Interview with The Maples Academy PARENT, Claire and Andrew

We decided to choose Maples Academy after both of our kids were at public school There were a lot of conflicts going on in the classroom, and the way they were being managed, it didn't look like it was going to improve over time, and it wasn't a good learning environment for them.

We researched a bunch of other schools, and we hadn't really considered a private school before. We were worried it would have some of the stigmas that you think about when you think of private school. We weren't sure that Maples Academy was in line with what we wanted to teach our kids, but it was really the best decision we ever made. There was none of those stigmas of a private school. It's a great school, and I really can't say anything bad about it. It was the best decision we made for our kids, both of them.

My son was the primary reason that we switched to Maples Academy. There were many behavioral issues going on with other students in his classroom that was causing him a lot of anxiety, and for a kid that's in Grade 2, that's kind of disturbing to see. As soon as we went to the Maples Academy, I was kind of shocked, because I was preparing for it to be a really big transition, and I was expecting difficult times. The kids tried Maples Academy for a day, maybe two, and they never wanted to go back to their other school. It was amazing to see how quickly my son's anxiety went away. Then day after day, week after week, he turned back into the kid that we used to know who was confident, not worrying about stuff, and enjoying his classmates. These were really positive changes, and you could see them happening all the time.

My daughter did well at her previous school. She was very good at working independently, and was a B student. Because of that, she got ignored in public school, because she didn't really need a lot of help. She could work independently on her own, and that's really what she did. When my daughter went to the Maples Academy, she really came out of her shell, and she gained a lot of confidence. She became an A student, and excelled in lots of ways. That's really carried on all through high school and now going into University. At the public school, she was like, ‘I'm not a math kid. I think I'm an English student,’ and now she's going into science, and excels at math. I don't think that she would have the same path that she's on now if she stayed where she was.

The lessons that they taught in Maples Academy, the positive things that we were trying to teach at home, were definitely reinforced at school every day through many of the teachers. They are great role models.

Maples Academy’s sense of community is really important. You feel like you are part of something there, and that you belong. They make every student and parent feel like they matter, they fit in, and they have a place there.

Maples Academy’s academic standard is very high. They have a good reputation in the community. When both my kids went to the public high school, the teachers seemed to know that if you're coming from Maples Academy, you're going to be a good student generally, and have a good work ethic. That was something that I think was really important about Maples Academy. They prepared the kids well for high school, and work ethic was important, and how you conduct yourself personally was really important, too.

Maples Academy encourages students to take some risks, and not be afraid to push themselves out of their comfort zone. That definitely pays off once they go to University, when they really need to push themselves, take some risks, get out of their comfort zone, and to try something new, because that's when you really learn.

For the parents at Maples Academy, education, and their kid’s development is a priority for them, and that really shows.

Our kids are a little more introverted, and Maples Academy gave them the opportunity to see that they can still excel and do well, and they don’t have to be the loudest kid in the classroom to achieve, or show what you're capable of. When my daughter did her first public speech I remember her teacher saying, ‘oh, my God She did a great job on her speech!’ I don't think anyone ever expected that from her, but she was given the opportunity to show that she has a voice, and she could do it. For my son, he really was interested in science, and he had the chance to really explore it at Maples Academy. Some of the things he came up with, he was really proud of.

Part of that being a small school is that students have to learn how to get along with and accept everybody. That adds to the sense of community, and they learn to appreciate each other's differences, and not ostracize anybody It's a small enough class that the teachers can give attention to the social side of school as well, which I think is a huge part of it that sometimes gets missed at public schools.

We were worried that our kids might feel entitled or better than other people in a private school. That's just not the case at Maples Academy. Maples Academy is a very down to Earth school. It's just the same as public school to me, only with better attention, and more focus on the kids. I recommend that prospective families keep more of an open mind, and ignore the stigma about what private school is.