Kate's Story
Here's a family story from Kate, a Churchill parent - shared January 2024. Thank you Kate!
How did your family hear about Churchill AND what made you decide to move to Churchill? What stood out for you? How did you make that decision?
Our daughter is a late December baby. At the time she was a highly anxious child that had recently been diagnosed with autism, that combined with her late birthday made us skeptical that she was ready for junior kindergarten. Upon meeting with her future school and explaining the situation we all agreed that Kinley would be better off holding off and starting the next year when she would hopefully be more equipped to handle it. Once we went to enroll her one year later for JK we were told she had to be put in senior Kindergarten, that it had to be age appropriate and there were no iffs, ands, or buts about it. We were shocked to say the least. We were then faced with a child who not only should have been held back but now she was expected to skip a year. As one would imagine, the year did not go well. By the middle of the year we knew that we needed to find a place that would be a better fit for our daughter. We work in the neighborhood so Churchill would often come up as an option and we decided to have a meeting with the principal to see if it would be a better fit.
Upon meeting with the principal at the time we explained our situation and what had happened with her enrollment with the current school, being advised to hold her back from JK just to then be told a year later that she needed to skip all of JK and move directly to SK. The response from the principal at Churchill was like nothing I could have imagined based on my experience up until then. She simply said “so bring her here and we will put her in JK” when I asked about the age appropriate statement given to me from the previous school she said “it’s a form, we fill it out together, you know your child better than me and better than the school board so if you tell me this is better for her that is what we are going to do” I cried, my husband cried (I think mostly out of shock because it was so unlike what we had experienced) and we immediately felt like we could exhale because we found a place that listened to us, that cared and that would help us make the right choices for her.
What are the specific differences you have noticed between Churchill Alternative and your previous school?
The biggest difference I see between Churchill and our previous school is that kids are supported when they fail, not “IF” they fail, but “WHEN” they fail. A big misconception is that Churchill removes failure and allows the child to float by. Our daughter struggled at the last school and it was made very clear by her teachers that she was behind the other students, and the other students picked up on this right away, creating somewhat of a barrier between her and them. At Churchill it is ingrained that everyone will learn in different ways at different paces and that we aren’t all meant to “get” something all at the same time. That learning is a never ending journey and finding out how each person learns best is a personal endeavor and will look different depending on the individual. Our daughter continued to struggle academically at Churchill and the teachers did everything in their power to support her and get her where she needed to be without singling her out or making her feel inferior. I believe that it is this encouragement, and the supportive environment at Churchill that fostered a love of learning that allows her at the high school level to flourish, to try new things, join the band, join the art club, try it all because she knows that failing at things is fine, but try them anyway! At 14 she graduated from Summit Alternative as the Valedictorian. I am a firm believer that had we not moved her into Churchill when we did that her confidence would have taken such a beating, she would never have ended up the happy, confident, busy high schooler that she is today.
What do you particularly love about the Churchill experience for your child and your family?
My mother was a school teacher and later in her career a principal. It was always modeled for me that parents need to be involved in your child’s education. My mom was very involved, very hands on with our lessons and our experience at school. At our last school it felt like my inquiries were a burden to the teachers, as if they would prefer for us to just drop them off and stay out of it. I loved that at Churchill a big part of the culture is for parents to be involved (if and when they have time for it of course). One of the 7 tenets refers to the family and community aspect and this comes up in different ways but in our experience we felt right away that we were all a part of the equation with our kids and that was very comforting to be welcomed like that.
Tree families are another hidden bonus. Watching the kids learn how to be in more of a mentorship role as they grow older within the school community is so lovely and adds so much of a community feel when the older kids are waving hello in the mornings to the kids in the kinder yard because they know them from tree families.
Are there any particular stories that stand out as amazing moments for your child/family that you think are unique to the school/the alternative model?
The first week we moved our daughter to Churchill we were all nervous for her. She didn’t respond well to changes in her schedule so we couldn’t imagine how she would fare going to a brand new school mid year. The first few days she came home in such a great mood and was bubbling over that the teachers had, in her words, made a special fashion corner just for her. I smiled and thought how nice it was that she felt it was just for her but clearly didn’t believe it was just for her. A few days later we had a little tour of her class and the Early Child Educator at the time (Norma Jean) brought us over to a corner of the room where there was a sewing bodice all set up with velcro and bows and fabric and she said “we put this here for K to have some quiet time to herself if she felt overwhelmed, we knew she loved fashion and thought it might go over well with her” No one had ever put so thought or effort into caring about our little girl’s feelings before and it is something that has stayed with me forever.
What are some of the benefits/outcomes for your child being at Churchill that you either expected OR didn’t expect?
Having had a child go through the entire alternative program between Churchill and Summit I have seen a number of obvious differences. The number 1 tenet within the 7 tenets of alternative learning refers to the concept of co-operation and teamwork, being motivated within instead of being motivated by rewards or prizes. When competition is removed from the educational environment it allows kids to just focus on their own learning journey and what happens in an environment like that is that the kids start helping one another more. Children are reading to one another voluntarily because they know they have a buddy that struggles, they are tying each other's laces if it helps them get back to their game faster, but one thing they aren’t doing is rubbing it in each other's faces that they are better at something. Teaching a child to be competitive can be taught through the optional enrollment in sports teams but should not have a place when it comes to learning how to read, write, tie your shoes, do math or make a friend and Churchill just gets that.
What would you tell a family who is considering Churchill as an option starting in Kindergarten? And… to a family who is considering moving their child from another school?
I would tell anyone considering Churchill to just spend some time there and see what is going on for yourself. Listen to the kids in the yard, hear how they are speaking to one another, watch how they are playing with one another, watch how the teachers are speaking to them and also do the same at other schools. Hands down, the emotional intelligence that is coming from them being in an alternative environment is something they will benefit from not just as a grade school student but certainly throughout their adult lives.
What do you think about not having French immersion in the Alternative program? Was that a consideration for you?
I grew up in a family that hosted high school exchange students and we saw 17 year olds come to Canada with no English and leave fluently within 6 months. My feelings are obviously swayed by those experiences but I believe French can be taught many ways and should never be the sole reason for picking a school your child will spend more time in than their own home.
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?
The misconception I hear a lot is “Churchill is for kids with issues” The reality is that there are kids with learning disabilities, there are also kids with absolutely zero learning disabilities but their parents chose Churchill because they want them to enjoy a more diverse, hands on, creative, supportive environment than they would get at other schools. One that nurtures curious minds, encourages open ended, thoughtful conversation that lingers with them long after they leave school for the day. Churchill is teaching the kids to be thoughtful members of their community and not just students in chairs.