One Riverside parent moved from Thailand to the United States 15 years ago. She and her husband currently live in South Windsor with their young children.
She and her husband initially chose South Windsor due in large part to the good public school system, but eventually came to feel that the educational philosophy and teaching style of a magnet school were more in line with what they believed.
“We believe that a school should follow the pace of the students individually,” she noted.
Both of her children are enrolled in the Riverside Magnet School at Goodwin College (formerly the Goodwin College Early Childhood Magnet School). This September her son will be entering second grade and her daughter will be going into first.
She describes the school environment as bright and fun. “The teachers are so friendly, attentive, and enthusiastic,” she said.
She is delighted that her children are having fun at school and “learning without knowing they’re learning.” Both children entered kindergarten unable to recite the alphabet; by the end of the year, they were reading on a second grade level. “They were taught to read without stress and enjoyed the process,” she observed.
She recalled a school project involving recyclables in which the children learned to make unused products into something new. “They turned a box that I was going to throw away into a robot,” she stated. “I really think that creativity comes from the school. They foster that type of thinking at the Riverside Magnet School.”
She also commented on the school’s progressiveness. “They have friends who attend public school and seem to be bored, whereas my children want to go to school. They complain on the weekends,” she said. “What’s better than that?”
She is part of the magnet school’s family community committee (FCC), an opportunity for parents to gather and share ideas with teachers and administration. “I really appreciate the quality communication between the teachers and parents.”
She has noticed tremendous development and unlimited creativity in her children ever since they started school at the Riverside Magnet School. “The teachers embrace [the interests of the students], instead of forcing them to follow a specific curriculum,” she commented. “It makes perfect sense. They are learning to think for themselves, not just to follow direction.”
To apply, click here. To visit The Riverside Magnet School website, click here.
To learn more about upcoming information sessions, click here.
Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwin University was founded in 1999, with the goal of serving a diverse student population with career-focused degree programs that lead to strong employment outcomes.