Teacher-paced Instruction

The following passage was written by Ms. Flanagan in an article for the Wall Street Journal. She writes - “[Flannery O’Connor] in defending the teaching of the great works of the Western canon rather than those of the modern day (which kids far preferred) [said] something wise, the sort of thing an adult might say. She said that the whims and preferences of children should always, always be sublimated to the sense and judgment of their elders.”

“And what if the student finds this is not to his taste?” O’Connor asked. “Well, that is regrettable. Most regrettable. His taste should not be consulted; it is being formed.”

Part of our forming involves a teacher-paced instructional model. Within the idea that each student is instructed and advanced at a pace which is daily challenging yet not overwhelmingly frustrating, is the daily, no hourly, occurrence of the teacher setting the instructional pace for each student.

This may involve providing an alternate instructional method or use of materials, such as base ten blocks to teach place value, or doubling math assignments because a student, even when two grades ahead in their studies continues to easily meet the challenges set before them.

For many students, the only decision the teacher has to make is to stay the course already set. But when a student requires extra time and/or instruction with a concept, our teacher-paced methods allow each instructor to focus on the individual while not affecting the learning of the rest of the class.

One aspect of why we hire the instructors we do is their understanding and desire to support our parents in the training and forming of their children, all at an individual pace set by their teacher.