Emily's Story

What were the deciding factors for your family sending your child to Churchill Alternative PS?

Short story? My husband and I researched all the public schools in our catchment area. We were drawn to the alternative program, its tenets, and how they were implemented at Churchill Alternative. We decided that Churchill would be the best learning environment for our child - academically, socially and emotionally. 

Long story :) In the early 2000s, during my teacher education degree, I was disillusioned with the practices I was seeing in my placements (e.g., lots of worksheets; mostly teacher directed approaches). A friend suggested that I visit to her mom’s school for a day. It was Churchill Alternative and I was absolutely blown away!  The teacher was using so many innovative approaches - it was the learning environment that I wished for in all schools. My visit was a mere six hours but the experience cemented in my mind that Churchill was a pretty special place.

At the time, my future husband, whom I would not meet for another five years, had just bought a house in Churchill’s catchment area. Fast-forward two decades and I started researching school options for our child: Devonshire, and Connaught, and Churchill. Churchill still shone in terms of its alternative practices --- ones that speak deeply to both my husband and I. We feel incredibly fortunate to have this option for our kiddo.

What are some differences between Churchill Alternative and other local French Immersion or Core English schools in terms of the alternative tenets?

Of the many differences, one that I would highlight is Churchill’s report card practice: the report cards are ungraded. Ministry of Education regulations require that teachers assign grades. However, Churchill staff white out the grades on the paper copy. (Prior to 2020, parents could ask for a paper copy with the grades included and since 2020, parents can look up the grades online. However, the intention and practice of ungraded report cards remains strong at Churchill.)

Why do I like ungraded report cards? Looking back on my entire high school and university career, the grade was the only data point that mattered to me. It became the central focus of my study style and work patterns. I worked so hard to get straight As. However, when I got to my teaching degree … it was simply pass/fail – no grades! It was then that I realized that my focus on the marks meant that I had been missing out on opportunities for deep learning.

Of course good grades can be very helpful, or even necessary to succeed in certain careers. However, they aren’t as important as I had originally thought and there are MANNNNY more skills (e.g., teamwork; emotional regulation) that aren’t reflected in academic grades but that are super important to succeeding in the workforce or in life generally for that matter.

There is ample research showing that graded report cards are problematic for learning. We’ve noticed that our child is more likely to focus on what they have learned, what they are interested in learning, what they find challenging, and what they might want to learn next.  It’s about the process & the learning - not about rewards.

What do you particularly love about the Churchill experience for your child?

Over the course of our child's schooling, we've found that the alternative tenet of "multi-aged groupings" has had a particularly strong and beneficial effect.

In kindergarten, our child was assigned one of the nine tree families which included students from all grades.  (You remain a member of that same tree family for your whole time at Churchill.) The tree families meet regularly to work on projects. This has meant that from a very young age, our child was regularly working on projects with students of all ages. Also, the school uses a buddy system that pairs a younger and older class together for the year. The two classes participate in activities (e.g., reading) together.

The focus on multi-aged groupings has allowed our child to build strong friendships with children in other grades.  He has playdates with friends two years his senior and is open to playing with anyone in the park. We believe that this broader range of friendships will fight off the tendency to interact with only likeminded people and will evolve into a greater openness to work with people of differing interests, skills, abilities and income in adulthood.

What are some outcomes of being at Churchill that you either expected OR didn’t expect?

Oh my – there are so many! The one I’d highlight is the sense of community for our whole family and not just our kiddo.   I’m sure many schools have a wonderful sense of community but it’s definitely present at Churchill.   Currently there are just under 200 students at the school which is wonderful as staff and students really get to know each other. However, it also means that there are less families at the school and we have a better chance of getting to know many of the families.

There are many ways in which families connect.  For instance, each class has a class coordinator (parent volunteer). That person creates a family contact list, communicates important information to the families in that class, and my favourite – sometimes organizes occasional weekend adventures.  All these initiatives help parents/guardians get to know each other. Play dates become easier, if there’s an issue between kids then the parents can easily connect… it’s wonderful.

Also, myself and a few other parents have organized weekly get-togethers in Clare Gardens park in the spring and fall.  These gatherings are another way for parents to connect while kids play.  Sure, there are families who don’t participate in these activities - maybe they aren’t interested or are busy with other commitments. However, for those looking for their child’s school experience to be a part of their family’s life … well Churchill is fantastic!

What do you think about not having French Immersion in the Alternative program?

Both my husband and I went through French Immersion and neither of us claim to be bilingual. Research shows that there’s a fairly high attrition rate for FI - it’s not a guarantee that all children will become bilingual by going through that program.

While we would like our child to be a fluent French speaker, the overall philosophy and practices of the alternative tenets were more important than having our child learn in a French immersion setting.  For instance, FI can limit how teachers are able to teach because FI teachers not only have to teach the content (e.g., how the water cycle works; how to do a certain technique in art) but they also have to teach more basic terminology around that subject than say if a student is learning in their first language. That can end up creating a more prescriptive and teacher-led approach to teaching/learning. Teacher-led learning can be great but it’s wonderful not to be as confined to certain approaches based upon language constraints. 

Also – there are many ways to become bilingual.  Students at Churchill get core French and my kid LOVES his daily French class. We’re also exposing him to French in other ways (e.g., duolingo, trips to Quebec, listening to French music). 

Of course, these are just my opinions and I understand that French Immersion tends to be a hot topic in Ottawa!

What would you tell a family who is considering Churchill as an option starting in Kindergarten?

Consider what’s important to you and your family.  We asked ourselves where we thought our child was most likely to thrive and learn/grow. For us, it was the learning environment and approach to teaching/learning at Churchill that best met our needs.

What would you tell a family who is considering moving their children to Churchill from another school?

Come check out the school. Do a tour. Ask to be connected to families who are already at the school so that you can hear about their experiences and ask them questions.  I know many students who have successfully transferred to Churchill and love it.

Are there any misconceptions you think the general community might have about the alternative program/Churchill? If so, what are they and what would you say about those misconceptions?

I have heard that some people external to the alternative program think that it’s for students who aren’t succeeding in another program/school. While I’ve seen many students transfer to Churchill and flourish, that’s not the purpose of the program nor is it core to what Churchill does.  Churchill really is about teaching and learning in an alternative way as outlined in the alternative tenets.

I would add that our child doesn’t have any exceptionalities that would make a more mainstream classroom environment difficult for him.  He is identified as gifted but that isn’t a big part of who he is at school.  He could easily excel academically in a French Immersion environment. We chose Churchill because we believe it was the best fit for him – academically, socially, and emotionally.