USAmma
07-31-2006, 04:10 PM
I just typed out a whole message and got timed out. :irked:
I am in the position of needing to put my child in school by next year in order to return to school myself. She is not profoundly gifted but she is quite advanced. She is "K" age due to start school this month, but is homeschooled at 1-3rd grade depending on the subject. And of course all those things you can't measure but they show advanced thinking skills and passions. She has some sensory issues and has a hard time transitioning. She shows some ADD type behavior at times, and other times she is just stubborn and won't cooperate. She gets into moods. She had trouble in preschool and her teachers were convinced she was *delayed.* I took her to a psychologist and all but sensory issues were ruled out. The preschool teachers were surprised when I showed them her work that she was doing at home and that in fact she was quite ahead of her peers in academics. She is catching up socially, tends to be shy sometimes and outgoing at other times, depending on her mood. She is very emotional and sensitive.
Homeschooling is good for her right now, although she does seem to want to be around kids in a school environment sometimes. She loves going to UU church sunday school, for example. In a couple of weeks she will be attending a full day homeschool program at another district that is one day a week. They focus on enrichment activities, not academics. That is probably perfect for her right now and she will be in the K class.
I have some choices with schools but would like to start her at one next year to make sure she does well or if we need to find something else for her. I want to get this sorted out before I start full time classes in a couple of years. Right now I'm just taking one class per semester.
Choice #1: The school down the street. It's also the home of the district gifted program which starts out at K level. I don't know much about it except that some parents who I have met through homeschooling groups have pulled their kids out of the program because it didn't serve their child's needs. I have had three different parents that I just randomly met who pulled their kids out and are either homeschooling or private schooling now. I have had other parents tell me that this gifted program is wonderful and it's one of the best in our area and I'm lucky to live down the street.
I got a bad vibe from this school when visiting the office to get some EI paperwork for dd2. I just got a feeling from the parents and kids-- school was letting out-- that they were just, I can't even put my finger on it, kinda stuck up or ill mannered. I know that it's not logical to make that judgement based on one time there but I just had those feelings. I was glad I was not going to put dd in that school. I also have driven past it a couple of times and seen a single PE teacher with over 50 kids and it was evident she was having a hard time managing them. I have heard of budget cuts for PE, music, art, etc.
Choice #2: The school at the other district where she is in the homeschool program. They take in a number of out of district students because of falling enrollment numbers. The area is newer but land-locked and they have had enrollment problems in the last few years. The schools are very new and modern. When I went to sign dd up at that school I got a very good feelings about it. They sent home a vaccination exemption form along with the vax request which I thought was very progressive. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The walls had art on them from the children and the classes open into the hall instead of to outside-- good for safety. The kids were also well mannered, the ones I saw anyway.
They do not have a gifted program until 3rd grade and I don't know how good it is. They will pull children out and put them with older grades for specific subjects if the kids are way ahead in those areas, but they will not allow kids to skip grades. I don't want dd to skip grades anyway. The class sizes are smaller on purpose, all the schools are high scoring on state tests which I know doesn't mean a lot as far as how good a school is.
Choice #3: Various charter schools. I have not looked into them very much but many are good and many are not. I have not heard of any that are fantastic.
So if you had to choose based on the information above, which choice would you lean towards?:dizzy: A safe, happy environment and small classes but no gifted program, or a gifted program but bigger class size and maybe not as great of a social environment?
We are willing to continue homeschooling dd at home on weekends, vacations, and breaks. I basically just need some free daycare. OTOH it would be nice if she could learn and feel satisfied and not bored all day. If she likes school and does well in it she may choose to stay in school when I get out of nursing school. I will be in a position upon graduation to homeschool her again if necessary.
I am in the position of needing to put my child in school by next year in order to return to school myself. She is not profoundly gifted but she is quite advanced. She is "K" age due to start school this month, but is homeschooled at 1-3rd grade depending on the subject. And of course all those things you can't measure but they show advanced thinking skills and passions. She has some sensory issues and has a hard time transitioning. She shows some ADD type behavior at times, and other times she is just stubborn and won't cooperate. She gets into moods. She had trouble in preschool and her teachers were convinced she was *delayed.* I took her to a psychologist and all but sensory issues were ruled out. The preschool teachers were surprised when I showed them her work that she was doing at home and that in fact she was quite ahead of her peers in academics. She is catching up socially, tends to be shy sometimes and outgoing at other times, depending on her mood. She is very emotional and sensitive.
Homeschooling is good for her right now, although she does seem to want to be around kids in a school environment sometimes. She loves going to UU church sunday school, for example. In a couple of weeks she will be attending a full day homeschool program at another district that is one day a week. They focus on enrichment activities, not academics. That is probably perfect for her right now and she will be in the K class.
I have some choices with schools but would like to start her at one next year to make sure she does well or if we need to find something else for her. I want to get this sorted out before I start full time classes in a couple of years. Right now I'm just taking one class per semester.
Choice #1: The school down the street. It's also the home of the district gifted program which starts out at K level. I don't know much about it except that some parents who I have met through homeschooling groups have pulled their kids out of the program because it didn't serve their child's needs. I have had three different parents that I just randomly met who pulled their kids out and are either homeschooling or private schooling now. I have had other parents tell me that this gifted program is wonderful and it's one of the best in our area and I'm lucky to live down the street.
I got a bad vibe from this school when visiting the office to get some EI paperwork for dd2. I just got a feeling from the parents and kids-- school was letting out-- that they were just, I can't even put my finger on it, kinda stuck up or ill mannered. I know that it's not logical to make that judgement based on one time there but I just had those feelings. I was glad I was not going to put dd in that school. I also have driven past it a couple of times and seen a single PE teacher with over 50 kids and it was evident she was having a hard time managing them. I have heard of budget cuts for PE, music, art, etc.
Choice #2: The school at the other district where she is in the homeschool program. They take in a number of out of district students because of falling enrollment numbers. The area is newer but land-locked and they have had enrollment problems in the last few years. The schools are very new and modern. When I went to sign dd up at that school I got a very good feelings about it. They sent home a vaccination exemption form along with the vax request which I thought was very progressive. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The walls had art on them from the children and the classes open into the hall instead of to outside-- good for safety. The kids were also well mannered, the ones I saw anyway.
They do not have a gifted program until 3rd grade and I don't know how good it is. They will pull children out and put them with older grades for specific subjects if the kids are way ahead in those areas, but they will not allow kids to skip grades. I don't want dd to skip grades anyway. The class sizes are smaller on purpose, all the schools are high scoring on state tests which I know doesn't mean a lot as far as how good a school is.
Choice #3: Various charter schools. I have not looked into them very much but many are good and many are not. I have not heard of any that are fantastic.
So if you had to choose based on the information above, which choice would you lean towards?:dizzy: A safe, happy environment and small classes but no gifted program, or a gifted program but bigger class size and maybe not as great of a social environment?
We are willing to continue homeschooling dd at home on weekends, vacations, and breaks. I basically just need some free daycare. OTOH it would be nice if she could learn and feel satisfied and not bored all day. If she likes school and does well in it she may choose to stay in school when I get out of nursing school. I will be in a position upon graduation to homeschool her again if necessary.