Right school (credit, elementary school, live)

[ssr123]

Hello

My child is in second grade in an elementary school in Carmel Valley. While the school/teachers are fine, our child appears to do well only in highly structured and organized class. The level of structure depends on the teachers which appears to be a big hit or miss. Some suggested Montessori schools which we havent explored yet. I am writing to see if anyone is aware of such schools, public or private..

Thanks!

[Pedro2000]

I don't know of any public Montessori schools. There are various private ones though, but they can get very expensive and not all are actually Montessori, they just claim to be Montessori. Or they do some 'hour a day' Montessori philosophies and the rest of the classes are standard core school philosophies. Nothing wrong with any of it, but if you're spending $20K+ per year on these schools, they really should follow the methodology and philosophy, not pretend to do so. So be careful and do your research.

[Axxlrod]

Isn't montessori the opposite of highly-structured and organized?

I belive montessori is where teachers let the kids choose whatever it is they want to play with/focus on all day. Kind of like a free-for-all.

[Pedro2000]

Originally Posted by Axxlrod

Isn't montessori the opposite of highly-structured and organized?

I belive montessori is where teachers let the kids choose whatever it is they want to play with/focus on all day. Kind of like a free-for-all.

Not always, there are different schools of thought, but I do agree, if the OP wants more structure, more tests, more focus oriented classrooms, Montessori might not be the right fit.

[RosieSD]

Totally agree about Montessori schools. They're great, but not necessarily about "structure." That said, if you're looking for Montessori schools in your area, the American Montessori Society has a searchable database of all accredited Montessori Schools on their website: http://amshq.org/Montessori-Educatio...-to-Montessori On the same site, you can also learn more about the Montessori approach, but as mentioned above, there can be differences between schools so be sure to visit several schools.

Would you be open to a Catholic elementary school? Sometimes, they can be more structured. If so, you might check out Notre Dame Academy in Carmel Valley. (You don't have to be Catholic to attend but you should be comfortable with Catholic values).

In truth, however, there isn't a school in the world that doesn't have some teachers who are a little more flexible than others. At all schools, even private ones, you'll find teachers with different teaching styles. Except, perhaps, at a military academy.

[RosieSD]

There's another possibility to consider. Please understand that I am not saying this is true for your child, just raising another possibility. Sometimes, students who have trouble staying focused in the classroom may have other things going on besides the teacher's style. For instance, a Learning Difference (LD) such as ADD or dyslexia may not show itself until a student enters higher grades where the work and classroom expectations are different.

Again, I'm not saying this is the case with your child (since obviously I don't know your child), but if you find that this is an issue with more than a few teachers, you might talk to the school's staff about having an LD evaluation done. It's best to identify LD issues early on so that kids can get the right support and learn strategies for dealing with them. Just something to consider.

[ssr123]

Thanks for all your replies. I guess Montessori is out. If you have suggestions for others schools let me know.

[RosieSD]

Don't rule anything out just because strangers on a board like this told you to. Look up a few Montessori schools on the link I gave you above and go and visit to see what they're about. We don't know your child or his/her needs, so only you can decide what will and will not be a match.

(If you can afford it and don't mind driving, La Jolla Country Day is a great little private school).