Our national school system, public and private alike, is designed for keeping a group of students as homogeneous as possible. Even with all of the claims of “teaching to the individual” that a traditional school makes, there has to be a level of keeping everyone in the class at the same pace, leaving some students behind and holding others back. How, then, can you truly teach to the individual?
At Beekman, we have a variety of resources to support students for whom traditional course progressions don’t work. A portion of our students come from unconventional or foreign educational backgrounds. Our flexibility in course leveling is why we can have a 10-year-old taking Calculus on a protracted schedule.
For some, finding the right placement can be an ongoing challenge. When it’s a young, precocious student, the challenges can be insurmountable. Over the years, we have had several young pupils who did not fit into the classroom settings at other schools. They were advancing too quickly, either at a rate that the classroom teacher could not accommodate or they were surrounded by students who were much older than they and so were the victims of bullying. These are students for whom even the gifted and talented programs offered by New York City were insufficient. That is why they came to us.
We also have students who come from foreign countries, or from other private schools with unconventional curriculum structures. The sciences are a good example. Usually, schools teach a year of each of the sciences throughout high school. Some schools, however, teach a little bit of all of the sciences over each academic year, leaving the next school no clear information about how many topics were covered in each discipline. Most schools would require the student to repeat the year of science in order to get the credit. Here at Beekman, we are able to assess the student’s knowledge and offer a course that will fulfill the student’s need.
Wherever you come from, we can find the solution that works best for you.