Worth the Investment

BY LAURA SPAULDING Staff Writer/Consultant

One of our favorite things is hearing good news from former students and their families. This week we had the pleasure of catching up with the Jones family. Annie Jones came to us as a defeated fifth grader after years of struggling to find her way in her neighborhood public school. We were thrilled to hear all about the ways she is currently thriving as a Junior at Episcopal High School. 

Her parents, Josh and Kelli, chose to raise their family in a community well known for its award-winning public elementary schools. They believe in public education and active community engagement, so never had any intention of pursuing an independent school education for their children. They certainly never budgeted for private schooling in their family planning and spending. But they also had no intention of watching any of their children falter and fail. From the beginning, Annie never quite settled into the traditional school or classroom scene, hitting a wall in fourth grade. Soon the delightfully hilarious, thoughtfully caring, and friendly little girl began to withdraw as she struggled to keep up academically with her peers.

Her parents did what they could to support her and worked hard to pinpoint why she struggled. Other than a generic ADHD diagnosis, they were mostly left with lots of unanswered questions or any sort of plan to help Annie find success. Despite her parents' dedicated advocacy and support, and Annie’s hard work including 3 or more hours a night of homework and daily tears (hers and mom's), her grades and confidence continued to decline.

A child psychologist recommended The Joy School. Josh and Kelli, desperate for help, came to a parent tour. Throughout the presentation, they were increasingly convinced Annie would thrive here. As they walked around and saw the smiles on the faces of every teacher and student, they soon felt positive this was the answer they were looking for. That was until the moment the subject of tuition was breached, and sticker shock set in. Of course, they knew what they’d just observed in action would not be cheap, but still Josh was not prepared to consider what a Joy School education might offer Annie and the whole family based solely on tuition. He turned to Kelli after the tour and said “well that’s a shame, looks like we’ll need to look into some other options." Kelli however, not so easily swayed by a price tag, encouraged Josh along into what he now says is “the best money they’ve ever spent.”

Josh described the changes they observed beginning on Annie’s first day at The Joy School. Within weeks, “you could see a light in Annie come on and all her dread of school turn to delight.” He shared a familiar story many of our families share: a complete transformation both academically and emotionally within months, and a little girl who’d decided she was dumb and didn’t understand why school was so hard for her suddenly once again comfortable in her own skin as her skills and confidence continued to sky-rocket. They got their evenings, their family, and their Annie back! She attended The Joy School from 5th through 8th grade and in that time gained not only improved academic achievement and increased self-awareness, but the ability to know and ask for what she needed to be successful. After her sixth grade year, she was finally diagnosed with Dyslexia, which had been masked so long by her hard work, determination, and intelligence. Despite her struggles and diagnoses, Annie continues to love and is quite good at both reading and writing.

Now as a Junior at Episcopal High School, she is secure in who she is and continues as her own best advocate, knowing what she needs and having the confidence and words to ask for it. Annie and her family fully credit her continued success, socially, emotionally, and academically, to her time at The Joy School. She keeps up a healthy social life, independently makes all As and Bs, and unlike many teenage girls, is truly confident and happy. This is on top of playing Varsity Softball and participating in the Student Senate, Students of Service, and the Diversity in Action Clubs.

Josh shared overhearing Annie say “Sending me to The Joy School was the best thing my parents have ever done for me.” We asked him if there was anything he could share with other families in the same place he was at all those years ago when he was desperate for help but convinced The Joy School was not a reasonable option due to the tuition. 

With a resigned smile, Josh shared: I don’t know where she’d be today if Kelli had not insisted we look beyond the price tag. It was well worth the stretch and sacrifice to invest in Annie’s future. He spoke of planning and saving for his children’s college tuition from the time they were born but never putting away money for middle school, let alone special school tuition. Josh says, “A single decision that felt so hard at the time has literally changed my child’s life forever. If only I had known then the full extent of the impact the school would have had on Annie and our entire family. Then all the changed plans, different choices, and sacrifices we made to make it work would have felt insignificant. What I now know is these shifted priorities and choices, and the sacrifices made are being returned to us tenfold in the form of a happy, well-adjusted young woman who now has innumerable opportunities and choices available to her both now and in the future.” 

If you or a family you know has been impacted by a learning disorder, help spread hope by sharing this post, and join us for our next tour.