some of you are aware of how this year of kindergarten has gone for r. it has been the antithesis of all our hopes and wishes for the first school year. the disappointment and bitterness is hard to swallow still. nevertheless, we have turned all of our energy to making the remainder of the year positive and, more importantly, proactively looking ahead to next year. This has meant that we have been hitting the telephones and pavement sussing out our options and assessing what is best for r.
as i have never studied education, especially primary school education, it is difficult to assess various methods and how each approach fits different learners. each child has his or her own areas of ability, giftedness, and talents. the trick is to support those that are in need of further development and to nurture those that are thriving simultaneously. montessori may fit some, multiple age classroom others, progressive education some, and IB others. we know r fairly well, and can identify strengths and areas in need of support. however, how do we assess what best helps him learn? each approach has its own philosophy, goals, and understanding of development. we chose our current school because it appeared to support multiple intelligences (various areas of intelligence), multiage classrooms (good for peer relationships, leadership and social skills, and differentiated learning), and its commitment to social justice, diversity, and equity. well this year has been lacking in all of those. we do think some of his prep and specialty teachers are excellent, the in-classroom experience has been so traumatic and fallow that our faith in the public school system is shot. not that we can regret what we have done. but we will hopefully never be caught off guard like this again. as it was our first year in schools (as opposed to preschool), we did not know what to expect or how to respond.
all this leads us to the numerous paths we have tried to pursue for r for next year. our first hope was to get him into the gifted public school. we hoped that this school would a) be familiar with learning profiles such his, b) be competent with students with complex sets of skills and needs, c) have a different social profile to allow for better socialization and the formation of friendships. we have spoken with numerous administrators (and parents) and our chances for getting into the school while being out of district (we live in one city and are looking at schools in another) are very very slim.
we have more or less pursued every path that might lead to that school. and none have proved fruitful. however, we have been successful in some assistance along the way. an ombudsperson has been very empathetic and helpful. the gifted specialist also has provided some assistance. i have been looking at schools since december 2007 and we are still not done. so we looked at 3 more this week. the first was actually 2 schools (1 montessori and 1 science magnet). another was an IB elementary. and the third is a private school -- a Quaker Friends school. i have never considered private school in my life. in fact, i believe very strongly in the public school system. it is a political belief that is quite deep. i have always thought that the educational privilege that i have, i would share within the school classroom to benefit all the children. that is what building community is about. this year was no exception. in fact, volunteering has been important to me. and i did it regularly when i was able to contact a teacher. however, i stopped. once i had to start homeschooling, i could not sustain both. it is important to think about how the school failed all of the children in the classroom. but i have also had to deal with the situation in which it has failed my child even more so. no other child has been hit, abused, and bullied like r. and the school failed to keep him safe let alone provide him an adequate learning experience. instead, we have had to stop volunteering and teach him at home. (i have enjoyed teaching him blackjack.)
back to next year. so our best options at this point are 1) try again with our current school and the resources it does have. (everywhere we went, people spoke highly of the school and pointed us back there as a good fit. it may be a very good fit, but we have little experience or trust at the moment. and yet the data does indicate that it might be good.) 2) an IB elementary that has three 1st grade classrooms with 25 students and at least a few teachers that might be very good with him. an IB curriculum is inquiry and project based. we see that there could be many advantages to this. and 3) a Friends private school that has a first grade that is 16-18 students. it operates with multi-age classrooms like our current school. the same teacher teaches for 1st and 2nd grade and then a different teacher does 3rd and 4th. as some of you know, the friends school is very progressive, small, and peace oriented. there is another montessori that i would like to look at but the school is not responding to my request which is not promising.
so now we have to choose. how do we choose? how do we nurture the sensitive child whose spirit is gentle, vivacious, passionate, curious? how do we support the poor motor dexterity and social skills? how do we build on very strong math and science skills? and how do we know what environment will be rigorous and empowering?
it is a very difficult decision. we have been burned once. there is so much at stake. and so few opportunities once a window closes. we will be deciding what to do in the next few weeks.
wish us luck
PS did i mention that starting in the fall, i have to start looking for a school for K for kindergarten?
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