Character of a growing girl (middle school question)

Bruce and Jeanne wrote:
beeswing wrote:


I posted this question in the financial aid thread, but I'd really like to
discuss it further. Could anyone please give me some input on this?

If one can (potentially, maybe) pay for instate, public university education
*OR* private school (especially at the critical middle-school level), how da
heck does one decide, anyway. Either? Both, with the hope of a windfall? What
makes the biggest difference to the character of a growing girl?

My daughter is almost 9, and she's an only. My only experience with "middle
school" is having gone to public junior high myself. And I remember those years
as being fairly miserable, though it wasn't all attributable to school-related
issues. I'd like my daughter to have a better experience than I did.

beeswing



How is your daughter doing in her school now? I'm only asking because a
friend of mine went through this same thing two years ago. Her daughter
was excelling academically at public elementary school, but my friend
felt she wasn't getting the attention she needed and she didn't really
have any good friendships. So, for 5th grade, the parents sent her to a
very expensive small private school and the girl blossomed and at the
end of the year, thanked her parents for sending her. So, she's back at
the private school this year and her younger brother has joined her.
This pretty much eats up my friend's entire salary (who is not in a
low-paying job by any means).

That said, they also have the prepaid college tuition plan for our state
which guarantees that tuition is paid no matter how high it rises. So,
while the kids aren't set to go to Harvard, they are set for 4 years of
college.

I will point out that the child may have blossomed in 5th
grade at the public school, too.

DD and I were discussing 'The Road Not Taken' (Robt. Frost)
earlier this week, and this is what made me think of this.
You cannot tell what may or may not have happened had you
taken the other road that equally lay in leaves no step had
trodden black. It's great that you friend's daughter is
happy. I guess that's the bottom line.

Scott DD 10 and DS 7.8