In regards to your April 18 article on the Carmel Academy (“The Best Of Both Worlds”), a key ingredient to Carmel’s success is the administration’s willingness to allow its teachers the flexibility to meet the needs of the children. What a novel idea in this era of standardized testing and “one-size-fits-all” education!
One day, our daughter came home very upset: Led by the school psychologist, the students in the PALS program started having small group discussions, or “therapy sessions” as our daughter viewed it. She must not have been the only unhappy child. The next day she came home ecstatic — she was going to be a mentor to a child in a younger PALS class! A mentor! Within 24 hours, the teachers and administration re-thought an entire program that was negatively received by the students and transformed it into something wonderful in the children’s eyes. The mentoring program became a highlight of our daughter’s school year and something she still talks about, long after graduating from Carmel.
But not for a minute is the PALS program, led by the magic of Bobbie Powers, the only special aspect of the school. At “Meet the Teacher Night,” I met engaging and creative teachers who I wish I had encountered when I was an elementary school student!
We’d never experienced a day school like Carmel — one that literally delights in the uniqueness of each child. (Does a parent even dare to dream of that?) Every day school parent understands the sacrifice we make to pay for a Jewish education. At Carmel, our tuition dollars “was money well spent” — we were getting what we were paying for and our child was thriving. Thank you to the Jewish Week for profiling this gem of a school we are blessed to have in our midst.
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