Why We Have Established MGA
Morning Glory Academy (MGA) was established by Leslie Kent and Susan Riddle, two experienced homeschooling mothers, out of our deep desire for a corporate learning experience for our own children. We want our own children to enjoy learning from other talented teachers. We want to minister to mothers by teaching their children in core subjects so they may focus on other areas. Our students benefit from the opportunity to learn and interact with their peers; their mothers benefit from a partnership in educating their children.
Our Vision Statement
MGA is a private school that will provide part-time, small-group learning environment in support of the students' home-centered education. MGA teachers will, with their passion for the subject matter and commitment to excellence, engage students in the work and joy of achieving an education. We will study together the core subjects of World History, Literature and Language Arts, Science, and Math. All of our class content and efforts will be anchored by our Christian worldview, and will honor and glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
How We Are Distinct from Other School Options
- We are a part-time school, and believe the parents remain the primary educators of their children. We don't want to dominate the landscape of your family's life. Yes, there is at-home work, and increasing amounts as the student moves up levels. But we aren't trying to impress anybody with an unnecessarily heavy workload. We assign what we think is important, but the parent has the final say.
- We do not conduct intake testing to require your child to meet nationally-normed academic standards. If what we offer is a good fit for your family, then we assume you and your children will receive from MGA what you desire your children to receive. The truth is, in ANY educational environment, a learner will receive from it what s/he invests in it. We partner with you to offer you and your children good learning experiences and trust that God is using us in your life.
- We do not collect SAT or other national achievement test results for our students and do not have plans to market MGA for its 'excellent' or 'above the national average' test scores. This has the unintended effect of excluding non-traditional learners, and poor test-takers, from the private school population because their enrollment would lower the aggregate scores so necessary to such marketing. The day test scores of our students become more important than preparing them for life is the day we hang up our whiteboard markers as Directors. :)
- We do not require parents to stay. We are a drop-off school, and will take good care of your children. It is our highest responsibility to monitor all the children, all the time. You as a parent are free to bring an oldest child, and go home to teach your youngest children, or vice versa. We know you will enjoy learning with all your children during the other five days of the week that MGA is not in session, so we don't find it necessary to have you present.
- However, we ARE an open-door school. ANY time you want to participate or observe, you are welcome. No asking permission or getting a hall pass. These are your children.
- We are a classical school, in a 'modern' sense. This means: we teach world history, not just U.S. history, and thus avoid the ethnocentrism that pervades many U.S. schools. We teach U.S. history as part of world history and teach all of it chronologically. We integrate History, Geography, and Literature. Good literature is used as the tool to explore History. These subjects are not only naturally integrated, but it is more efficient - if it is important to expose students too good literature (it is) then it may as well be literature that illuminates the time period. We also believe grammar, writing and math should be learned systematically and as skill areas should be worked on regularly by the student.
- We are not classical in the sense of requiring a lot of memorization for OUR sake. Memorize all the Latin roots and history dates you wish, at home, as you know is appropriate for your child. That is 'skill' work that is easily done at home.
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Our focus is on group activities - what can we offer that is difficult to achieve at home:
- Presentations to peers
- Group projects and labs
- Dramatic performances - writing and performing skits and plays about the material learned in class
- Class discussions
- Polite debates :)
- Teachers with special subject matter background
- Learning games, activities, art projects, etc., to reinforce the at-home reading and learning
- We do not assign a grade, but will provide the Upper School parents with scores on tests, quizzes, projects, labs, papers, and homework completion. We leave it to the parents to take these scores and arrive at a grade for their child in each subject. Many times there are extenuating circumstances or additional work the parent will factor in.
We hope this helps you have a better sense for what MGA is. If you have questions, feel free to email the Directors.
Susan@themga.org - questions for Grammar School levels
Leslie@themga.org - questions for Upper School levels