Interview with Whytecliff Agile Learning Centres PARENT, Jill Craven

When we were looking for a school that met my son’s needs, none really addressed that social emotional piece as much as Whitecliff did. My son struggled from kindergarten until the beginning of Grade 9 with a lot of anxiety, and that anxiety stemmed from undiagnosed learning disorders. We looked at everything from homeschooling to just having tutors to having to pay the bill for other private schools. At Whitecliff there was just a lot of support, and it just, at the end of the day, seemed like the best fit for him.

I've seen a whole new demeanor with my child. A sense of confidence has returned to him. He still has work to do. But at this point, the school has been a lifesaver for us. He is finding his path, and he is able to know that there are going to be moments of laughter and connection with both the students and the teachers. He's able to accept that he's not going to know everything, and that's okay, and he can ask questions.

As a parent and an observer, what he appreciates is the amount of flexibility this school provides for his learning. Nothing has ever been written in stone, and the fact that he's able to self-advocate for what needs to happen each day and each moment for him has been really the strengthening piece. If he's feeling overwhelmed to work on something that is going to include a lot of writing, and therefore, he might not be up for it with his dysgraphia, they have a hundred different options that he can do something else instead and still meet his goals.

I feel I'm able to connect with the staff at Whytecliff, whether it be through text or a quick phone call. I never feel like I'm interrupting or that there isn't enough time for me and my child. They have a very small population. I think that's helpful. All the staff know the kids really well, and with my experience, connecting with the family is equally important. I really do appreciate that they know my son and us, and that's so very important.

The biggest surprise was how refreshing it was that the staff at this school are so completely understanding and prepared for the child. I had never felt a time where there was pressure or disappointment or anything other than complete unconditional regard for my child. They would sincerely meet him wherever he was at. And the principal there, she always expressed over and over again how much they actually care about the kids, and they just want them there. They are willing to take whatever the child can bring. And that was just astonishing because we hadn't experienced anything like that up until now.

My son has discovered areas of himself that he didn't even know existed. My son has many things to be proud of after attending the year at Whitecliff. They encouraged him to be a representative for the school and go into a chess tournament. Very much all the programming is uniquely formatted so that he's going to learn in his way and therefore thrive in his way. They've really backed up these slogans.

He has only missed maybe two days out of school at Whytecliff, whereas that definitely wasn't the case in the general public school system. He's also almost a straight-A student. That has never happened to him before either. And I think trying to participate in activities and functions that his anxiety and low sense of self prohibited him from in the past. He really joins in, and he is quite the leader now in a school setting, and they're all a direct result of, I think, attending Whitecliff.

I recommend the school for the knowledge and care that the staff have to ensure that your children's not only social-emotional needs are being met, but their academic needs are also being met. They're serious about accepting individuals that are going to really fit. They don't just take anybody for the sake of having another student and receiving the funding for that student. They actually go through an interview process that allows them to make sure that the students that are in that school, they're all going to be supportive and help each other thrive.

I wish that I had gotten my son in there a year earlier. It took me a while to find this school, maybe because I was relying too much on Google. But over the years, I was always looking for different alternatives for my son because I knew that the general school system wasn't fitting the bill for him. He was falling through the gaps and he was falling hard.

The advice that I would give to families if a child is struggling with the regular public school system is to just keep searching. Keep searching. You'll find something, hopefully, that does fit for them. There are many different avenues to have your child educated so that they can thrive in this world, and it most likely will have to be outside of the general school system. There are just too many shortcomings with the capacity that they have to meet the needs of every single child. So keep at it. Do what you can to find that right fit.