well in environments which are quiet, and orderly and predictable, and offer a traditional curriculum, perhaps with kids sitting in rows, and learning by reading and writing and taking notes.  For that kind of kid, I think of Catholic schools, K-8's or someplace like Stone Ridge or St. Anselm's.  For a boy, I think St. Alban's falls into this category.

I think there are other kids who are disorganized and distractible, and need structure to reign them in, but also need instruction that's more multisensory and hands on and engaging.  For those kids, Bullis, McLean, and sometimes Field can be good options.

Which kind of kid do you have?
[/quote]

OP here, ouch I think he is both.  Hence my dilemma.  But thanks for your response.  We are really trying to evaluate what the problem is we are trying to fix.  If some of the issue is immaturity then time will fix that.[/quote]

Oooooh, I didn't mean for that to be "ouch"!  I think both kinds of kids are wonderful, and I say that as someone with a kid who straddles the gap.  My kid does best when he knows exactly what's expected of him, which the more traditional schools tend to do.  He's eager to please and happy to aim for high grades, but not intrinsically motivated to learn algebraic equations or write book reviews, so when the teacher says "3 pages, double spaced, I'm checking for grammar, use this graphic organizer" he does great but when his "progressive" elementary school asked him to design his own project he designed one that involved the least possible work, learning or rigor.  In that sense, I think he'd be well served by some place like St. Alban's or St. Anselm's.

On the other hand, he's definitely a hands on learner.  This year his English teacher likes to lecture with a powerpoint, and I think he gets about 1/2 of what is covered in class.  On the other hand, his science teacher had them use the comuter to research the climate of a region, as well as environmental technologies that work well in that climate, and then design a "green" home and a brochure selling the home.  He came home able to tell me in detail why there's heat deep underground in Fairbanks, Alaska and how he was going to use that heat to heat his home.

Finally, as a kid who may never love school, he needs someplace that offers something "else" to get him engaged, such as sports or arts or ideally both.  It's easier to get excited at school if you know you'll get something you love along the way.

If money weren't part of the picture I think I'd choose Bullis or Sandy Springs Friends for him.  Possibly also St. Andrew's although we never managed to tour.  For High School I'd add St. John's to that list.  Money is a factor so we went with MCPS for middle and it turned out to be a pretty good fit, although I think he'd have gotten more individualized attention at Bullis, and I wish MCPS had more middle school sports. [/quote]

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