Oakland Estates

My son attended Great Hearts (Lower School) for two years. Overall, our experience was fine, and I believe some children truly thrive in this environment but it’s very much a case by case situation. Unfortunately, out straight A child did not. He wasn’t challenged by the coursework and often complained of being bored. We would ask him to rate his day from 1 to 10, and his responses, along with the reports of his work, were consistently middle of the road.The school’s classical education model and Socratic method so prominently featured in brochures, Headmaster remarks, and reading lists rarely appeared in actual classroom practice. My assumption is that the demands of STAAR testing and related funding pressures make it nearly impossible to deliver a full classical education. It’s hard to devote meaningful time to rhetoric, logic, and student led debate when standardized test scores determine the school’s success.I understand the constraints, but the ways the school tries to remain “classical” can feel misplaced. For example, they limit technology use to an extreme degree. While I value classical education, I don’t believe technology is incompatible with it in fact, it can enhance learning (a computer is a powerful tool for studying Latin, for instance). The mandatory computer class, added only because of STAAR requirements, felt like an afterthought. And the frequent boasts about the absence of devices seemed odd, no school wants kids playing Roblox in class, but depriving students of technology entirely doesn’t prepare them for the modern world. It’s hard to claim you’re preparing students for life when they could graduate confused by something as basic as Excel macros.Since switching schools, my son is far more engaged and challenged. I couldn’t justify him spending eight hours a day at school only to come home saying he was bored all day. Every child is different, but if yours consistently tests well and hungers for knowledge beyond what the STAAR curriculum covers, you may want to think twice before enrolling.***Bonus Anecdotal First hand story:Our son’s teacher was fresh out of college in her first job. Not a concern at first since they use a two person model with a “helper” in the room, 32 kids for a new teacher felt like it could be manageable with that support but we had doubts. Midway through the year, the helper quit, and coverage came from another room who had to keep fulfilling both roles. Not sure how they claim a 23:1 ratio.