The first time I walked through Aspire Academy I was told that I was very welcome to “put my personal signature on the school,” and so I did! Along the top of the picture window, I added the alphabet in cursive because I have found that most students enjoy learning how to write their names in cursive. So far all of our girls have loved doing this and they will practice doing so, over and over, until they can write their signature to their liking. Rather than only including posters of famous, current authors or encouraging quotes as I would have in my previous public-school classroom, I have also chosen those containing scripture, including Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV): ‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,”’ and John 3:16 (NIV): “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The other two teachers, Alisa Bateman and Kelly Kittle, and I refer often to these verses and share what they mean to us, personally. After the girls have been with us for a few months at Aspire Academy, I ask them if they have a favorite verse from the Bible. Can you guess which two they usually choose? If you guessed, Jeremiah 29:11 and John 3:16, then you are correct! I also decided to add a feminine, teen flair to the school’s atmosphere, to include all rooms, from the classroom to the kitchen, from to the school office to the quiet room, and even including the restroom.
As part of a girl’s first two weeks at Sarah’s Home, she is brought over to Aspire Academy for a tour, where she is first shown the classroom. This room includes five student “offices,” a term coined by Accelerated Christian Education (A.C.E.), the curriculum used by our students. During her first two weeks, our new student will take A.C.E. online
assessments, in order to determine which academic level she is most likely to experience success. A majority of the time this will be where this young lady was first introduced to trafficking. So, if this student comes to us as a fifteen-year-old who was trafficked at the age of ten, she will usually be reading and completing math at a fifth-grade level—where an average ten-year-old student is usually learning. Research has also indicated that school is often difficult prior to many girls being trafficked. Therefore, after being rescued from trafficking, a majority of these girls will be given the extra help of an Individual Education Plan (I.E.P.) for a specific learning disability or a 504 Plan for a medical need by schools prior to their attending Aspire Academy. Such plans will often come to Aspire Academy through a girl’s school transcript, which may mean that this particular student receives assistance to help her access education. Such help may include extra time on assignments or the use of notes on a test.
Aspire Academy is a very special school, as we are also a private school, through the National Association of Private Schools (N.A.P.S.), which translates to our students being able to work towards and earn a certified high-school diploma through Aspire Academy! Since the A.C.E. curriculum is completed at a girl’s own pace, the role of Aspire Academy’s three teachers is often that of being cheerleaders! However, God has provided our students with amazing teachers—Alisa Bateman has experience and certification in kindergarten through 6th-grades for all subjects; Kelly Kittle has experience and certification for middle school through 12th-grade for Math and Art; and I, Kathy McCullohs, have experience and certification for 5th-12th grades for English, Literacy / Reading, Social Studies, and Science. Yes, the three of us do have kindergarten through 12th grade covered in all subjects! I truly do believe that the three of us have been chosen “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 NIV). We accomplish this as we pray with the girls at the beginning of the school day, as we patiently tutor the girls in subjects where they struggle, as we eat lunch together at one table, and as we encourage our precious girls to do their very best!
Next time, read about how our girls excitedly watched hummingbirds as a part of their school day!
