No Drama Mama: A Positive Environment
No Drama Mama: A Positive Environment
FACTURE ACADEMY· WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020·
As a mom, founder, and teacher, I hear so often that this school is “exactly what this area needs!” and though I agree, I’ve often inquired to know why.
So many families in the Clark Fork Valley just truly have strong family values and want healthy relationships for their children so they can succeed. At Facture Academy, we don’t only focus on academic greatness, but on a healthy, positive environment where kids truly flourish, find their calling, and live up to their true potential.
Some of my favorite things about coming in to the Facture Studio each morning is that there’s no drama here; only genuine teamwork and a desire to see each other succeed! We keep the focus daily on the “why” of our academic pursuits (what they want to be; what their calling is; how they want to help others and change the world.)
Facture learners set meaningful goals that they are eager to achieve every day. There’s no authoritarian rule here. This is a learner-driven environment and these Heroes have learned that they just love crushing their goals that they set together! They truly take pride in their achievements and really help each other along the way. That’s the beauty of a “one-room school house.” Older and younger are helping each other, and learning so much in the process -all in a harmonious way.
With a small student to adult ratio, our Heroes get all the encouragement they need to dream big and be successful. They get why they need to be good readers and writers too. They have a mission in life (or are finding it) and need to be heard! They also get why they are working so hard in math. One of our 10 year old Heroes says, “the brain is like a rubberband that never breaks! If you stay in your challenge zone, your brain keeps stretching. That’s what math does. It grows your brain! And I’m going to need it when I become a scientist some day!”
I just love seeing our Middle School Heroes developing tremendous leadership skills and learning to do that with kindness and healthy values. They read to our younger students, help them with math problems and spelling. All the while, they are pushing themselves to answer the very deep questions we pose to them for their writing challenges, Quests, and Socratic discussions, and are soaring in math. They are truly flourishing into lovely, kind, deep-thinking young adults. (At the moment as I write this, I hear an 8th grader telling a Kindergartener what a great job he’s doing!)
This is a place where we’ve established kindness as our main covenant; and trust and encouragement is our daily norm. Kids give and take feedback in a constructive way, where we value “tough-mindedness coupled with kind-heartedness,”
When I see our Heroes’ personal and academic growth, I stand astounded, humbled, and privileged to continue to grow this amazing school model.
Shannon Skinner Doherty pioneered Facture: An Acton Academy in Thompson Falls, Montana, launched in the Fall of 2019, and Acton Academy Kalispell in 2026. We are affiliated with Acton Academy -one of the top-rated blended schools in America. We are accredited and transcripts are registered with the county superintendent.
For more information visit www.ActonKalispell.com or contact us at info@actonkalispell.com or 406-970-6021.