Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about why the pre-K teacher emphatically recommends private school.

There's a difference between gifted, highly gifted, and different gradations that are higher, which could cause private (the right private) to be a better choice for your child.

However, you seem to be saying he is pretty much a "regular kid" socially.

Could you explain more both about what the pre-K teacher said about her reasons for her recommendation, and also more about your son's socializing with his peers?

But what private school actually caters to academically advanced kindergarteners? We didn't find one.

Niesmith and Feynman

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Really good points, particularly about making the decision based on an assessment of child's needs instead of our aspirations.

Regarding the Pre-K teacher who made the recommendations: she pulled us aside and told us that he was very bright, far ahead of his peers, and he gets bored easily. According to her he isn't terribly disruptive, but he simply "tunes out". The example she gave initially: the class was doing number recognition and she couldn't get DS to focus. She then separated him from the group, provided him with some addition and subtraction exercises, counting by tens, and--ultimately multiplication of small numbers. She said she was shocked and has been delighted by his daily requests after that to "play math games."

That was early in Pre-K. Same kind of thing with reading. He got bored, would make some weird sounds, be "silly" when she was working on letter recognition. So she gave him books to read. He's read since he was three, but she noted that his ability to read chapter books from cover to cover was something we needed to be aware of when working out our next school. She said that because he tunes out so easily when bored, we might find he develops behavioral issues if he isnt in a situation where his learning is at least somewhat differentiated with like peers.

But yeah, he is a totally normal 5 year old socially and emotionally. I don't want to see him skip a grade and have trouble fitting in when he isnt as mature as his peers. So...I really think (based on late night discussions with DH and the really helpful feedback here) we are going to take advantage of the FA offer and give it a go. If it seems like overkill, we can always transfer in first or second.

It is incredible to me some of the PPs noted their families paid close to a million $$ for school before even accounting for college. That simply isnt something we could do. We are lowly civil servants so money will always be a consideration, but I am so afraid that kiddo will develop bad habits if he is in a large and busy class. I know that learning to focus is important, but the idea of kiddo thriving in part thanks to smaller class sizes really resonates with me and DH.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about why the pre-K teacher emphatically recommends private school.

There's a difference between gifted, highly gifted, and different gradations that are higher, which could cause private (the right private) to be a better choice for your child.

However, you seem to be saying he is pretty much a "regular kid" socially.

Could you explain more both about what the pre-K teacher said about her reasons for her recommendation, and also more about your son's socializing with his peers?

But what private school actually caters to academically advanced kindergarteners? We didn't find one.

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about why the pre-K teacher emphatically recommends private school.

There's a difference between gifted, highly gifted, and different gradations that are higher, which could cause private (the right private) to be a better choice for your child.

However, you seem to be saying he is pretty much a "regular kid" socially.

Could you explain more both about what the pre-K teacher said about her reasons for her recommendation, and also more about your son's socializing with his peers?

Anonymous wrote:I think it isn't about your aspirations, but your child's needs. The major difference between public and private is the classroom. In public, the ratios are quite different - there are usually 25-29 children per classroom and 1 teacher in MCPS. 20 minutes of recess. PE 1x/week. Limited music & art instruction as well. Long day of school. In terms of content, I actually do not think there is a huge difference between most public schools and most private schools. BUT...in public school, many schools have a cap - a cap on how far through the material a child can go, a cap on reading levels. Additionally, with the teacher/student ratio, there is a fair amount of time spent with teachers expecting students to sit still and work on work sheets.

The real question is, how does your child do in these circumstances? Some children are fine in any environment, regardless of their intelligence. Some children really struggle with sitting still and work sheets, and if they are also highly intelligent and there is a cap being placed on what they can learn, that struggle sitting still does turn to boredom and behavioral issues.

Sometimes, the right choice is to give public a try and see how it goes. For others, the early years are the important ones for private school - the smaller class sizes, the ability to individualize education, the greater amount of physical activity and hands-on engagement that translate into a love of learning are the important points. I think if you believe your child needs this last point, then the offer you have is wonderful, and you are likely to appreciate that opportunity. Transitioning to good public schools later, when smaller classes become less important can always be an option.

But, if your primary reason is advanced academics...very few private schools really do offer acclerated learning, although they do seem to do a better job of interactive and engaged learning than public schools right now.

Anonymous wrote:I think it isn't about your aspirations, but your child's needs. The major difference between public and private is the classroom. In public, the ratios are quite different - there are usually 25-29 children per classroom and 1 teacher in MCPS. 20 minutes of recess. PE 1x/week. Limited music & art instruction as well. Long day of school. In terms of content, I actually do not think there is a huge difference between most public schools and most private schools. BUT...in public school, many schools have a cap - a cap on how far through the material a child can go, a cap on reading levels. Additionally, with the teacher/student ratio, there is a fair amount of time spent with teachers expecting students to sit still and work on work sheets.

The real question is, how does your child do in these circumstances? Some children are fine in any environment, regardless of their intelligence. Some children really struggle with sitting still and work sheets, and if they are also highly intelligent and there is a cap being placed on what they can learn, that struggle sitting still does turn to boredom and behavioral issues.

Sometimes, the right choice is to give public a try and see how it goes. For others, the early years are the important ones for private school - the smaller class sizes, the ability to individualize education, the greater amount of physical activity and hands-on engagement that translate into a love of learning are the important points. I think if you believe your child needs this last point, then the offer you have is wonderful, and you are likely to appreciate that opportunity. Transitioning to good public schools later, when smaller classes become less important can always be an option.

But, if your primary reason is advanced academics...very few private schools really do offer acclerated learning, although they do seem to do a better job of interactive and engaged learning than public schools right now.