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Investigating possible attendance
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 9:40am
My son is currently in 6th grade. He does ok in school, but has been asking more and more to goto military school. When asked why, his reasons seem sound and well thought out. Examples: "I think I would do better with the structure", "I like the idea of less distractions". Hard to argue, so we sent away for brochures. Fork Union is the one that is standing out in his choices. When asked why, he said "I think I would do well with the One Subject plan"
So...what kind of feedback can I get on that? To me, it would seem like (a)boredom would set in on the given subject making it harder to stay focused and (b)the subject matter from the first term would be forgotten by the last term
Other concerns I have is hazing. Does it occur...really? How bad?
Is there a "plebe" period for new cadets?
We were considering sending him to summer school next summer (2011)...how much of a gauge would that be to his success there?
This is a kid that I have seen both extremes; If he wants something bad enough he will not stop. If he doesnt he will not try.
Football: My take on the football team is that it is very competitive to get on the team. Is that true?
Thank you for your time in giving me candid, honest responses.
Sun, 02/28/2010 - 9:06pm
#1
One subject plan
Upon reading....it seems that the one subject plan is effective. Thanks for this.
Fri, 02/26/2010 - 5:05pm
#3
Thanks for your questions...
In response to your post:
The one subject plan is used int he upper grades at FUMA (9-12 and PG). The middle school utilizes a more developmentally appropriate structure for the boys in grades 6-8.
We are certainly more distraction free when compared with other environments. You will not see our cadets with cell phones and iPods. TV can be watched only during specified times and those are very limited.
We do not employ a plebe system at FUMA. We bring in the new students and spend time orienting them to the system. Mistakes are expected and we utilize a grace period to make sure they understand rule violations (like running in uniform) but they are not actually penalized for infractions at this time.
In order to enter summer school , a student must have completed grade 7. It is a good opportunity to get a feel for the school and our instructors. While we do not employ some of the military aspects, such as the cadet uniform and "Drill," we do utilize a demerit system, expect rooms to be kept neat and conduct to be appropriate.
Middle school football at FUMA is age appropriate. It is true that we take our athletics seriously as we move into the upper grades, but we try to create an environment in the middle school where each young man can step out and try something new. We do have to "cut" in some sports, and while this can be a hard situation to deal with, we encourage them to look in other areas should they find themselves not making a specific team.
The following link will take you to our middle school cadet handbook. It contains much more detailed information regarding every aspect of cadet life:
http://www.forkunion.com/sites/default/files/MS_CadetHandbook_2009-10pdf...
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 6:44pm
#4
Summer school
Our son started during the 2009 summer school session and we believe it helped with the transition into the fall school year. FUMA has changed his life and we all wish we had found it a lot sooner. You asked about hazing. My son hasn't experienced any hazing since he's been there. However, as the saying goes, "boys will be boys". I'm sure there is some untolerated behavior that goes on but that will happen wherever he goes to school. My son tells new cadets that the key to not being bored is to stay as active as possible.
We are very pleased with our FUMA experience and we hope you decide to join the FUMA familly!
The Grices
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 5:00pm
#5
One subject plan
I wanted to comment on your request for information regarding the one subject plan. My son has been at FUMA for 2 years now and this is one of the things I like the best. We have seen a drastic improvement in his grades since attending FUMA. If the child doesn't like a subject, they only have it for approximately 8 weeks. The teachers are able to determine your child's strengths and weaknesses very quickly because they see them every day all day. My son's current class has about 15 students. That is a wonderful teacher to student ratio. If your child likes foreign language, they can take the classes back to back and really gain some ground. When the class is over they only have to take 1 exam (this is a true blessing). Studying for 8 exams over a 2 day period used to spell disaster for my son. I wish every school would adopt this mentality. Let the children become successful at one thing before moving on to another. This school is in the life changing business and it works. This forum is a wonderful tool for parents and future students. I would also recommend a tour of the school. You will get a sense of the campus, staff, students, and overall experience of FUMA. If I can be of further assistance, I will be glad to help.
Although my son is currently in 6th grade and we are asking and investigating now, we are looking at waiting until high school for any potential prep school options.
I may not have made that clear in my initial post.
ThankS!
Anne