My son is a thinker and a dreamer. When he was a very small child, I could see that he would need a different kind of school, a school that accepted his quiet nature, a school where his individual gifts would be recognized rather than standardized. Honestly, I didn’t believe a place like this existed…until I found Golden Valley Charter School, a K-8 public charter school inspired by Waldorf education. 

I found Golden Valley after an exhaustive search. The school had just opened, and there were approximately 40 students in attendance. We applied and were put on a Waiting List. The week before school started, he was invited into Kindergarten. I took the space immediately!

Since then, the school has grown to 420 students. My son, Harrison, has been transformed by this education and my whole family has found community. My husband served on the Board of Trustees, and once Harrison was in 4^th grade, I started working again—as the School Secretary for Golden Valley. I am now the Enrollment/Communications Coordinator, and Harrison attends high school at the George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science (the first Waldorf-inspired charter high school in the state). He recently earned his black sash in Kung Fu, and we will be visiting colleges this summer. The only challenge his has with the idea of college is that he is interested in too many things! His Waldorf-inspired charter education has created a well-rounded, confident young man.

Just this past Saturday, we attended the May Day Festival at Golden Valley. Harrison’s Kindergarten teacher is retiring, and she was going to be at the festival to say farewell to all her past students. He made a special point of attending to see her and to visit with his former class teachers. His affection runs deep for this place and these people. I cannot say I ever desired to return to the giant, impersonal public schools I attended. I was a quiet girl just like my son, and although I did well academically, I never felt connected. If only Waldorf-inspired charter schools existed when I was a child!

It is essential that charter schools continue and grow in number. Parents need to have the opportunity to find the right fit for their child. We are entering a future that is vastly different from the world our parents grew up in. Our children cannot count on working at the same, secure job for 30 years and then receiving a pension. They will need to have the capacities for original thought and innovation if they are to thrive. Most importantly, they need to have the capacity to form and keep relationships. Waldorf education, more than anything else, gives children the skills to relate to other human beings, to find compassion for all and to serve humanity. 

When I began selecting schools for my first child, Riley, I knew I wanted him to have better opportunities than were given to me.  I grew up in poverty and at times food and other resources were scarce. I was raised by a young, single mom who mostly relied on the welfare system to support me and my three siblings.  We moved frequently, which required us to move in and out of many public schools.   It was this uncertainty both in my school life and my home life which made it critical for me to ensure my own children attended one elementary school and it had to be the best school for our family. 

The best schools did not mean the most academically rigorous or a school that produced the highest API scores.  It meant a school that provided a strong offering in specialty classes as well as traditional academics.  After visiting and researching a couple of private schools I quickly realized my husband and I would not be in a financial position to support a private education.  With this reality, we researched several San Juan Unified School District schools and had Orangevale Open on our list of top schools.  Our first priority school came by way of a postcard from Golden Valley Charter School (GVCS).  I didn’t understand what a charter school really was but I was intrigued and attended a parent meeting. After this initial informational meeting, the attending parents took a tour of the kindergarten.  This is where I fell in love and even more so fell in love with the idea of an alternative education.  

It was an incredibly welcoming and loving environment.  I learned GVCS was a school inspired by Waldorf philosophies.  I loved that the school did not overemphasize standardized testing practices and that the school kept a truly student-focused approach to the curriculum.  It was the alternative style of GVCS that resonated so deeply with me.  GVCS became our number one school choice for Riley and after completing the enrollment process and being 11th on the waiting list, Riley would get a spot at GVCS for kindergarten for the 2005/2006 school year.

My family and I are incredibly grateful that a traditionally private education is offered as a public charter school.  This school has provided a foundation of academic know-how to my two school-age children but in addition, it has surrounded this academic rigor around an integrated arts program.  My children are better human beings and truly love school because of Golden Valley Charter School.  I am confident the education and support my children are receiving today will positively impact the success in their personal, academic and working lives in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and learning why charter schools are important to my family.

As a family we chose the Cherry Blossom Kindergarten for our two boys because it was the only 100% outdoor kindergarten program we could find in our area. As a family we spend all of our free time outside. We highly value a connection with nature which nourishes our bodies, spirits and souls. What we were surprised to find was a beautiful, wise guide in the teacher Mrs. Bosque. I could not conjure up a more perfect influence in our boys lives. We are better parents because of her mentorship and we will be forever grateful for the years our boys have spent under her guidance. –Tracy and Brandon Marshall, Parent