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06.28.08, 20:28 PM NY Schools
21 replies
Any suggestion for elementary school choice? Traditional or Progressive? Public or Private? 4yrs old DS is very verbal and cheerful, (and I think he is a smart boy, but that's subjective) but often gets carried away with his own thoughts (or his desire to say something) and misses the cues when teacher (or any adults) already moved on to next topic. He obviously needs lots of encourangement. Would appreciate any input. [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
NY Schools 06.28.08, 08:28 PM Flag
 

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do you have the ERBs? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 08:33 PM Flag
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Not yet, will be taking in October. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 08:37 PM Flag
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Where do you live? Do you have a preference between public and private personally? What does your preschool director say? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 08:44 PM Flag
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Progressive private - Dalton or Ethical Culture. He'll get disciplined in a traditional public. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 08:47 PM Flag
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Just those two schools? Where do you live? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 08:54 PM Flag
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OP here, live in midtown and do't mind commuting to downtown or uptown. Swings between the thoughts (he needs some structure, or he needs to be in progressive). PSD just said to apply broadly and that what we will do and see where he ends up. Still, want to hear any success stories re good fit or bad fit from UB BTDT moms. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 08:57 PM Flag
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dalton does not like that kind of kid, and ethical will take it for boys. girls with this profile don't have a shot. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:10 PM Flag
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I would go for cathedral, CGPS. I think the TTs are going to have a problem with his enthusiasm--may read it as impulsivity. also, if progressive, try MCS, calhoun or maybe some downtown schools. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:08 PM Flag
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ITA! It would seem progressive might be good since he can get into things he's interested in and work on his own. but the truth is, a bit of structure, as long as it is not overly punitive will be better for him [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:11 PM Flag
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A stubborn dreamer or preacher, slow to adjust to changes, but once gets it, he can get into lots of stuff and analyze and take it to a higher level amazingly. I don't want him to be left out or gets lost in the class. Thanks. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:34 PM Flag
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Be open to everything. I have a ds who was very similar to your description when we started the process. He had 99 ERBs but sort of ran off at the mouth with enthusiasm. We had no idea what kind of school would be best for him. During the process, he matured a lot, we got very good feedback from several schools, but it did seem that the progressive schools were more interested in him. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:38 PM Flag
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Can I ask where your DS is? Did you choose progressive private in the end? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:41 PM Flag
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This was a couple of years ago, but yes, we chose progressive private. He's at Dalton. Has been a great fit for him. By the end of the application process, I thought he could handle a structured school. He's a good listener and academically is an extremely quick study, but he has lots of energy, ideas, etc., and sort of a free-wheeling impish personality. My gut told me that progressive would be a better fit. It's very hard to know which way to go. Fwiw, his preschool teacher thought he needed a structured, the psd was on the fence on which would be best. In retrospect, what he needed was less structure (and more flexibility). [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:52 PM Flag
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^^cont: Looking over the posts above, I agree with the above poster about CGPS and Cathedral. We liked both those schools as being sort of middle-of-the-road schools. They both lean toward the traditional (esp Cathedral) but they seemed more forgiving than many more traditional schools we saw. Cathedral is also very artsy and musical. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 09:58 PM Flag
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OP here. Thanx for sharing your BTDT story! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.28.08, 10:11 PM Flag
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They all end up in the same place. I'm a public school parent of a 2nd grader in a traditional school. My only thought is that if you go progressive be prepared for your dc to not be 'caught up' by 'academic' measures early on compared to kids in traditional schools. I know a few people who move their dcs out of progressive schools after K and into 'traditional' ones and their dcs needed some help catching up in reading and math. They caught up quickly of course and I'm sure they would have learned all they needed to in the progressive environment...just at a more relaxed pace [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.29.08, 06:20 AM Flag
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np; i would just add that progressive is great for kids who sort of pick up things on their own even though nobody formally taught them those things (like reading, math, etc.) because it's more self paced and kids don't have to be bored to tears doing drills at traditional schools. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.29.08, 02:14 PM Flag
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It's totally normal for a 4 yr old to miss cues and want to continue discussing whatever is in his head at that moment. As long as DS doesn't have any other issues, that's not a reason to choose traditional over progressive. Progressive might be more patient at steering him, but some might be too gentle. DS sounds like yours and in large class at progressive G&T, he gets a mix of both (teachers get that he is long-winded and articulate, but they also gently move him along because the class is big and full of kids like that). [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.29.08, 07:56 AM Flag
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LL? [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.29.08, 06:03 PM Flag
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Metropolitan Montessori is a great school and the Montessori curriculum sounds perfect for DC. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.29.08, 10:04 AM Flag
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My 4 y/o DS is same way. This is normal behavior. Kids mature greatly between 4 - 5, so give him a chance. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 06.29.08, 02:18 PM Flag
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