When my son (now a first grader) did his shadow day at Bixby as part of our inquiry process, 3 students and 2 adults addressed him by name when saying goodbye. I remember being surprised by that, but now see that it's just a normal part of the culture in this special school: your child will be seen and known. Even if just visiting for a couple of hours! If you've ever had a fear that your child is too far ahead, or will be left behind, or will somehow fall by the wayside in some way, I can tell you that the administration and the teachers at Bixby will see your child, meet them where they are, give them exactly what they need, and sweep them into a love of learning each subject--both through their true passion for their work and through their belief that children are whole human beings who deserve to be treated as such.The teachers at this school are some of the best I've encountered, and many of them have taught at Bixby for over a decade (or 2!) as well as entrusted their own kids to Bixby. I think that speaks volumes. The "middle school model" where subject-specialists teach their own subjects, starting in 1st grade, seemed unusual first glance but now I cannot imagine it any other way. How can one person teach math AND reading AND science at every other elementary school? When I hear the math teachers speak, I feel giddy and want to take math classes myself. When I sat in with the Creative Design (aka Art) teacher, I suddenly felt like I was capable of great creative work. It's truly magical and I do not understand the secret sauce of it all except to say that the culture in this school is solid and I hope that nothing ever shakes it. My 6 year old would rather be at school than at home (and has explicitly told me so!), and on Halloween he was more jazzed up about his candy charting graph project for Bixby than actually eating candy. On top of all of this, they have trips, lunches, swim lessons, and an incredible and beautiful campus with so many fun Bixby "Rites of Passage" (the one-foot swing!) that the kids love. If you're wondering about Bixby, just book your tour now. It deserves a place in the running. If you want your kid to love going to school, master everything they need to learn academically, be guided through the nuance of social relationships, and feel confident about how to be a human in this complex world, there's no better choice (and we toured all the other schools!). We couldn't be happier here.
