Because the ACE program is so much different than a traditional way of schooling, we often get questions about how different aspects of the program are implemented, and why they work. I thought it would be a good idea if we took a blog post once in a while and explained some of the "FAQs" we get as we operate the ACE program here at HCS. If you have any aspects that you would like to see explained in a future post, leave it in the comment section of the blog, or post it on the FB page. We always like to hear from you!
One of the first noticeable differences that catches peoples attention is the way our learning environment is laid out. In most schools that use the ACE program, all the students, with the exception of the youngest (usually K4-2nd), are in one large room, known as the Learning Center. This leaves everyone from as young as 7 to as old as 18 in one room! At Harvest, we have separated the Learning Centers into two groups: K4-3rd levels, and 4th-12th levels.
Many parents and visitors may wonder why ACE has chosen to operate in this fashion, instead of using the traditional method of classrooms with desks and a teacher for each age group of student Here are few benefits of this arrangement:
1.
Ease of implementation for limited staff/facilities. One of the biggest benefits to this way of operating is how simple it becomes for a small church with few people to have the opportunity to minister to their church families and the surrounding community through a Christian school. The task of opening a school ministry seems much less daunting when you find out that you will not have to build larger buildings, add on to your existing facilities, or hire a large number of new staff members! ACE's program allows you to take the resources God has already blessed your ministry with, make a few minor changes here and there, and you're ready to go! In fact, one of the things you hear when you begin looking into this program is, "If you have a Sunday School, you can have a Monday school!"
2.
Family-style environment. Many years ago, people had larger families, many times having 10 or more children in each family! Grandparents and other relatives often lived with or very near the family, and the children who were raised in this type of environment reaped the blessings of wisdom and counsel of not only parents, but also older siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Having all the students together each day for learning, playing, working, and eating allows us to recapture some of those benefits of a large family. Your only child may realize that their school mates are like the brothers and sisters they don't have! Sometimes, this is not seen as a blessing by the students however, because the students also have to learn to get along with not only kids their own age, but older kids, and little kids too! It is fun to watch a child who is the youngest in their family learn how to be a "big" brother or sister, and important for the older students to realize that little eyes are watching and copying them all the time! Because they are a stable presence every year, the supervisors become trusted authority figures that the children can come to for advice and counsel, similar to parents. The pastor, pastor's wife, and faithful church workers become examples of Godly life and the blessings that come by obeying His Word.
3.
Space to develop at an individualized rate. If we were to seat the students at a regular desk and put them all into one room, we could not expect them to learn a thing! They would be to busy seeing what everyone else was doing, or overwhelmed with the noise of a crowd and therefore unable to learn anything on their own! So, ACE has developed what they refer to as a student office. This is your student's own learning space. They have extended dividers that encourage them to pay attention to what is in front of them, and prevent them from worrying about if others are looking or listening to them as they work. The ACE program's foundational concept is that every child is an individual, and they must be allowed the ability to progress at their own rate of speed. The offices allow the students to work in their choice of subject (not everyone can face Algebra first thing in the morning!), at their learning rate, without fear of falling behind their classmates or the teacher rushing past a concept that they missed. In a similar fashion to how many corporations operate, they have a task list (goal card) with their daily work expectations on it. They are allowed to tackle these tasks in the order they see fit, without undue interruption. And just like an employer might duck his head into a cubicle to check on the progress of a job, project, or report, we supervisors are constantly rotating about the Learning Center, checking in with the students and guiding them in the completion of their tasks.
These are just a few benefits of the learning system that we have implemented here at HCS. I'm sure there are more than the ones I have listed here. All in all, we have found that most students, including ones who have struggled in traditional classroom environments, begin to enjoy their new-found freedoms and responsibilities of the Learning Center. They like being able to set their own schedule, with minimal intervention, and tackle their work the way they see fit. They quickly learn that if they ignore the advice of the supervisor however, and get out of balance in their tasks, they have no one to blame but themselves! And then they realize that they can also
fix it themselves by heeding advice and trying to do better the next day. The joy in their faces as they grow and are given more responsibility for their own learning is a blessing...not only to us as supervisors, but also to you, the parents! You begin to see something amazing--your child growing into the person God made them to be!
Also, studies have shown that kids who spend time playing, especially outdoors, are able to perform better in their academic work. Their brains get a "reset" by taking time to look away from their books, get their blood circulating, and engage other neural pathways. 
Another benefit to break times is the fact the kids get much needed confidence boosters. Break time is often the best time for students to learn lessons in perseverance and patience. A kid who may be struggling in an academic subject can shine on the ball field and gain the confidence needed to come back in an tackle that tough concept. Students who shine academically need the opportunity to work on their physical development to help them be well-rounded as an individual. They need to strike out and then get back up to bat again. The lessons learned in these areas will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
One of the most obvious perks of break time is in the way that it teaches everyone how to treat other people with kindness and friendliness. When kids are encouraged to spend time with other kids of differing ages, they must learn the interpersonal relationship skills that are so necessary in their adult lives. Older kids have to learn to be examples of the right kind of things, and younger kids have to learn that it sometimes pays off to listen to someone who has done it before you. Playing as a team, depending on others, and working with people's weaknesses are all things that will stand them in good stead in their future work environments.
