A THREE PART SERIES
Once I witnessed private school education from the inside, my best analogy was to that of a chocolate truffle.
Each chocolate TRUFFLE is unique and special. The more irregular and homemade they look, the better. The ganache filling and tempered chocolate coating is rich in flavor, compact in density, and packed with quality. One or two chocolate truffles will satisfy your hunger because this savory treat is about quality over quantity.
In the same way as a truffle is handmade by an individual, the private school too treats each child wholly and completely. The average Christian private school schedule is intentional, effective, and efficient. This is a place where kids are fed in mind, body and soul. Smaller class sizes facilitate the formation of a tighter knit community. The home schooled child, also, receives the kind of personalized education which is saturated in content. Though I did not explore this option as much, its strengths were clear.
In 2021, I allowed myself to explore the world of private and home school education. It was only a matter of months before I came to realize how much better a school experience can be. My eyes were opened. I woke up to the reality of our situation with every fiber of my being, so much so that the idea of going back to sleep was not an option.
For my entire life, all I had ever known was public school education. I attended public, my husband attended public, my mom taught public, and my kids were in their tenth year of public. I regarded the institution as an imperfect part of life everyone just had to work around. We had moved our family in 2009 from Saint Paul to Woodbury specifically for the highly rated ISD833 public school system.
That perception changed though in the 2020-21 school year. Our district chose to teach fear, confusion, and political bias instead of prioritizing the kids’ learning. A student’s right to remain neutral became impossible, and partisan politics infiltrated the curriculum at every level. East Ridge High School pushed media hysteria as if it were a religion. More on this later though, in Part 3.
By the middle of last year, after six months of interviews, tours and shadows among ten local private schools, I witnessed a level of education I had never seen before.
It was better than I could have dreamed! The Classical Academies had me mesmerized by their coordinated curriculum and breadth of literature. Conversation flowed smoothly in Humane Letters as each Sophomore had the chance to reflect on the text of Plato’s “Republic”, free from judgement or expected interpretation. These schools were going outside to explore the natural world in a more hands-on approach to Biology and Earth Science. My son left his shadow day saying to me, “It’s not that the kids are necessarily smarter (than his public high school), it’s that the school makes them smart.”
Once all the pieces fell into place, we made the decision to send our sophomore to Concordia Academy High School (CA) and our 7th grader to North Heights Christian Academy (NHCA). I had a friend say to me at the time, “Jaime, I’ll be really anxious to talk to you in a year and find out if private school is as wonderful as you thought.”
I saw a light in both my children’s eyes that I had not seen since 4th grade… a light that sparked a restored sense of self-worth, inspiration, and optimism over the future.
In all honesty though, it only took a week to see positive changes in my children. I gave it a month before asking them, “If you could choose between this school and your old public school, which would you choose?” It was a risky question to ask, I know, but I was pretty confident in the answer. Hands down they chose their new schools. My 7th grader says her favorite part is the “grace” shown by both teacher and peer alike.
My Sophomore had assumed, prior to meeting his fellow classmates, that his new peers would be more intelligent and wealthier than us. He learned pretty quickly that wealth was not quite accurate… it was more a shuffling of priorities for education over home and car. Intelligence came down to limiting classroom distractions and applying himself. He made honor roll this semester and proved to himself he could keep up with CA’s rigorous curriculum.
Concordia and NHCA have been worth every sacrifice! Without a shadow of a doubt, I say it all the time, this was the best decision I ever made as a parent!
OUR EXPERIENCE WITH CHRISTIAN PRIVATE SCHOOLING
- Every student is seen as a whole person, body mind and soul.
- Every hour of the school day is valuable, as is every day of the year.
- Poor behavior is held accountable, and mistakes are met with grace.
- Media hype is not part of the curriculum.
- World events and cultural influences are put into historical context.
- A reliable foundation is constant and felt. Clear expectations are communicated.
Above all else, what has made the biggest impression on me, and the biggest impact on my kids, is the respectful interaction between students and teachers… the kind that is GENUINE… the kind that is EARNED.
The difference to public school is profound… like a cup is to a sieve, like a stone is to sand, like a TRUFFLE is to a TWINKIE. Why can’t all children have this kind of education? Why can public school not rise to the challenge? Who and what is getting in their way? More on this topic next …