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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I find all of this really worrisome. I was holding out hope that Basis could work for my child, but the school just seems so extreme. My son does well in all school subjects and is particularly good at math. He loves learning and always asks for extra work because he thinks it's [i]fun[/i]. I worry that Basis will suck the life and the love of learning right out of him. 3 hours of homework every night at age 10? That is sheer craziness, and any reasonable person knows it. Of course I want him to stay ahead in math, but I absolutely do not want him taking AP Calculus as an 8th grader. Why would I want him to take a college-readiness course when he's 13? There's plenty of time for that in high school. I want him to excel in math & science while also having excellent courses in history, literature, and the arts, and time to write for the school newspaper, play sports (even travel sports!), play in the band/orchestra, etc.

Can't we have a middle school--aside from Deal, which isn't accessible to most of us--that offers some acceleration for kids in certain subjects AND other excellent classes and extra-curriculars that allow them to develop [i]as people,[/i] while not expecting them to jump on this insane roller coaster of AP classes for 12- and 13-year-olds? Why is everything all or nothing in this town? 
[/quote]

Another option is Latin. It's a wonderful school that offers accelerated classes if that's what your child really wants and excels at, but they're not required before your child is ready. There's a good balance of other social activities, humanities and there are tons of bright kids that attend the school. We have a jazz band and a several great choral groups. My son is in all honors classes and takes Arabic III and Chinese II. He's plays three varsity sports there and has had friends since starting in 5th grade. We considered BASIS in 7th for him when the school first opened, but decided Latin was perfect for him.

BASIS and Deal aren't the only games in town. You really do have to look at your kid and look at the school to see if it's a great fit. We do have several former BASIS students and also a newly returning Latin student who's brilliant but didn't like the constant rigor of BASIS. It's good to have super high expectations for your kid, but it's also good to let the child lead. In the long run, it's better and less stressful. Good luck everyone.[/quote]

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