Yvonne Blinde

Director

I knew my son was a smart kid but he wasn‘t “that” kid. In retrospect, and after reading too many books on the subject, I now see it. I now realize a gifted child is more than their academic performance. My son started showing “symptoms” before kindergarten. Things came to a head in first grade. I didn’t know how to help him or who talk to. Who wants to hear about “problems” that arise from you child being “too smart”. Once I started opening up and talking to people in the community I heard a repeating story in discovering a gifted child. For some, like myself, this is a trying time. Some parents relish the thought their child is special and extremely smart. It’s almost as they wear it as a badge of honor in good parenting. I didn‘t feel that way. I felt panic. How was I to help my child who was unhappy and struggling. I looked at the school for help. They were indifferent. I then looked into a county funded program that sounded promising. On the surface it sounded perfect but as many state/county/federal funded programs the people running the program hands are tied by red tape, empty promises, and overcrowding. Then my younger son started showing “symptoms” similar to my older son. He was too young to be accepted into the county program and the current school wasn’t cutting it and by previous experience they didn’t seem to care to come up with a solution. This time around I started looking into homeschooling. The thought of this responsibility scared me. I started talking to his current teacher about options. She was very patient in listening to me vent my frustrations about the situation. In the end the solution was to work together to open a school.

We based the school off her knowledge of education and what I felt my children needed in a school. It has been a rewarding undertaking. My children are receiving a wonderful education. They are happy and engaged at school.