My son has been fortunate enough to spend the past three years with M&M, as Maria and Melinda are fondly called.
My son attended public schools prior to attending CELC. By February of 5th grade, he was checking out - he had lost his intellectual curiosity, thought he was stupid, and had lost much of his self-confidence. Many mornings were a struggle to get him to school. He complained of stomach aches and headaches. If a major change wasn't made, we were looking at a child at risk for drugs and alcohol problems as well as not being able to withstand peer pressure in his teenage years. I also remember the "junior high" years (as they were called back then) as being difficult years. The kids could be so judgmental and cruel. It wasn't cool to be smart or have interests outside of the "norm". I wanted my son to be in a smaller environment where a strong sense of community and teamwork would be formed with the other students. I also wanted him to rediscover a strong sense of self and have the freedom to explore a wide variety of things to see what really interested him. To not limit his explorations out of concern for what his peers might think.
Because my son had such strong verbal skills and was a "good kid", it took a full six months each year in public school for a new teacher to figure out that there was a large disconnect between what he had learned and what he was able to output in writing. In a small environment with the same teachers for three years, M&M learned his strengths & weaknesses, avoidance techniques, and motivations. There was no place for him to hide. There was accountability every day. The lessons were customized to his speed, abilities, and interests.
My son has soared under M&M's tutelage. He is confident. He now had excellent study skills. He understands the amount of effort he puts in will be rewarded. He is self-motivating. He wants to do well and learn. He is proud of his accomplishments. He was pushed out of his comfort zone and gained self-confidence. He is extremely ready to enter high school in a public school setting.
Each year at CELC there is an over-arching theme: ancient civilizations, immigration, and explorers & people with passions. Theme culminates in a research paper, creating a living museum (think setting up a trade show booth), and several visual displays.
The experiential learning opportunities have been diverse and wide-ranging: bird watching with an ornithologist, iron working with a convent of nuns, kayaking, working with an architect to design and build for the Connecticut Food Bank's Canstruction, living in a replica of a third world country village at Habitat for Humanity, sailing for a week on a 46 foot ketch in Chesapeake Bay, volunteering at the Community Dining Room, drama lessons at Long Wharf Theater, splitting wood on a farm, growing a worm farm, volunteering in a Hispanic nursing home, and the list could go on & on!
My son was challenged academically and personally. His self-esteem is high and he knows how to be a fully engaged citizen of the world. read more
