differences between East Dallas elementary schools (Houston, Fort Worth: renting, homes, transfer)

[littlewmn]

We may be moving back to DFW area and I have a little guy (7..maybe not so little?). We are pretty set on neighborhood and public school, but I want to place him in something that would suit his learning style.
He is a quirky GT kid-- not a hard working acheiver-type. Very bright, but impulsive. Last year he had a teacher he was constantly at odds with who wouldnt give him the advamced work he so desparately needed until she could teach him how to control every bit of his impulsivity. It didn't work.
Now I need somethign a bit more flexible and less authoritarian, but still challenging. Which of the schools would give me the best fit? Lakewood El is filled to the brim with high acheiving and well-behaved kids, and while most would jump at that, my son would just be sticking out has a thorn in the teacher's side every day.
(He is not mean or violent, just fidgety and impulsive. Interesting, challenging work should kill the problem in theory...but more *volume* at the same level might make it worse.)
Could use insight!
This is only a *maybe* move-- but once we get transferred it will happen *fast* so I need to have a pre-existing game plan for Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth.. thought I am thinking if Ft Worth we just might commute from Dallas since I know and love East Dallas already.

[FarNorthDallas]

If there is any way for you to consider private school, I would do so. Dallas Academy would be where I would look first if living in East Dallas. Others are Winston, Shelton, Oak Hill and Fairhill. When he's older there is Bending Oaks and the part time schools like Willow Bend.

Dallas Academy

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by littlewmn

thought I am thinking if Ft Worth we just might commute from Dallas since I know and love East Dallas already.

You do not want to sign yourself up for that daily commute. It is at least an hour each way, and more if there is bad weather or a wreck on I-30.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

If there is any way for you to consider private school, I would do so. Dallas Academy would be where I would look first if living in East Dallas. Others are Winston, Shelton, Oak Hill and Fairhill. When he's older there is Bending Oaks and the part time schools like Willow Bend.

Dallas Academy

Agree with your suggestions. OP, I think your kid is going to have similar problems in most public schools until your son matures or if you luck out and get one particular teacher who has a heart to really work with your son. The large class sizes and singular classroom focus on passing the TAKS leave little time to meet the WIDE variety of student needs (some barely speak English, some are Special Ed and barely functioning in the integrated classroom, some have behavioral problems, some are behind and lost, others are hungry because the only food they get is at school, etc). Public teachers don't have the time or proper resources to really impact all of these kids on a personal and academic level - even if they really want to bs able to.

A private school would offer smaller class sizes, more individualized instruction, more testing and resources to identify and solve your son's developmental and academic needs, and eliminate the TAKS/standarized testing distraction.

Yes, private schools are expensive but if it's best for your son, then it's worth a lower standard of living (smaller home, Lake Highlands vs pricier Lakewood or renting vs buying).

[Lakewooder]

Being quirky is celebrated in East Dallas. Having life-long friends smooths out many difficult situations both in school and in the many decades beyond. That is the norm at Lakewood, but you might want to consider Stonewall, which also has the regional school for the deaf and more special ed students. As a smaller school with teachers used to differences, it might be a good fit.

Perhaps Lipscomb would also be good - TexasAmy, pepper or MacBeth here could speak to that. There also seems to be quite the resurgance at Robert E. Lee, which broke into the exemplary ranking for the first time this year. It only has around 250 students, so there will be a lot of individual attention.

[pepper131]

I'm not sure that any of the public schools are very accommodating - afterall, that's why I pulled my oldest son out of 3rd grade 9 or 10 years ago to have him attend a homeschool group. Knowing how advantageous it was from my older son, I entertain the idea now and then with my younger son who is in 3rd currently, but the homeschool group doesn't exist any more and I'm not 100% confident that I would do a stellar job.

[Ramona72]

Originally Posted by littlewmn

He is a quirky GT kid-- not a hard working acheiver-type. Very bright, but impulsive. Last year he had a teacher he was constantly at odds with who wouldnt give him the advamced work he so desparately needed until she could teach him how to control every bit of his impulsivity. It didn't work.
Now I need somethign a bit more flexible and less authoritarian, but still challenging. Which of the schools would give me the best fit? Lakewood El is filled to the brim with high acheiving and well-behaved kids, and while most would jump at that, my son would just be sticking out has a thorn in the teacher's side every day.
(He is not mean or violent, just fidgety and impulsive. Interesting, challenging work should kill the problem in theory...but more *volume* at the same level might make it worse.)
Could use insight!.

I would echo that you should look into a smaller private school who could work with him. And frankly, as the parent of one of those high-achieving, well-behaved kids, it can get frustrating when the teacher is forced to constantly use instructional time for the class to deal with the kids who are unable to control themselves.

If his behavior is at the point where it is affecting other kids and his own learning, I would also suggest testing for various behavioral disorders. I can appreciate that some kids have these issues, but I don't like it when it seems to get shrugged off as a "ooh, he's just so quirky and gifted."

[FarNorthDallas]

Yeah, and I would say there are really only two kinds of students in the gifted programs in the public schools - (1) smart motivated well-behaved compliant kids and (2) children of staff.

[TheRedTelephone]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

If there is any way for you to consider private school, I would do so. Dallas Academy would be where I would look first if living in East Dallas. Others are Winston, Shelton, Oak Hill and Fairhill. When he's older there is Bending Oaks and the part time schools like Willow Bend.

Dallas Academy

Heed this advice! The key to your son's success is SMALL CLASS SIZE and flexible goal setting. Bending Oaks is particularly good in this regard. Small class size has turned some bright, fidgety types who went from 99% testing/D- in homework in public school to 99%/straight A's.

[littlewmn]

Wow- talk about thinly-veiled and not-so-thinly veiled hostility! This is what *I* want too, to keep him with a teacher/principal who might let him actually do something like walk over to the water fountain which is inside the classroom during sacred quiet reading time when he wants to take a break from his reading. This sit in your seat and don't say a word stuff is not exactly how the real world works, is it? Is this really "disrupting the class"? And he already has straight As. Since the beginning of the year is all review anyway he has had straight 100s.. except when the teacher decided to take points off to encourage him to write more neatly. All this discussion about preparing our children to succeed in life, so long as you sit still and only move when I tell you? It's not like he's crawling under the table playing with people's feet (we had to deal with a kid like that last year). I'm asking for a school where they don't have to be perfectly behaved in order to be allowed to learn and be challenged.
So you have a quite little (most likely) girl who is (sometimes) a tad shy of new situations and (usually) ties her self esteem to her teacher's praise and freaks out when she doesn't get As. Yeah-- I know that kind of kid. Sounds a lot like one of my best friends in elementary school. She did very well in life. She didn't become a control freak or develop an eating disorder and she eventually learned to accept the fact that people could be different from her in a number of ways and still be intelligent and productive. Too bad so many teachers don't know that. If they weren't as concerned about petty rules, then my son doing something so severe as getting out of his seat wouldn't have to be commented on by the teacher and wouldn't disturb anyone. Do you get upset when a coworker leaves his desk? When a college student leaves the lecture hall? Are you so distractible yourself that everyone else's actions prevent you from learning?
My original question was, and remains:
"Now I need something a bit more flexible and less authoritarian, but still challenging. Which of the schools would give me the best fit?"
I am all too aware of what is *not* a good fit. Not all GT programs require seatwork, worksheets, and silence. Or at least they shouldn't.