Reply to pros and cons of CES?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Academically the CES was a great fit, socially it was awful. The kids were so competitive, sometimes mean, it really set DD back in terms of socioemotional health and happiness. She lost her old social connections due to the busy schedule and entered middle school a loner (which she was not in 3rd). DH and I are not sorry we tried it, but in hindsight we wish we had pulled her after it was clear it was a poor fit in that respect. She’s  a brilliant self motivated kid who enjoyed the curriculum, but would have been just fine without it. You know your child. My recommendation is to try it to see, easy enough to return to the home school if it’s not a great fit. A few kids did so each year.[/quote]

My child had the opposite experience. We thought it would be very competitive, but it was instead supportive. Each kid seemed to know that they all had their strengths and weaknesses. They were all smart, but in different ways. The kids in her class worked well together on projects. Maybe, she was lucky and had a great class. [/quote]

Ours was similarly chill. There were a few kids who put tons of pressure on themselves, but that seemed like more of an individual thing than a factor of the environment. It didn’t really spill over into comparisons with other kids.

I can say for sure, though, that my kid would not be half the writer she is today without the CES. She was ahead of grade level, so she never got any feedback at all from previous teachers, but her writing wasn’t anywhere near her reading level at the start of 4th grade. It was rough at first, and we had to work with her to learn to accept and incorporate feedback, but it made a world of difference. The Eastern magnet program was a much easier transition (writing-wise, at least) because she’d already done the hard work in a fairly nurturing environment.

Also, I think it depends, but it’s not universal that kids lose connections from their old school. It takes a concerted effort, but if they really want to, it’s possible to maintain friendships they can pick back up in middle school.[/quote]

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