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Home › Webmother's Musings

Finding the School That's Right for My Child

By Elisa Ast All

With summer finally here, the last thing I want to be thinking about is school. But I have found myself in a rather challenging situation that has been taking up a great deal of my time, and I'd like to share it with you.

My son, CJ, age 5, is a gifted yet complex little boy. At the age of 3, he was tested as having the memory of an eighth grader and the vocabulary of a fourth grader. However, he also was found to have sensory integration dysfunction, a condition in which he is hypersensitive to sounds, textures, tastes – anything involving his senses. He also has some speech and auditory processing issues. This has affected his ability to fully interact with his peers, delaying his social development by about a year. Thankfully, we caught the condition early and CJ has benefited from two years of speech and occupational therapy. He is a different child than he was two years ago: Now rather than screaming when he hears the vacuum cleaner, he asks for a turn to use it; he will try new foods; he is able to engage in a conversation.

So with CJ at an age where kindergarten is the next school step, I have had to stop, evaluate and determine the best place for him to continue his education. This has involved the input of many people: his parents, his preschool teachers, his private therapists and the school disctrict's special services department.

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding if a child is ready for kindergarten: fine motor skills (drawing, cutting); gross motor skills (running, jumping); academic skills (numbers, letters); personal skills (knows name, address); and social skills (follows directions, plays with other children). Of these myriad things to know and do, social skills are arguably the most important in a kindergarten setting, though this can depend upon the school's philosophy. Some of the schools we've researched include the following:

  • Montessori – The Montessori method was founded by Dr. Maria Montessori. While working as a pediatrician, contact with young, poor children impressed upon her the idea that all babies are born with intelligence and vast potential. Children taught under this method tend to read and write very early and are free to learn what is of interest to them.
  • Waldorf – The Waldorf method, which utilizes a "natural" approach to education, was founded by Dr. Rudolph Steiner. He believed that education should not only engage the minds of children, but the bodies and spirits as well. Arts play a big part in early childhood development, while academics are not emphasized as much.
  • Other Private Schools – Private schools can consist of demonstration schools backed by universities, parochial schools with a religious component and other independent schools. If you are interested in private education for your child, do your research and apply early – there are often waiting lists to be accepted.
  • Public – Public schools provide a great mix of children from diverse backgrounds, and emphasize socialization and peer interaction. While each school is unique, local school districts create the overriding philosophies behind the public schools in general. Public schools are paid for by our tax dollars.

With all of this research completed, we still are undecided about what is best for our son. Unfortunately, our community seems to be lacking an ideal setting for a gifted child with special needs. There is no "gifted" program. The special education classrooms are inappropriate for his needs. The regular public classrooms are crowded and understaffed. The magnet schools are not open to just anyone; getting in is the luck of the draw.