The Albany Academies’ small class sizes...

You also see all kinds of adults when you work in schools. Teachers, administrators, and parents all have different styles of leading and managing children. Some adults are more nurturing than others, some more authoritative. Some parents allow their children a great deal of autonomy and others are more inclined to structure and supervision. 

I’ve learned that in almost every aspect of child-rearing, there just isn’t one right way and one wrong way. Kids develop differently, adults have different ideas, opinions, experiences, and insecurities. And the unique needs of each family coalesce to determine the ways in which we raise (and educate) our kids. We would all do well to resist the urge to judge other parents; too often we characterize a decision as “bad” rather than just accepting that it was “not the one I would’ve made.”

Schools have to have philosophies, policies, and practices to establish consistency for teachers and students. But they also have to be adaptive to the individual needs and personalities of each child. The Albany Academies’ small class sizes allow teachers to thoroughly understand each of their students, and to invest the time and energy into reaching each and every student. In doing so, we can celebrate what makes each of our students unique while also working toward a common set of goals.