Laurie Kizik shared her family's experience at Churchill Alternative with us in January 2024. Thank you Laurie!
What did your family consider when deciding to send your children to Churchill?
I learned about Churchill by going to a Kindergarten Information Night. Michele White [retired Churchill Alt kindergarten teacher] presented and said that it was hard to describe Churchill because it’s more of a ‘feeling that you get about the school’. That one line sums up our experience through our entire time at Churchill. It’s a feeling that you get of connection and community, that it’s a triad of teacher, student and family working toward a common goal, that learning how to learn and enjoying that process is what’s important. While I wasn’t familiar with the alternative tenets in the beginning, the alternative approach became one of the biggest of the reasons why we still promote Churchill as a great place to learn today.
What do you see is the differences of Alternative schools like Churchill (if any) as compared to other OCDSB schools (e.g., French Immersion; English)?
I think the biggest difference we found with Churchill was that it was student-driven, meaning the entire experience was based around the student rather than the curriculum. There was time in the day for the individual, rather than moving on to keep up with curriculum requirements. Each student and family is empowered to take ownership of their learning journey and teachers and staff are there to support you every step of the way. We also liked the framing of each student’s ‘learning journey’. While it sounds a bit granola, it gives parents a great framework to talk constructively and openly about what your child is great at and what they need to work on, especially as kids (and parents) are likely to compare themselves to others.
What made Churchill special for your kids?
Tree Families and multi-aged groupings made the experience really special. It allowed students to feel part of a community because they knew kids in each grade and kids knew them.
What did you particularly love about the Churchill experience for your family?
We loved the opportunity for volunteering and being a part of a real community both in and out of the classroom.
Learning how they work best. The classroom set ups at Churchill allowed for each kid to figure out what works for them. A comfy seat, a quiet spot in the hallway, on the floor or at a desk. Being allowed to move and learning how to learn gave our kids skills that they still use.
We loved the number of field trips and experiences offered to the kids. We also really grew to appreciate that learning doesn’t just happen in a classroom. At Churchill, the approach is toward the whole child - there is traditional learning but also opportunities to learn and grow as a person.
Project based learning was a huge plus – we know the skills learned with project based learning will translate into how they approach work and projects throughout their lives. I remember after one presentation in grade two, my son knew he didn’t present his best work and asked if he could do it again. The teacher said ‘of course’ and he was allowed to present again and felt better knowing he gave it his best shot. At Churchill there was always time in the day for each student to present their best.
What do you think your children came away with from Churchill (e.g., skills; attitudes; perspectives) that you might not have gotten if they had attended a non-Alternative school?
Both kids are open and aware. They have a sense that school and learning can be fun.
They can work independently or collaboratively.
As a family we’ve learned to put the emphasis on the effort and the learning vs. the mark.
What was the transition like to Gr 7-8 (did your children go to Summit?) and to High School?
We didn’t find it challenging to go into a mainstream program, both children were ready for it. Often when I described what our kids were doing at Churchill, we were asked if they went to a private school.
Do your children enjoy competitive sports? Churchill and the alternative program embraces a non-competitive philosophy. Do you think this had an impact on your children’s enjoyment and playing of sports? (negative or positive) Tell us a bit about that.
Both of our children are in competitive sports. We liked the non-competitive approach at Churchill for sports, music and clubs. Knowing that there is room for everyone to try new things or participate in activities they enjoy gave them confidence. As they’ve grown older, both kids are not shy to try new things even if they aren’t great at it at first. I also think it helps kids to be more empathetic and learn to work with various strengths and skill levels.