The Gillispie School

One day last year, I picked up kindergartener by pulling into the school’s driveway on Fay Avenue. While I was waiting in the car with my daughter, I suddenly noticed my five-​year old standing outside. He was standing in the middle of the driveway, between two rows of cars, not on the curb side. There was no teacher with him, and no one tapped my car to let me know he was there. I jumped out and asked him who brought him to the car, and he named the head of school. I asked him if she walked him to the car, and he said no, she just pointed him to the car from the gate. She was nowhere in sight.
I was livid. During pick up time, cars are constantly moving. The school doesn’t even let you leave your car because they want you to leave as soon as your kid is returned. And accordingly, parents don’t even turn off the ignition and start driving as soon as their kids are returned. And because kids aren’t returned in the order cars are parked, cars often try to squeeze by between the two rows of cars to exit the one-​way driveway, exactly where my child was left standing.
Shortly after, I emailed the head of school and told her that she compromised my child’s safety by leaving him there. Instead of apologizing, she responded: «to suggest that I or the School would ever compromise… any child’s safety is uncalled for.» She also claimed that it was within school policy to leave him where he was because he was within «sight» of the guy whose job is to radio in the kid’s names as cars arrive. He was standing about 20 feet away behind another row of cars (and incidentally did nothing to alert me that my son was waiting to get into my car).
I was so upset by her response that I vented on Facebook. Then, the chair of the school’s Board had the gall to tell me to remove my Facebook post. He emailed: «what you put in your post is false and disparaging of the School. I ask you to remove this inaccurate post from Facebook immediately and to refrain from making or publishing any similar assertions in the future.»
Wow. Just wow.

My youngest daughter was one of the first 6^th grade graduates of The Children’s School (a class of 4 girls) after transferring from another private school. The Gillispie School was just what she needed, structured but more in tune with a very creative child. She went on to Bishops for Junior High and then transferred to La Jolla High. She now has an MBA. As my father used to say, «there are horses for courses» and sometimes you need to be flexible in your school choices with your child’s interests, with personality and temperment always your main focus. Allison Fleming has now worked at three of the schools my child attended and I feel so lucky to have had her vision and influence for those years. As early supporters of The Children’s School’s expansion, my husband and I can’t imagine a better director for the new school. Check it out. I think you will be impressed.

Initially, we set out to find a school that engaged our preschooler mentally and provided a safe environment to play with peers. Gillispie not only exceeded those aspirations for our son, but they have become family! After two years at Gillispie, I have come to realize the value of not only engaging our little ones, but embracing them, encouraging them to «teach» us as adults, and creatively inspiring them to explore and navigate through the fascinating challenges of growing up. The entire faculty knows and cares for each and every child on that campus (which I might add has been intelligently designed to facilitate creativity, outdoor play and activities and classroom curiosity). The Gillispie Open House for Kindergarten is on January 23 and I will be recommending my friends with little ones come and see for themselves why I am over the moon about this school!