The Educational Experience...

FINALLY! Thank you, Steve. Now I can relate.

I never said that I had a wonderful time in school. As a matter of fact, I had a down-right miserable time in kindergarten. And although NSH had some very bright moments, it also had some very dark moments. I know exactly where you are coming from on the whole "academically gifted" program. It's pretty much a joke. As a matter of fact, I dropped out of it in the 10th grade because I learned that the regular college prep English and Lit. classes were delving into material that I wanted to learn, whereas AG was not. Plus, the teachers were better. I too suffered ridicule and was made fun of because I was different. But the fact is that I have a hard time believing things would have been different anywhere. As I got older I learned how to tune out those who made fun. That's all part of growing up, and unfortunately, no school-public or private- can weed out bullies. Part of my learning experience was learning how to
get along with people who are different from me, and I believe it made me a well-rounded, better person.

There are good schools and bad schools, good teachers and bad teachers, and being public or private makes no difference. I suggest you look into Whitaker Elementary here in Winston Salem. There is not only a waiting list for students who want into this public school, but also a waiting list of teachers wanting to teach there. That is amazing! Parents are actually pulling their children out of Forsyth Country Day in order to send them to Whitaker. They must be doing something right.