Respectful Environment

“You can approach academic excellence when you focus on the curriculum and test scores. You achieve academic excellence only when you focus on the learner.”

Do you remember what it was like to see the world through the eyes of a child? Each new experience provided an opportunity for wonder. You had so many questions, and you were eager to discover the answers. Wouldn't it be great if that sense of wonder could continue into adulthood? At Ridge Academy , we believe it can.

Learning experiences at Ridge Academy are designed with the child in mind. We continually try to see things from the child's perspective, creating the richest, most challenging and stimulating learning environment possible.

The learning environment is just as important as the teaching/learning process. Many schools boast small class sizes, but continue to teach as if they have 30 students in the room. At Ridge Academy , we believe that it is not good enough to just have fewer students in the classroom; the entire educational structure must support eager learners and respect their individuality. One size doesn't fit all.

Our classroom environment is designed around the child. Some features of our classrooms are:

• Multi age: supports reinforcement of learning by allowing older students to mentor younger students and younger students to gain confidence and reinforce their own learning by reporting their findings to a supportive older student. Classrooms frequently visit each other as well.

• Social: We recognize the social environment as a key in learning. Relationships, respect and tools for discussing differences or problems are modeled in everyday student life within the classroom. The result is an extraordinarily focused environment that is engaging, exciting and productive.

• Teach the child not the curriculum: Although our curriculum is extremely rigorous, our primary focus is to understand our students as individuals and as learners. Rather than trying to “cover” the elements of the curriculum, our goal is to help the students “uncover” or “discover” the deeper conceptual applications of what they are learning.

Our small class size allows us to understand how each student learns and determine both their strengths and the obstacles to their learning. Students continually interact with the teacher, which provides immediate feedback. They also have opportunities to interact with, mentor and learn from each other. Independent learning experiences encourage each child to maximize her or his potential. The natural curiosity of motivated learners is nurtured, leading to deep understanding and critical thinking. Our school is not designed for students who face extraordinary challenges in their learning, but rather for eager learners who want opportunities to experience challenging learning.

The majority of Ridge Academy students score in the top ten percent nationwide. Our graduates are routinely admitted into and receive scholarships to the top ten high schools in Chicago . What really sets a child above the crowd isn't just test scores or an excellent curriculum. Most good schools can provide those. At Ridge Academy , we believe that children who really excel are those who experience our excellent curriculum in an environment that:

• Nurtures a solid belief that they matter as individuals and that they can make a difference.
• Cultivates the full potential of independent learners.
• Continually equips them to move from mere knowledge and skills to deep conceptual understanding.
• Strategically develops problem solving skills.
• Expects students to participate in the full learning process from goal setting to evaluation.
• Provides structured independent learning experiences that allow them to communicate what they have learned and apply that learning to new situations.