But really, why a whole new school?

Being the mom of two daughters I’ve come to see very quickly how different children can be - and how different their educational needs are. One of my daughters had a wonderful year in the public school system. She was built for the public schools.

The other has not been to public school since before COVID, but from everything we’ve observed from her over the last few years, we’ve come to the conclusion that she needs a more unique learning environment.

First and foremost, she has an autoimmune disease which makes being around large amounts of people a risk. It is hard to maintain a healthy environment in a large public school system, despite everyone’s best efforts.

Then, one of the first things we observed when COVID shut down her school was that she suddenly began to learn. In a one-on-one environment, she started reading. She went from being slightly below grade level to being far above grade level overnight. She also started writing, telling stories, and taking academic risks. Her kindergarten teachers had expressed concern that she was a highly anxious child who was so focused on being right and following the rules that she wasn’t available for learning. After COVID shut down the schools and we watched her transformation we realized her kindergarten teacher had been right.

So we homeschooled for two years and then found a Montessori-style school where we hoped she could get the best of both worlds. Of course, that lasted a year before we learned it was time to start our own school. And so - here we are.

Over the years I’ve met many people who have embraced an alternative path to education - and each had their own reason behind it. Some families want the flexibility and choice that an alternative education brings, while others want smaller class sizes and more hands-on opportunities. Others are finding a place where their child can thrive - after seeing their child struggle to thrive in other environments.

For many of us, stepping aside from what we consider the norm can be a huge leap of faith - especially when it comes to our children’s futures. We do not want to make a decision today that will impact our children five or ten years from now. And so we often stay in the world of what is normal because if it works for others then it “should” work for us. Sometimes, our children need us to think outside the box and take the risk - and to trust them to find their way even if it is not what everyone else is doing.