While we were in lockdown, I continued looking up preschools for Baobao since our previous school visit was not what we expected. From most of the gifted/poppy FB groups I’m in, KiasuParents forums, speaking to family members who have raised gifted kids/are gifted themselves, one thing was clear to everyone – the type of school did not make a difference to a gifted kid and all of us had varied experiences. I think that was a hard thing for me to grasp logically.
I read through the Hoagies article for choosing the right school and also one of the gifted resources mentioned the Picky Parent Guide for choosing a school and these points stuck out to me.
As mentioned previously we do not advocate for testing unless absolutely necessarily. Based on the 5 levels of giftedness as a gauge (I’m a 3 to low 4, HG-EG), we estimate Baobao to be somewhere in the middle of 4 (EG) not sure if even near 5 (PG) but there’s a really thin line between EG an PG which our mainstream education doesn’t really support or cater for. Based on that estimation, and from the Picky Parent’s guide recommendation, a mainstream preschool would not work out well.
With all considerations, I was looking between Montessori, Reggio and Waldorf. It was a bit harder to identify from advices given in the gifted FB groups as among different gifted children they have different needs and styles. I came across this article comparing the three which mentioned that “Montessori schools can also be a great option for children with special needs, such as gifted learning abilities.”
It is very much a preconceived notion in society that gifted abilities are not special needs but some sort of superhero ability and that we should be thankful/blessed/lucky to not have to worry. Reality is so far removed from that and at times it is very difficult to explain the concept to others.
Based on the flexibility yet rigid structure (I know this sounds a bit contradictory) within Montessori, I felt this was more suited to Baobao. In the gifted FB group there were parents who said that the rigidity of Montessori would not work for their imaginative child to which she was met with replies that it works for some and not all. I think the key is knowing your child well enough to figure out what sort of environment would stifle them and avoid that. It’s hard to know what helps one to thrive but it is easy to know what hampers one to underperform.
With that being said, we set out to find a preschool/kindergarten based on this approach. More in the next post.