RSM is an after school private enrichment program for mathematics. It caters to children from K-12…read more I attended RSM about 10 years ago when the school was still small. I was forced to go every single weekend for about 2 hours of extra math by my parents. I lived in Andover, which at the time didn't have a branch of RSM, so the only option was in Newton. Trust me, driving an hour for math was not my idea of a fun weekend, neither was getting stuck in traffic for an extra hour both ways when I had weekday classes. For some reason, my parents never complained about the drive- I guess because they knew it was for my own good. Class sizes at the time were pretty large- from what I remember there were only two levels. When I first began, I strived to be in the advanced class and worked up until the point when I was moved up- the occasional McDonalds trip with my father helped that motivation too. I also consider the homework at RSM an integral part of the curriculum. It is extremely important for children to actually sit down and do over the course of a week, not the 30 min car ride homework session right before my class that I would sometimes try get away with. What is taught in the 1-4 hours of class time is not enough for a child to retain for the next week or in a year, at least in my case. Throughout the constant battles of doing homework with my parents, I realized that the times when I actually spent 2-4 hours on my homework, would be the most benefiting classes for me. I have actually spoken to a lot of parents and their kids in the past couple of years who have/currently do attend RSM. A lot of parents simply send their children off to RSM and expect their kids to "do" the hw. "Doing" homework like it is done in public elementary schools is just not enough anymore. I have a younger brother who scribbles god knows what on his paper, hands it in, the teacher draws a big star on the sheet of paper and gives him 100%. I'm sorry but 9x9 does not equal to 75-- effort should be awarded, but how is he going to learn from his mistakes if the teachers don't even take enough time to look at his mistakes? And this is why I continue to love RSM. I probably received about 50 C's,D's or even F's on my homework or quizzes.. why? Because each teacher I had took the time to grade each problem-- looking for key strategies taught in class, including the correct answer! It wasn't until I entered high school that I personally realized what RSM had done for me. I was in honors classes all throughout high school, took AP Calc and AP Stat and did pretty well. --Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a whiz to begin with, but RSM developed critical thinking skills in me from childhood that helped me understand and grasp new materials easily. SAT's at this point, seemed like a piece of cake- thankfully, I was able to avoid the annual SAT craze. The SAT craze is what I call the obsession for SAT cramming in sophomore/junior year of high school. Andover had a huge SAT craze as the local parents went crazy for the "best tutors" for their children in high school. I completely disagree with spending hundreds of dollars an hour during sophomore/junior year in high school trying to cram information into a child's head. Of course the SAT's are all about tricks, but you also have to have a solid foundation of the material in order to complete the test quickly and correctly. Throughout the RSM curriculum, by the time I was in 8th grade, I took my first SAT test for the Johns Hopkins Competition. Believe it or not, I did better than an average junior or senior in high school. By my sophomore year, I did not have to take any additional tutoring sessions and now was the one with all of the free time. While my friends crammed in 4-6 hours of SAT prep, multiple times a week, with extremely expensive private tutors, I scored in the high 700's for the math portion of the SAT I and SAT II, and got to finally relax on the weekends of my junior and senior year. On top of the quantitative proof of the results of previous RSM students and their astonishing accomplishments at higher institutions of learning, RSM fosters a place of personal development and growth. I grew up spending most of my weekends at RSM and ended up making friends who are actually my roomates in college now. I treated RSM as an activity, like any other sports team--I went to learn and even made a few lifelong friends along the way. In conclusion, Many of us have seen the new "Waiting to Superman" documentary which was right--how can we expect the next generation of children to advance the world if their education is limited? Well, the solution is in your hands and RSM is here to help.

This was the most stressful experience I have ever had with my kids' extracurricular activities…read more The class was fine -- teacher was actually pretty good -- and the math was good and kids were able to do their homework without too many challenges; the administration was awful and I have never encountered such a mercenary business, particularly one that is for children. We told them when we first came in to get an evaluation that we are a middle-class family and would need financial assistance in order for our kids to attend. They told us that they had an application to fill out and I was pretty confident we would get one as we do for most of the activities in town. The application was ridiculous and exhaustive, and it took a long time to complete it (I've never been asked what charities we donate to??). Every pay cycle, I would reach out by email and ask if they had reviewed our application. I would wait to pay our monthly bill, there would be no response, then bam -- they'd slam us with a late fee every time for not paying by the due date, even though they never got back to us about whether or not we received a scholarship and what the amount should be. They would also immediately shut down our account if we payed late, so that the kids couldn't access their homework. After the last day of class and final exam, we tried to check their scores online, but lo and behold, they had already closed our account. The teacher was surprised that the administration had done that; they knew we were not going to register for another term as we couldn't afford it (after many weeks, they finally denied our application), so it was vindictive and just unprofessional. I've heard from teachers at private schools that Art of Problem Solving is a much better program, and one is supposed to open in Newton soon. If you just need a simple math class and you can afford it, RSM is probably not bad; it was just terrible for us.

You will never find a more fruitful and valued experience than what Fessenden has to offer to young…read moreboys looking to become respectful men. The tuition is high, but the return of investment is priceless. I would recommend Fessenden to anyone looking to send their son to the best junior boarding school in the country.

I attended Fessenden class of '98. It was a different place then and my hope is that the rampant…read morephysical and sexual abuse that I encountered has come to an end. After 19 years of silence I finally reported the abuse to authorities. Based on my forensic interview the DA determined my statements were "highly credible." Unfortunately the case didn't go to trial. The school offered me 100k to shut up. Fessenden then released statements to the Boston Globe in favor of the sitting administrator having been "cleared" of my allegations. How can an administrator be cleared and reinstated following a SETTLEMENT?

I am so impressed with Smart School. Smart School hired me recently as a math teacher, and it's…read moreshocking how advanced all the students are there. They have fifth graders happily solving tenth grade math problems! In general I've found the students at the school are an exceptionally bright bunch, but I believe their success at Smart School is not due to natural aptitude alone. It's also the culture at Smart School, where they take children of all skill levels and make them the best math students they can possibly be- by challenging them just the right amount. I've seen several students go from hating math to enjoying it and feeling proud of their skill level. It also helps that the classes are tiny (1-4 students) and there's a great deal of individual attention and encouragement.

From the owner: We offer a broad range of classes and private tutoring provided by top quality teachers. Our…read morecourses include math, chess, SAT preparation, English, physics, and chemistry. Our teachers are capable professionals who have demonstrated advanced expertise in their subjects and a dedication to teaching. In addition to offering private lessons we have group lessons. All groups are small - up to 4 or up to 5 people. It enables us to provide individual approach to every student.

I went to high school here. I can't give it the full 5 stars since I have no idea what the school…read moreis currently like, but I heard that the bio teacher became the principal and everything totally changed. I have fond memories of attending school here and all the trouble that I would get into! They had a great budding music and theater program. I can only hope that is still so. Thumbs up to Trinity for a great 4 years!!

Great school. Our son is a Freshman. He's transitioned easily because of the attention they give to…read moreeach students needs. Everyone at the school is clearly happy to work there and they love students and families. Feel lucky to be part of this community.