Mastery Learning Academy

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Why We Are Here?

I have always wanted to teach. I remember playing "school" with my friends and my stuffed animals as far back as 6 or 7 years old. I began my journey as an Education major right out of high school, but was quickly discouraged by the curriculum, and to be honest, some of the professors. After speaking with one of my English professors who insisted that I was wasting my time in the Ed. Department (I'll spare you her heartfelt rant), I changed my undergraduate focus to English and History and graduated in 1997. I finished my Master's Degree in Secondary Education (with an emphasis on curriculum development) back in 2001 and began looking for employment.

I have to admit, I was extremely lucky right out of the gate. I was hired at a small, private school (Park City Academy) and began my first year of teaching there in the fall of 2002. It wasn't the fact that I was working in Park City, UT that was the amazing part of this job, although, being able to drive 3 miles to work didn't suck, but it was the fact that the Headmaster, Steve Diehl, gave me autonomy to create a curriculum and classroom model that I believed in with all my heart. With very little to guide me (I was only handed a curriculum outline used by a previous teacher) and having a desire to offer the best educational experience I could, I began to research other private schools. I met with the English department heads of three major private schools in the Salt Lake valley and found out as much as I could about what they were doing and how they were successful. With that information, I took the best of all three and created my own curriculum and class structure.

Park City Academy was built upon the traditional school model, so there were grade levels that were distinguished by the age of the students. There was a bell schedule, and brief moments for the students to socialize at recesses and lunch... it was very much a traditional school, but the teachers were allowed to use non-traditional teaching methods. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to see things like outdoor education and service learning put into practice with amazing results, and since teachers were treated like knowledgeable professionals, each classroom within the school functioned as a unique learning environment. NOTHING was standardized, and the students excelled.

I left PCA in 2007, and I have taught in several schools under the traditional education model since then. I have found that none of the schools since PCA have been as successful. I've pondered over why the other schools miss the mark for many years, and I honestly believe that the success that Park City Academy students experienced in that traditional classroom was possible because the teaching methods and the curriculum were not standardized. Standardization is stifling to real learning. A 2014 report released by the National Council of English Teachers states that 60 - 110 hours of teaching time is lost each year due to the tasks required of the standardized testing process.

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