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Two Distinct Learners Make Major Academic Gains Through Hybrid Education
Xander Gauthier and Madelyn Harrison were in their early elementary years when they began experiencing challenges in school. Their initial excitement to learn gradually grew into frustration as their respective schools failed to provide sufficient support for their unique academic needs. After months of unsuccessful interventions, their parents decided it was time to replace their schools’ one-size-fits-all curriculum with flexible, student-centered instruction. They started investigating hybrid education, which led them to MindSprout Montessori.
A Struggling Student in Need of Personalized Curriculum
Xander Gauthier started first grade at his new private school with curiosity and an eagerness to learn. As the months went on however, Xander’s academic progress and habits took a negative turn. His parents, Jamie and Lisa, soon discovered he wasn’t reading, was struggling in math, and was becoming increasingly frustrated in the classroom. With a 30:1 student-teacher ratio, Xander simply wasn’t receiving the care and instruction he needed to succeed. After the school’s lackluster solutions failed to help him, the Gauthiers knew it was time for a change.
When Jamie and Lisa toured MindSprout Montessori and caught a glimpse of hybrid education in action, they were immediately convinced. “It was exciting. It was more than we expected…it was almost too good to be true,” Jamie recalls. They had spent weeks researching and touring different schools; it was a relief to finally find a place where they could envision Xander succeeding.
Shortly after receiving personalized curriculum at MindSprout, Xander regained his excitement for school and started catching up to his grade level. Jamie recalls that within their first month at MindSprout, Xander had learned more than he had in nine months of tutoring the previous year. “There was a massive change in Xander and his learning capabilities. Something clicked.” Now, three years later, he’s advanced well beyond his grade in reading, spelling, and math.
Academic progress wasn’t the only change for Xander–he started improving socially too. Although his shy behavior had made it difficult to connect with peers in years past, he soon gained enough confidence to interact with classmates and let his personality shine. “He has completely changed. He’s making his own choices…he’s completely becoming his own,” Jamie says.
Inspired by Xander’s success in Montessori and homeschooling, Jamie hopes parents will research and consider hybrid education more openly. Small class sizes, personalized curriculum and one-on-one attention were key aspects of Xander’s educational transformation, and Jamie believes the same is true for many other families.
A Gifted Learner in Need of a Challenge
Five-year-old Madelyn Harrison wasn’t your average kindergarten student. While her public school classmates practiced the alphabet and sight words, Madelyn was reading chapter books and practicing addition all on her own. As a self-motivated learner, Madelyn started her kindergarten year off with an eagerness to dive into new subjects and learn at an accelerated pace. But after months of being constrained to a rigid curriculum below her academic level, school had become a chore. And with advanced vocabulary and communication skills, her teachers often reported that she talked too much.
Her parents, Kristen and Scott, tried working with school leadership to develop a plan tailored to Madelyn’s skills, but after months of unorganized planning and miscommunication with teachers, they knew it was time for a change. That’s when they started looking for alternative schools that could help Madelyn hone her advanced skills. Their search soon led them to MindSprout Montessori.
A quick tour of the welcoming schoolhouse was enough for Kristen and Scott to realize it was the ideal environment for the flexible, personalized instruction Madelyn needed. Although Madelyn was hesitant to leave the familiarity and friendships of her public school, she had an immediate change of heart after spending a day in the MindSprout classroom. “She absolutely loved it,” Kristen recalled. “She begged us to start the next day and she just wanted to go there ever since.”
It only took a few weeks at MindSprout for Kristen and Scott to notice big changes in Madelyn’s attitude and academic performance. The smaller class sizes and student-centered curriculum allowed Madelyn to express thoughts and questions more freely than she ever had in public school. Rather than conforming to a one-size-fits all curriculum, she could learn new concepts at her own pace. This prompted a positive shift in her attitude towards school, which “definitely rekindled the flame she had inside of her wanting to learn.” Kristen says.
Today, eight-year-old Madelyn is taking greater initiative in her studies and building friendships with her peers. Inspired by the positive changes that arose from hybrid education, Kristen and Scott encourage other parents to think outside the four walls of traditional classrooms, and pursue educational pathways that accommodate specific student needs.