Growing private school provides a more personalized education for kids

BY JAXON HANSARD / Sports Editor

Dr. Joanna Shaw and her husband made the decision about four years ago to enroll their children in White Horse Christian Academy in Stephenville. When approached to talk about their experience with this private school, she was candid and glowing about the curriculum. 

Shaw is an Associate Professor in the management department of the College of Business at Tarleton State University.

“We didn’t have anything wrong with public school,” Shaw said. “We weren’t unhappy, but Whitehorse was kinda new and we felt like it could be an opportunity for a type of education that you can't have in public school.”

Shaw believes White Horse isn’t comparable to a public school. 

“It's like comparing an apple and an orange. Like they’re both fruit, they’re both fantastic, but they’re really different,” Shaw said.

Being a Christian school that has bible times for their students, this aligned with the goals and values that Shaw and her husband wanted for their children. Students enrolled in this private school will not always have the same opportunities as those enrolled in public schools. Such as sports directly through the school district, UIL and yearbook but they will have a sense of control over what they learn and how they go about their education. 

“They have more autonomy in their learning,” Shaw said 

A student's education at White Horse is customized to them. If a student is excelling then they can move on to the next grade level work in that subject, but if a student is taking more time to grasp the concepts being taught then that is how they will proceed. 

The values of knowing Christ, being kind to every person on every level and shaping children to be independent, law-abiding citizens who make a positive contribution to society are all things White Horse teaches. 

“My children's education is much more important, so we put our money on something that matters to us right now,” Shaw said. “We just keep thinking like we only have these girls until they are 18 and then we don’t have them."

The raves continued with credit to the teachers for handling so many subjects and kids, considering there is only one teacher per grade.  

“One of our girl's teachers has been very difficult and I love it, I can't tell the twins how much I love it because it just makes them mad, but he's running their classroom like a college classroom,” Shaw said. 

The theme of a college classroom setting was reoccurring in Shaw's description of White Horse. She believes the responsibility of the child's education is on them and ultimately if something isn’t done it more than likely is because of the student. 

The students are also taught life skills. They have been taught how to plaster, paint, load, use a weed whacker, do electrical work, change a tire and use tools in a woodworking shop. 

“What we're trying to teach them now is just because something is different doesn’t make it better,” Shaw said.