A Parent Perspective

In Fall 2016, our daughter Hannah began to attend Golden Mean for her sixth-grade year, after having been at our local public elementary school for early-childhood intervention (ECI), pre-K, kindergarten, and first through fifth grade. In other words, for a total of eight years.

Our local public elementary school was and is widely considered to be very good, "one of the best."

As Hannah's parents, when she was entering Golden Mean in Fall 2016, we would have told you that she had been doing "okay" in the local public elementary school. She was outwardly stressed sometimes by her academics, and social stresses were present but manageable. One detail was that she never spoke in class. Her teachers would have told you that she was an extremely quiet child.

We also would have told you that my wife, Sandy, had been working at least 2 or 3 hours a day, every day -- six or seven days a week -- over the course of all those years to help Hannah complete her academic school work. We would have told you that Sandy was at the end of her rope.

When Hannah started to attend Golden Mean, each and every one of her tutors, in all subject areas, met and worked with her at the level and in the manner she needed. Her public school IEP became unnecessary, because all the accommodations in her IEP were inherently part of Golden Mean.

And now, fast-forward to early 2021. Hannah is now in the tenth grade and has been a student at Golden Mean for going on five years. She is thriving academically. Reading, writing, 'rithmetic. She TALKS at school. Her fellow students like her, include her, and joke with her. And she jokes back. Her confidence has increased and she is able to advocate for herself with her peers and tutors. Golden Mean has helped her understand her challenges and be comfortable with them and even thrive with them.

At home, over dinner conversation, Hannah offers her detailed knowledge and opinion. Inside ourselves, Sandy and I will joyously think "...wow, where did she learn THAT?"

In addition to her substantial academic output, Hannah now is able to find the time for numerous extracurricular activities. Rock climbing (advanced team: four hours per week), caring for animals at our local park (one hour per week), 4-H club (two or three hours per week), and weightlifting (two hours per week). AND, she is learning to drive (varying, but multiple, hours per week). She did her first highway driving just this past weekend!

And what about Sandy? She now spends approximately zero hours per day -- zero days per week -- helping Hannah with her homework. Golden Mean emphasizes that students should work with their tutors if they don't understand a concept. Hannah has learned to work with her tutors to manage her workload and ask for help when she needs it.

There are no guarantees in life. I cannot guarantee you that Golden Mean would be the best fit for your child. But I can guarantee you that it is the best thing that ever happened for Hannah and, indirectly, absolutely one of the best things that ever happened for her family.