T

he most important accomplishment of childhood is to be happy! Education at its very best is a by-product of joyful living. Children, especially gifted children, naturally want to learn, and can easily do so, in the proper environment. A happy child simply cannot be prevented from learning, if that child is in a stimulating and innovative environment. Our primary focus is directed at motivating children and surrounding students with encouraging teachers and like-minded peers. At Anderson School, children are immersed in a nurturing and sensitive environment that can assist them in being successful in college and becoming life-long learners.

We are concerned more with the development of thinking and learning skills, than with repetitive facts, standardized tests, unnecessary homework, and groundless grades. At Anderson, these are replaced with critical thinking, pre-testing as a tool for teaching, meaningful after school learning, and continuous progress reports, which accurately details each concept your child has mastered. Our students are taught to organize thoughts, reflect upon situations, comprehend the meaning of events, choose with wisdom among alternatives, and continually evaluate what is happening in their lives.

Opportunities are presented to practice the elements of creative thinking, fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Anderson is not just a place to receive an education; it imparts a philosophy for daily living. Our teachers treat students with respect and dignity and appreciate the individuality of each child. Self-esteem is precious and students are expected to treat their peers with kindness and understanding.

Gifted education must be different than traditional education. Gifted, talented, and creative students do not learn in the same manner that a normal child does. This difference in learning style must be apparent in the school environment. Traditional schools are not designed to accommodate gifted children, and, as a result, students who fall into this category find themselves under tremendous stress. When children are under stress they are not learning. Traditional school teachers are not familiar with the traits of giftedness and students are often misdiagnosed as being ADD or ADHD. Gifted students feel isolated when they are faced with: repetitive school work, limited upward educational mobility, peers unlike them, and teachers without expertise or education working with gifted and talented students.

Examples of the difficulties which are common in traditional school environments which are not found at Anderson School are: eating lunch at a designated time, having to remain silent 95% of the day, not being able to share ideas with peers, being restricted to study only what the teacher is conveying, having to ask permission to perform basic human functions, being asked to take prescription medications because of expressing gifted characteristics, and remaining at a grade level determined by age, not ability.

We provide an educational setting where precocious children have an opportunity to participate with their intellectual peers in creative, academic, aesthetic, and social endeavors. Anderson Private School enrolls only gifted, talented, and creative children and is co-educational, nonsectarian and open to qualified children of all faiths and races.