The Tale of Two Paces

Once we made the decision to pull the kids from school I got busy looking for private schools. Pretty quickly we discovered that there wasn't an adequate solution for a kiddo like Hendryx who walks the line between typical and neurodivergent with his primary need being support in how he learns. In fact he is usually a therapist/teachers's dream because with individual attention, he learns quickly. Still the search was not for naught. While looking for a school for Hendryx, I did stumble on to a school that I thought might be a great fit for Lucille. 

The Pace Academy was a brand new school based on the Acton program founded in Austin, Texas. Its mission is to inspire each learner to find his or her unique calling. Education is learner driven based on socratic discussion and self-paced challenges that equip learners to be lifelong independent pendant thinkers. We felt like this methodology would compliment Lucille's learning style and allow for her to make mistakes in a safe way, something she was unable to do in public school. 

When I showed her the school website later that night she said she loved the idea of being able to learn things at her own pace without the judgement or pressure to move through concepts that she did not fully grasp yet. I asked her if she would be sad to leave her friends and she said maybe a little but she was fully confident in her ability to make new ones. Got to say, I love the confidence. I was concerned the school would not pass academic muster with Pearce as his Masters in education has given him some specific insights on learning methodologies.  He actually really appreciated the socratic educational philosophy of the school and thought it was going to be a great fit for Lucille. So with a leap of faith we signed Lucille up for the inaugural class of Pace Academy. We are excited to see what this year will bring for her. 

As for the other kid. I swore I would never homeschool again. No. Fucking.Way. 

Virtual school during covid was one of the hardest things I have ever done and I never wanted to do it again. But life is funny that way. Sometimes you have to surrender to the uncontrollable forces that push you in a direction you never expected and since there were no adequate schools for an aytpical learner like Hendryx, Homeschool it was. 

First course of business was naming the school. With the blessing of Lucille's school Director, I settled on At Your Pace Academy. I thought it was a nice riff off her school's name which helped Hendryx see his learning as connected to hers, as well as honored the approach we were taking- slow, steady, specific. I asked him what mascot he would like for his new school and I thought he would pick a cat, but he surprised me by choosing a penguin. I think this was a great choice as penguins truly walk at their own pace. And so just like that, At Your Pace Academy was born.