For inquiring minds

We are not dissatisfied with the schools here. They rank well. They receive plenty of funding via our astronomically high property tax. That being said, you may have heard me talk about a certain private school that we're praying about for Samuel. And, Lord willing, for Elijah and Isaac and Baby Z someday too. A couple of people have asked about it. In case you want to check it out, here's the website:

http://www.veritasacademy.net

Pros (things we like about the Veritas model):

-The idea of a University Model School (UMS). I love that. It's the way the real world works.

-Parents as co-instructors. Incorporates some of the benefits of homeschooling without all the legwork.

-The non-"Christian School" Christian School. After some years of prayerful thinking about our boys' eduction, we feel that what is right for our family is not the traditional Christian school model (and I do not believe that it is a wrong choice for other families, it's just not how we feel led at this time). Veritas stresses not just teaching Christianity (for instance, there aren't Bible classes), but integrating Biblical worldview and the relationship with God throughout all subjects and curriculum. It's about relationship, not religion.

-Smaller class sizes! If Samuel attends, he will go from average class sizes of 20-25 to 12!

-Affordable tuition. With parents as co-instructors, class time is significantly reduced without sacrificing quality. This makes tuition significantly less than it would be at a high-quality, accredited private school.

-Valuing families. This quote is from the website:
"At Veritas Academy we affirm that parents are a child’s first and best teachers. Parents are the single most influential factor in a child’s educational performance, as well as in the emotional, social and spiritual development of that child. Therefore, Veritas Academy seeks to assist parents in their God-given task to train their children in mind, body, and spirit (Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6:4)."
Preach it! That is so on track with our convictions.

-Learning happens at a depth which simply won't happen inside the parameters of a public school. There's so much busy work and behavior management and political correctness and mumbo jumbo that has to happen within the walls of our schools, unfortunately. That's my draw to homeschooling. So much more time for the things that really matter. It's just a lot of work. So this incorporates the best of both worlds, I think.

-Classical education, or "the trivium." Grammar, logic and rhetoric. The great books. Latin. How cool is that?

-Uniforms. I'm all about uniforms.

Cons (the drawbacks):

-Location. It's a loooong drive from here.

-Athletics. Well, this is Adam's big drawback. It won't really matter before high school, but if this is a long term plan, the potential for high school sports will be less than what it would be in a public high school.


I'd love any feedback on what you think of the school, or your impressions from other people you may know who have put their kids in University Model Schools or Veritas schools. This particulr school is not affiliated with any other school or under any outside direction. I know there are other Veritas models around (we looked at one in Newberg when Samuel was entering kindergarten, and I know there's at least one more in Portland) and from what I understand they're similar but can all be a bit different too. For instance, some are UMS and some are not. Some utilize Charlotte Mason teaching philosophy and others don't.