About 4 years ago, a friend of mine, Ryan Thibodeaux, gave me an education book about a school where students actually pursued their own interests. A school where the work students did actually mattered in the real world. A school where 96% of the first graduating class went to college. And a school where bored students, at-risk students, and valedictorian-track students all thrived. The thought that kept surfacing in my mind was, this is the way school should be!
Then, I had the opportunity to meet some actual students who had been schooled in this way. I attended a conference in San Diego, CA, where students were pursuing an interest-based, real-life work curriculum. The students were amazing! First, they easily interacted with adults. Second, they were actually happy and excited about learning. Last, each student easily and articulately addressed our group of about 200 educators (because this model of education requires the student to do quarterly speeches to demonstrate their learning). If I were an employer, I would have hired any of these students in a heartbeat!
Back in Lake Charles, I tried to incorporate what I was learning into my classroom at a local, private school. But it proved to be very difficult. At the same time, my class once did a career day where each student worked with a professional business person for half a day in a career that the student was interested in. Even including this very small component made a significant difference. One student who thought she would be an engineer totally changed her mind after visiting with the engineers from Recon Engineering. On the other hand, another young lady confirmed her career choice when she actually worked with a cosmetologist. Either way, both students were now closer to deciding on a career choice and less likely to waste money major-switching in college.
Something else I noticed. Not all my students had the ability to dream. I heard some really big dreams at one of the local public junior high schools where I was teaching. One student said she wanted to find a cure for cancer! Amazing...what a big dream! But another student's dreams were hijacked years before when she encountered difficulties in her family life. She literally could not come up with a big dream. That made me sad.
But what if there was a Christian school? A place where I could ask that student if I and a trusted group of students could pray for her about the issue. Pray that God would come in and fill any gaps from her childhood. Then, pray that God would be her Perfect Father and place a new dream in her heart. And she could begin pursuing that dream right here in high school!
Come and take a look! Bethel Christian High School is a boys' and girls' Christian high school where students discover their God-given identity, pursue their passions, and do real work in the real world!
CASE STUDY: A BCHS REAL-LIFE PROJECT
Two of our students were interested in finances and, after meeting with and shadowing numerous professionals in the field, decided to focus on real estate investing. In order to confirm this choice, one of the students shadowed both Stephanie Ryder and Nathan Rose.
Eventually, we decided that Nathan Rose, a local realtor, would serve as mentor. The students began by mapping out this area, while driving and recording the addresses of possible investment properties. Students then returned to school to research and find the owners of the selected homes and gather contact information. Next, the students began making calls to the owner. Although I made the first few calls to teach the students how to do it, eventually they began to make their own calls. Eventually, they found someone willing to sell and planned a meeting at the house with a general contractor. Real-life learning.
OTHER STUDENT PROJECTS
Scooby is our first ever 6th grader! And he has done an amazing job! Initially, he purchased a camera, talked to Leroy Tademy of Tademy’s Photography, and edited all the pictures on Boris’s (our shoe customizer) website and Etsy page to make them tons better and more eye-catching. Then, Scooby decided he wanted to look into the business of wrapping cars. In order to significantly reduce his startup costs, Scooby first began wrapping drinking cups. He has met with a lady who formerly worked in this area, decided on a printer, and is nearly open for business. If you are interested in a drinking cup with LSU Tigers, your favorite scripture verse, or a picture of a 40 lb fish that you caught, please message me and I will have him reach out to you.
Brenna did an internship with University Animal Hospital. She observed nearly every different type of job at the facility in order to help her know where she might fit in. Moreover, she has now seen all the different types of small animal surgeries!
Peyton was able to sit in on two live births, a C-section, and shadowed a family doctor out of Westlake. She also heard and met Ben Carson, the famous neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate. She has the opportunity this year to do an internship with a family doctor!
Boris (names changed to protect…) has continued growing his business and led a shoe customizing class for elementary students at Acton Academy for 4 weeks! Then, he put ads in the summer issue for both Lagniappe and Thrive announcing Lake Charles’ first shoe customizing summer camp for kids. The kids had a great time and Boris made a pretty penny!
WHO’S THIS BRAD GUY?
I am a 4th generation educator and my father was the founding principal at Hamilton Christian Academy here in Lake Charles. So education has always been in my family. Part of my God-given calling is helping young men and women come into their assignments (or find their unique calling), whatever that might be. As is the case with many adults who have come into their calling, my career path has definitely included wrong turns and challenges! But this is often the area where we find the greatest successes and breakthroughs (for example, some of the best addiction counselors are the ones who had to deal with and overcome their own addictions!). At the same time, I cannot do what I do without the help of parent(s), who have incredible, God-given wisdom and insights into their child(ren)!
Please message me (Brad Moore) ASAP or text/ call 337-912-8319 if you have questions.