It's a Good Thing

Before we dive into the muck of refuting all the inaccurate information (some might say lies) being circulated in the rumor mill , let's list the GOOD things at ERA that have been accomplished in under four years! FOUR YEARS! Any start-up, entrepreneurial adventure takes a while to mature, but we've come a long way baby!

1. An excellent, yet always evolving, classical curriculum. Were you around the first year? Wow, were there some major curricular hiccups! But now we have a committed director ~ Judi Ingison and core staff ~ Bob Guelich, Erin Johnson, John Niemann, Austen Rockcastle, Lisa Johnson, Laura Langhoff, Carolyn Sommers Tillotson who have been around for 3+ years and understand ERA. (Don't get me wrong ... I like the new/newer teachers too, but it takes awhile to get it.)

This isn't an easy curriculum to pull off. The Core Knowledge aspect of the middle school requires intense planning to synchronize the integration and to accomplish what is expected in one year. And the high school program? If you don't have kids in high school, ask to take a look at the list of required books. You can't just hire some Ordinary Joe from Ed School to teach these things. Well, I guess you could, but it would be a disaster! Those programs don't train you to teach Cicero and Plato and Aquinas and Augustine. Thank the Lord that Dr. Rockcastle and Mr. Niemann have had such training!

2. An excellent arts and music program. Many, many schools similar in size and age (public/charter or private) do not have arts and music programs because the time and money is spent on the core subjects. We have had music and art from the beginning. The first year was 6, 7 and 9 (explain to me again why they opened with such wacky grades!) and the orchestra/choir was an extracurricular because of scheduling nightmares.

But by the second year ... orchestra/choir was added as an elective! Seriously, take a moment to think about this ... some of you naysayers may say ... well of course a classical school should have a music program ... doh! But did you think about how much time and effort and commitment it takes to make it work?

And now, in the fourth year, there are high school and middle school programs. 2 choirs and 2 bands! Music theory/history classes integrated with the core subjects in middle school and a 9th grade theory/history class. Kudos to Ms. Grover ~ she must teach the most kids in the school! Let's hope she doesn't burn out ... she's a wonderful addition to the staff!

Are you beginning to see the amount of commitment it takes to even attempt this? Let alone be successful? And, let's start to define success now. Is success the same as perfection? No, it isn't. Is the music program perfect? Of course not! Is success achieving goals and exceeding those goals. YES!

So, ERA has been successful in adding music programs in four short years. We now have an annual Veterans Day Concert, Christmas Concert, Spring Concert and Spring Musical. The musical is headed for it's 3rd year! A musical in such a small school! Have they been low budget, sometimes hilariously bad? Yes! Have they been fun? Undeniable. And have they been successful? Yes, because staff members took the risk and set the goal and have improved every year! Thanks to Mr. Wilder, both Mrs. Johnsons, Ms. Langhoff for taking time out of their already busy schedules and being committed to ERA!

3. The innovative Focused Studies program. In an academically rigorous school, isn't it nice to have a mid-week break? A chance for our kids to get to know teachers and others outside the regular classroom, to participate in physical activities and service learning projects. The flexibility of a charter school allow us to do these things.

4. Sports teams. Like the music and arts program, how awesome is it that we are in our second year of middle school and varsity sports! ERA has it all! Academics, arts and athletics! Have you been to a sporting event? I loved going to varsity games in my day, and it's great fun to cheer on the kids at ERA. The first couple of years the high school kids felt like middle schoolers; varsity sports really makes it feel like a "real" high school. Did you see the awesome picture in the daily update of the high school varsity basketball captain in her letter jacket?

And, we may be the only private/public charter sporting co-op in the state. It takes some innovative thinking to bring that about.

5. Community Meetings/Curriculum Nights. Ok, accuse me now of using innovative too many times, but really isn't this an innovative idea? Every five weeks or so, teachers prepare curriculum guides and invite us into their classrooms to learn about what our children will studying in the coming weeks. We pick-up the guides and can see how the curriculum is being integrated across subject areas. Not only is the integration innovative; we get to see the genius behind it.

The community meetings allow us to come together and have time with the director to work on issues facing the school and to give our input on things like the school calendar. Has your local school district asked for your opinion on their calendar? Yea, I didn't think so. (On a side note, it was really disappointing to see so many parents complaining at board meetings that had never been to a community meeting or curriculum night ... so many of their questions could have been answered if they had just taken advantage of the opportunity.)

6. Communication. I've heard a lot of complaints at board meetings about "communication". As my kids say, "Como se what?" Not only does the school host the aforementioned community meetings and curriculum nights, but the weekly newsletter was always colorful and informative. The school has now switched to a daily update which is chock full of info. And, although it sometimes clogs my inbox, at least I have daily reminders for some things. (I'm of a certain age ... the memory is not always the best!)

Yea, yea, I can hear the nabobs ... well what about the late permission slips or the late this or the late that ... Again, I ask, are things perfect? No, but are they better? Yes! Remember, ERA's just in it's 4th year, folks! It's learning, it's adapting and it can be chaotic at times. Learn to love the chaos! Embrace the chaos! It really is a beautiful thing because it allows for INNOVATION! Isn't that why we signed up for this school? For the innovative approach to education, a 2,000 year old plus innovation! And, forgive. Forgive the past and embrace where we are right now ... which is really a remarkable place in a really remarkably short amount of time.