A former social worker and school guidance counselor, Christine Williams, has seen struggling children from both the government and private school sectors falling through the cracks and she knew that she wanted to work to help those students. She procrastinated for five years, in the interim rising to the vice-presidency of the private institution she was at, at the time. As reports of struggling children kept crossing her desk, she decided to just do it.
In July 1999 Williams established Pace Christian Academy (PCA) to cater to the needs of children who were not functioning in the regular academic setting. The school's name was chosen to reflect one of her main goals, which was to work with children at their own pace. In the first four years of the school, PCA catered to "slow learners". Today it has evolved into a school that deals with students of all levels and students who may just need more individualized attention. "We started primarily working with children who were struggling in some areas and had to repeat.
Schools would send [the children] to us, hopefully we would get them up to grade level and then send them back [to their mainstream school]. But over the years we found that parents opted to leave their children with us because the environment was small." As a result, PCA began to get a mixed group of children in its classrooms -- which meant that teachers on any given day could make three sets of plans to accommodate the type of students they have in their classroom.
Upon entering the school, students are given an initial assessment, which isn't a pass or fail grade, to see what grade level they are working at, and the staff at PCA begin the child's education where they are. "They may be in grade nine chronologically, but may be working at a seventh grade level, so we work with them right there," said Williams. With students returning to the classroom en masse in approximately one week, Williams, the founder and principal at PCA encourages parents to take into account that their child may need smaller class sizes if they are struggling academically; and encourages them to seek out schools such as PCA to get their children up to speed.
Children are assured of one-on-one attention, which Williams said they should get early. At PCA they average between 60 and 70 students total across grades one through 12, with class sizes between 10 and 12 maximum. They also follow the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology syllabus and use their recommended textbooks. "Sometimes the stumbling block for parents is the status of their child going to a certain school, especially private schools. For a lot of parents whose children are struggling in the more well known, larger, more established private schools, it is difficult for them to make the decision to pull them from those schools to let them go to a smaller school. Sometimes they wait and let the child repeat two and three times ... they switch schools, and then the child is in grade 10 or 11 ... and you have a lot of damage you have to try now to get rid off," she said. "When you see a child is struggling, even if you don't have to pull them out [of mainstream schools], get them additional help. But sometimes I find the parents are so busy they don't even know what's going on in the school. They get the report card at the end of the term or end of the year and the damage has been done."
At PCA where they have an open door policy, Williams said parents are encouraged to telephone teachers with concerns about homework and quizzes and to set up afternoon appointments. "We almost put a lot of pressure on our parents to stay in touch with the teachers to see what's going on because we have to work together as a team. We do a tag team. I tell parents this is a wrestling match. When you drop your child here, you tag me I'm in the ring, when they go home I tag you, you're in the ring, because we have to be consistent and work together so that the child succeeds."
Success stories And PCA has had successful students just like other schools, including former student Michael Smith who headed to Russia yesterday to commence engineering studies. They have had graduates who have gone into the maritime field and are boat captains, and a former head girl who is studying nursing. Williams also spoke to having had a child who was expelled from a number of schools due to behavioral issues who she said simply needed a smaller environment. That former student is now a missionary. At PCA they can boast of having students sit and successfully pass the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) in eighth grade and sit and passing the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exam in ninth grade. And of one student who she said would have been bored in class so they had to give him the challenge. He received a "B" grade in the BGCSE Language exam.
When the student entered PCA they were told he had been struggling. "Because the classes are small we're able to work with our kids on a more one-on-one basis, and also everyday after school which lets out at 2:30 p.m., and we have extra Saturday morning classes, so anyone who needs the help can come," she said. "We don't concentrate a lot on saying we've passed all of these subjects because we have a mixed group of children. Those who are able to do it wonderful, because children progress at different pace, and that's why we named the school Pace Christian Academy, so that they work at their own pace. We have some children who can sit the BJCs in grade nine, but some have to wait until grade 12 when they're really academically ready to sit those exams."
The mixed classes also means that PCA has children enrolled who don't do well with the formal language and math and needs hands on learning, which they also offer. "In addition to academics we have an apprenticeship program where we try to make sure children get the basics, because realistically for them to get to grade level, it would take them another 10 years. We have had children who have been working at the lower elementary level and they are in grade 10 or 11, so what we do is make sure they get the basics in reading, language and math and then we set them up with a trade.
We contract private companies who are legitimate and we let the children learn a trade so when they come out of school they have some skills that they can provide for themselves and not be a burden to society," she said.
"Sometimes success is not an academic one, but you see character being built. The child knows that they are accepted and their confidence builds. We've had kids whose parents have gone through horrible divorce and they stopped working. The child does not have a learning disability. They're going through an emotional ringer, and their energy is waning, so after they get past that then they start working again. So sometimes you see increases and improvements in other areas and you say thank God, that is what this child needs. They're not only academic beings. There are so many other needs, but the teacher has to be intuitive and in tune with what the child needs so that the child can be successful," said Williams.
At PCA they also cater to students with mild learning disorders. They do not cater to children with physical disabilities because of their building. The school is located at East Court Avenue at 9th Terrace, behind Frank Hanna. Fees In considering a smaller school for your child, Williams said parents should take into account that tuition at smaller schools can be more expensive, but said at PCA they are comparable. On average, fees for grades 10 to 12 are $1,150; grades seven to nine is $1,100; and elementary school is $1,000. She says they don't have development fees. With the new academic year on the horizon, PCA is offering rolling admission for students until classes are maxed out at 12 through Friday, with school set to open on Monday, August 31.
According to Williams, history has shown that classes for students in grades seven through 10 tend to fill quickly. And each new student will have to be assessed so that the faculty knows where they need to start working, and the student's strengths and weakness. In the 16 years since the small school opened its doors, Williams said their goal and vision has remained the same, and that they believe that every child can be successful at something, and that their job as adults is to find out what the children are good at and help them reach that potential. "We usually only have one grade level, but if we have 24 people enrolled, we would have two eighth grades. We do not have huge classes.
We intentionally keep it small, so those who are struggling, we give them hands on learning. We want to be able to reach them and we're more concerned not only with academics, but behavior and social life. We want to develop the whole child," she said. Williams said PCA is a partnership between the school and parents. She also encourages parents who are considering a smaller class environment for their children to go into the schools and speak to the faculty and find out the school's purpose and what they're doing.
She urged parents to not take anything for granted. "Go in and talk to the people who will be teaching your children for hours a day, and see what it is that they're doing. Investigate. You can't just ship your children off and just leave them -- you don't know who you're leaving them with. I think this is where parents fall down sometimes. They do not investigate and check and see what the people are doing, and talk to other people whose children go to the school." Williams who has a degree in social work and psychology, a Master's in education and is midway through her doctorate degree in education, opened PCA in July 1999 with just 30 children and no building, no books and no teachers. And by April 2000 she had to relocate to a bigger building to accommodate the students as parents sought out the smaller class education for their children.
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