My son is much more responsible and much more part of the family
“Hi! My name is K. and my son M. has gone to the Mojave Academy for six years. He started when he was nine years old. He was the kind of child who loved to find out about things, always checking things out with a great curiosity, always in motion. He had gone to private schools almost his entire life, and for the most part, he was told that he needed to be “still”, to stay “quiet” and not move around so much. The fact that an active child had trouble sitting in a classroom six or more hours a day seemed to be a problem to them.
“Both he and I got the idea something was wrong. And yet at home, he was enthusiastic and interested, loved to read and had boundless energy. After several losses in his education, he came to us one day and said that a friend had told him about a school that sounded really good. He told us about it and said at that time, “ If I went to that school, I would do really well.” So off he went.
“The first step of the school program was Life Basics and the first thing we notice about him after just ten days was how much calmer and more in-communication he was. The next big thing we noticed was that he started complaining how his clothes still looked dirty even after he had washed them – not bad for a kid who would wear the same clothes for a month if you didn’t make him change them!
“In Life Basics he learned how to take care of himself and his possessions and he had a pride in his ability to care for them. I remember he was home one weekend and he couldn’t wait to show us how he had learned to fold his shirts and actually wanted me to fold them the same way!
“Life Basics made him much more responsible and he became so much more a part of the family. For example, he would originate wanting to help around the house and was a lot more willing to do chores and earn his allowance.
“M. graduated Life Basics program after a few months a changed child and went on to do very well in the rest of the school program, where he continues to do well academically and have the greatest enthusiasm for his studies.
“Our family has flourished. We get along great together. When we go out for a meal others notice us because we are in such good communication, happy, and enjoying each other’s company. My husband and I have been able to take the time to study intensively and make a lot of headway. I am very proud of my son and the kind of adult I see him growing into each time he is home from the school. I will be eternally grateful to Joke, Sarah, Cheri and all the wonderful staff at Mojave Academy.”
- K. (Mother)