Mom says very good school
is worth the long commute

To:KidsBoston.com Fast-Learner Project
Subject: My fast-learner experience:
From: Robin Einzig, Medford, MA

We struggled mightily with what to do with our now-almost-six-year-old daughter when it was time for school. In preschool, according to her, "no one was interested in talking about [the things that she was interested in]." We had seen that her response to preschool was to become a bit of a troublemaker and ally herself with kids who spent their time acting up. We didn't want that in her school years.

She is also, as many bright kids are, super sensitive and very astute about people's responses to her. We felt that, in our district, she was a prime target for bullying, which we felt was not adequately addressed in the schools. Also, we were both advanced in school, and one of us--her parents--was quite badly bulled for that reason, so we have a particular sensitivity to that.

We thought of homeschooling, so we could follow her intense interests in a variety of subjects, mostly science-related. But, even though I'm an educator, I just wasn't up for it, and she really craved the day to day of "school."

And then our prayers were answered. After visiting some Boston-area schools for "gifted" kids and really disliking them (we do not see

"Our daughter is in kindergarten and is doing division and elaborate science experiments, but she is still allowed to be fully five years old."

giftedness as simply acceleration, i.e. getting to the same place faster, but more as creative problem solving, i.e. getting to a different place altogether. After quite a bit of research, we landed at The Phoenix School in Salem, MA. She is now her second year there, and I can't say enough great things about it.

There are many gifted kids there, though not everyone is. The teachers and heads of school have backgrounds in gifted education, but believe (as I do) that all kids can benefit from much of the knowledge in that area.

The education plan is completely individualized, there is great attention paid to values, including the importance of leadership and community service, and, best of all, they "got" our daughter. She can be creative there, singing, dancing, doing theater, going on lots of wonderful field trips and explorations, developing her own projects, and feeling really cared for and supported. She doesn't feel out of place there at all, and has LOVED school from day one.

If you don't know about the school, and this sounds interesting, you should take a look. It doesn't matter if you live in the North Shore area. We live near Boston, and commute 35 minutes each way to go there, and it's worth every minute. Just so you know, it's multi-age, a one-room schoolhouse of sorts, with between 30 and 50 kids from kindergarten through 8th grade (yes, all together). If, like us, you have a kid who is VERY strong or quick in one subject but not necessarily in all areas of development, it's no problem. Our daughter is in kindergarten and is doing division and elaborate science experiments, but she is still allowed to be fully five years old. It's a great place for gifted kids or for kids or families that just don't think that their current school is serving their needs. Can you tell we love it?

Check it out at www.phoenixschool.org, come visit, or if you want to chat, e-mail me at robineinzig@comcast.net. As you can tell, I'd be happy to talk more about it!

Best of luck to you in advocating for the very best learning environment for your child.

Robin Einzig, Medford, MA