August 10, 2005 SPAIDEIA0810
The promise of small classes and academic rigor attracted teacher Suzy Webster and parents John and Susan Hessburg to Paideia Academy, the new charter school in Apple Valley where classes began Monday. Webster, a second-grade teacher, is one of a dozen staff members; the Hessburgs, of Apple Valley, are the parents of Robert, who will be in third grade. Webster and the Hessburgs discussed their expectations for Paideia last week with Star Tribune South's Tom Ford.
Webster, who lives in Apple Valley three minutes from Paideia, learned about the school last spring from a flier in her mailbox.
She was no stranger to charter schools. After a year teaching seventh-grade math at a South St. Paul public school, the 26-year-old spent three years teaching sixth grade at Twin Cities Academy, a St. Paul charter.
She liked its "core knowledge" curriculum, which follows a model of a classical education. But she had an itch to teach younger students. Sixth-graders, while enthusiastic learners, are easily distracted by the social side of school, she said. Plus, the 20-minute commute was becoming a hassle.
"Looking around, I knew I wanted another charter," Webster said.
She attended an open house, and from there she was hooked.
One of the attractions was that Paideia would use the Core Knowledge curriculum, which Webster praised for its broad historical focus.
"Most second-grade teachers don't get to teach [about] ancient Greece, at least not in depth," she said.
An even stronger draw was small classes and a small building.
Paideia limits itself to about 20 students per class. Enrollment -- at least in the first year with only kindergarten to fourth-grade students -- will be capped at 200. (The school plans to add one grade each year through eighth grade.)"Within the first two weeks, I'll know all the kids in the building," Webster said. "I like the small community that provides."
She expects that the ties she finds at Paideia -- not to mention the short commute -- will keep her there for many years.
