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[quote=Anonymous]I had two children at Burgundy Farm, both now graduated, both went through the entire program and landed at local top independent school, and neither was "out of the box" genius/self-taught learner type ... so perhaps I have an Alls Well that Ends Well bias!  I'm posting months later, in case there are searchers here that are evaluating whether to apply especially to Middle School.  I want to validate that the following quoted post is really balanced, and durable in its wisdom *hi to whomever you are!*.  Really well stated.

With the distance of high school, and one in college, I can also say that the socio-emotional curriculum, and the "whole child for the whole world" concepts that spiral and repeat and mature throughout the curriculum are valid, important, and unequalled in this area.  Lasting positive impact.  And maybe that's the most important, most lasting aspect one can expect from a K-8 private school?  The academics become whatever they are in HS.  And the kids do get placed well in the end if they show innate promise.

That said?  It is true that the academic program was disjointed, that there are 5 or 7 teachers -- especially in the Middle School -- who should be canned for their various flaws -- mediocrity and staleness and favoritism, inability to handle variety of learning styles.  What shocked me at the end of our journey with Burgundy was that the majority of those graduating eighth graders could not wait to get out of there and had only a few meaningful teacher relationships, mostly from non-core teachers (arts, learning support, etc).  Something was really broken in the middle school.  All the good intentions at the head of school level were not manifested.  I had some unbelievably negative experiences in our last two years there.  Ask careful questions if you are looking at a MS entry.

If you are looking at early childhood, it's the best program in town.  Just be wise and open to revisiting your decision before 4th grade to test the quality of faculty and the suitability of the approach to your particular child ... all hard to assess with a 5 year lead time.

[quote=Anonymous]Whoops, I am the PP and meant to add something on what I think are legitimate concerns about Burgundy. The school definitely has both real pros and real cons.

Pros:

Kids treated with affection and respect; given a lot of independence; outdoors a lot; teachers by and large highly engaged and seem to truly like their jobs; beautiful campus; not overly competitive culture; nice kids; kids do very well in high school and college admissions, so despite lack of competitive culture kids are well-prepared for entry into highly respected schools.

Cons:

school often has a somewhat disorganized/amateurish feel to it.

Administrators extremely well-meaning but sometimes much too nice: they will not come down hard on underperforming teachers.

Teachers well-meaning but uneven; they often lack skills to handle anything outside the norm, whether it is the super-bright kid or a kid with mild learning disabilities. They just don't have the training to know what to do.

Despite claims about experiential learning and differential instruction, the curriculum and teaching methods are in fact rather traditional. Most teachers lack the inclination and/or ability to genuinely tailor the curriculum or assignments to the needs and interests of individual kids. If the teaching or assessment methods don't work well for your child, do not expect Burgundy to make any significant changes.

No ostentatious displays of wealth, but despite superficial PC overlay, Burgundy, like so many other schools, rests on the unarticulated and unexamined assumption that every family is affluent and every mom has the spare income and time to volunteer endlessly.

Hope that is helpful! Burgundy has been FANTASTIC for one of our kids, and much less so for the other. But even the kid who has had a less wholly positive experience (uneven teaching, etc) is quite happy at Burgundy and does not want to leave.

Bottom line, a sweet school and a good school that is a great fit for some kids/families and not so great a fit for other.
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