4 years ago
This is my daughter s third year at Forman and she...
This is my daughter s third year at Forman and she is now a senior. When she first left for boarding school, we were worried that she was too disorganized to live away from home, both in her school work/executive functioning and in her physical surroundings. When she came home halfway through her first year with a color coded calendar on her phone which she was updating and using! I had one of many THANK YOU FORMAN moments. The following year, her room at school was so neat that it was used as a sample room for the admissions office tour guides to show to prospective families viewing the Forman dorms. Wow.
However, the outstanding characteristic of the Forman experience starts with the academics. The faculty and administrators and dorm parents are an incredibly talented and dedicated group. They truly want to understand not just each child s learning differences, but what makes them tick, and then they structure the teaching to fit those needs. They are also available at all hours to help with a variety of teenage troubles, from personal problems to the significant adjustment of being away from home. I have seen several examples of faculty and staff going far out of their way to help, including on evenings and weekends.
Forman provides a safe, nurturing environment, while at the same time requiring the students to follow rules, be responsible, and have a daily campus job (brief). In my experience, that combination produces a positive atmosphere, inspires confidence and kindness toward others, and fosters a sense of community. They are compassionate and understanding of learning and emotional differences, encourage exploration of interests (academic and otherwise), yet absolutely do not tolerate (happily so) serious infractions of the rules that would harm oneself or others. My daughter struggled academically in a regular education setting, yet is extremely well behaved, so we had concerns about finding a school that could address her academic needs in a non-disruptive environment. Forman fits the bill. In short, I feel like my daughter is in extremely good hands.