"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." - Proverbs 4:7
"One of the great problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated. Education is bringing out what is latent in a person... Education is not the piling on of learning, information, data, facts, skills or abilities - that's training or instructing - but (education) is the art of enticing the soul to emerge from its cocoon, from its coil of potentiality and its cave of hiding- Deep education entails an emergence of character and personality...." - Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul
Miracle Meadows School provides both elementary and high school education. MMS is registered with the West Virginia Department of Education as an Exemption K school (private and parochial schools designation) and credits are accepted by schools across the USA usually without difficulty. Miracle Meadows School is a testing site for the SAT, ACT and PSAT.High school students are taught through a combination of teacher led curriculum and a self-paced program of study used in conjunction with tutors that is students are taught core courses and electives in a conventional classroom . Tutuorials are made available for students who are weak in certain subject areas or are struggling with a given concept. Elementary and Middle School students are taught all of the required subjects to complete their given grade levels.
Due to the fact that many of our students that come to MMS are behind in school, in addition to the conventional classroom, an accredited computer based program of learning is available for all of the core subject areas and are designed to allow each student the opportunity to “catch-up”. Students log in to a computer workstation and go directly to an in-box that lists their assignments, quizzes and tests that are due for each course. A specific score (eg. 80%) must be achieved in lessons before they can progress to the next lesson so students are forced to master lessons every day. Teachers are readily available to provide hands on instruction and monitor student progress on a daily basis. For more information on the curriculum click here.
The benefits of computer learning are twofold: Even defiant kids like computers and students can progress at their own pace--meaning students who are behind can get caught up quickly. Students learn on Pentium IV computers with 17" LCD monitors. We do not allow Internet access for most students although the campus is covered with a wireless Internet network for staff, advanced students and guests.
High school (grades 9-12) courses currently offered at MMS:
- Remedial Math
- Consumer Math
- Pre-Algebra
- Algebra I
- Algebra II
- Geometry
- Pre-Calculus
- English 9
- English 10
- English 11
- English 12
- US History
- World History
- Government
- Economics
- Earth Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Physical Science
- Spanish I
- French I
- Family Studies
- Home Economics (Food & Nutrition)
- Drama
- Choir
- Art I & II
- Health
- Keyboarding
- Computer Applications
- Social Skills (required for all levels)
- Physical Education (required for all levels)
- Bible (required for all levels)
- Community Service hours
- Work Skills (required for all levels)
Elementary & Middle School (grades 3-8)
- Math
- English
- Science
- History
- Physical Education
- Art & Craft
- Social Skills
- Bible
- Work Skills
- Other electives
MMS alos offers GED and SAT preparatory classes to prepare students to succesfully pass the above mentioned examinations. Extracurricular activites are also provided for students. These include sporting games (volleyball, basketball, soccer), field trips, college tours, camps, hikes, debates, drama and choir trips, a guidance week, a senior trip and summer electives e.g. photography, horse grooming, etc.)
While the school operates on a 2-semester school year, grades for all students are calculated monthly and an academic progress report is sent to families every month. Teachers are available by telephone to the parent and staff members are apprised of a students academic progress (or lack thereof) on a weekly basis. Students are rewarded for academic achievement on a weekly basis via special activities; conversely those who do not qualify are afforded extra study hall time to catch up.
Academic progress by the student is carefully monitored and due to the highly supervised nature of the school, students are immediately held accountable if they fall behind or if they exhibit poor performance in class.
Many students who exhibit at-risk behavior have learning problems. Often, for example, an inability to read can cause a child to exhibit negative behavior in other areas of their life. Thus, MMS provides remedial learning programs for reading and math. Students are tested for reading and math skills upon arrival and those with reading deficiencies are given one-on-one remediation using the highly successful “Potentials” reading system.
While the academic school year begins at the end of August and culminates at the of May along wiht graduation for 8th and 12th graders in June, the academic program is available throughout the summer for students who are behind or wish to accelerate their education.
Finally, parents of students at MMS must realize that sometimes, an emphasis in schoolwork cannot occur until underlying emotional and behaviorial issues are dealt with. A child that continues to be defiant and disruptive and refuses to study cannot be expected to follow a normal academic schedule. Therefore, MMS will customize a daily alternative schedule (which includes class hours) for those students in order to address the underlying problems and subsequently make meaningful learning possible. Occasionally, it can take months before a child is emotionally ready to fully utilize the academic program.