Mark Twain Elementary School

MRH ECC is a great place for a child to learn and grow. My oldest attended from preschool all the way to 2nd grade. Her curiosity was not only welcomed but encouraged. She was part of the gifted classes in 2nd grade and Ms. Swboda was great at stretching her academically. My youngest is a special education student and he has shown tremendous growth from preschool and now in kindergarten. He was non verbal in preschool with little vocalizations and now he is more vocal and trying to use sentences. This is due in part to his team that works with him on a daily basis.

The 4 year old preschool program is ridiculously inappropriate for preschoolers. The children are forced to sit for several hours each day and learn how to color within the lines. The teachers will make them redo their work until it meets their unreasonable expectations. I do not know about the other grade levels in this school but I do know that your social standing and how much income you make is of great importance. I would not at all be surprised if the teachers play favorites based on who the student's parents are. The Catholic parishes and schools in the St. Louis area are not doing so well and my above review probably has a lot to do with their struggles. Many of the schools and parishes are expected to be closed by the Archdiocese sometime in the next year or so, probably for the best.

I have children in pre-school, lower division and upper division at The College School (AKA TCS). TCS has been life changing for my family. It is a community PS-8 program with a team of profoundly dedicated teachers and administrators. I am humbled by their dedication to my children's success. My favorite qualities about TCS are: (1) Balance between individuality/self-reliance and community contribution. TCS fosters confidence in individuality by helping kids think about who they are (eg kindergarten identity project) and realize that they can do hard things on their own (eg wilderness solo night). However, TCS does not feed into egoism. Kids learn that they are part of a team (eg paddling in a canoe), and a class (eg strong emphasis on class participation discussions), a school (eg younger grade mentees throughout middle school), and a world (experiential projects like the food pantry train promoting social justice). (2) Experiential learning. TCS’ experiential learning approach and the team’s selfless willingness to forge into the world with students fostered a love of learning in my children that I did not think possible. (3) Middle school. Early adolescence is brutal. It’s also highly impressionable. I did not want to send my kids to a stand alone middle school, nor a high school when they were barely 13. TCS’ middle school is an active and important part of the larger TCS community. Middle-schoolers are the elders. They know the younger children are watching and it fosters a sense of pride and leadership in them. That their teachers treat them as learning partners, going by first names, and promoting student-led learning, encourages maturity and social responsibility. (3) Diversity. This might occur in small amounts at other independent schools, but it is exemplary at TCS. TCS zip code list is staggering. I kept expecting to find a group, like a clique, of neighborhood kids or parents and there simply isn’t one. TCS students and families are extraordinarily diverse in race, religion, economic background, and locale. I know more than 10 families who commute more than 40 minutes one way for TCS (which speaks to its desirability). Families choose TCS not for convenience, but because they really believe in it.