This morning, I took my first trip to a private school. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My impression of private schools has always been what I’ve seen on TV, so pretty much like the wealthy, uniform-sporting kids on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air who are either spoiled brats or nerdy book worms. Well, the students at Carden Memorial School in Salt Lake City were wearing uniforms, and perhaps some of their parents are wealthy, but they all seemed very “normal” and were very well-behaved — even reverent.
I entered the old brick building following an elderly man in a suit. I figured that continuing to follow him through the school might lead me to the auditorium where the weekly devotional was to be held.
Along the way, he paused to greet each student that he passed individually. “Good morning,” he said. “Good morning, Mr. Jeffs,” each student pleasantly and sincerely replied with a smile.
When we arrived at the auditorium it was empty, except for about twelve adults seated in the back. I soon discovered that they were parents who had come to watch their children participate in the devotional. After a minute or two, dozens of students from about ages 8-14 quietly followed their teachers in a single-file line to their seats where they stood waiting for their other classmates to file in. The boys were dressed in navy blue pants and jackets; the girls wore plaid skirts and navy jackets and most had their hair curled or tied up with a ribbon.
They remained standing as Mrs. Horne, the assistant schoolmaster, welcomed them: “Good morning, students.” In unison they replied, “Good morning, Mrs. Horne.” After singing a hymn-like song, five or so students from Miss Brown’s fifth grade class went to the front of the auditorium to lead the devotional. The first student offered a simple prayer. The second asked the guests to stand and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance — first in English then in French.
The next student led the other students in reciting “Meditation #9″ about how anger can destroy a person’s soul, remove their inner peace, and master them, so please “O God take away our anger.” The next student shared a verse from Isaiah and the last one recited a poem about what it means to be an American.
Next, Miss Brown led about 25 students to the stage where they recited an inspiring poem called “Myself” by Edgar Albert Guest. As they said the poem, it was as if I could see the students gaining confidence and self-respect by the minute. Then, one of the older girls went to the piano to play a solo. I expected a nice rendition of “Hot Cross Buns” but was surprised when she played the third movement of some difficult piano concerto. Her precision and musical expression amazed me.
Finally, Mr. Jeffs gave a brief account of the E Form (8th Grade) students’ 10-day American History Tour to the Washington, D.C. area. I found myself wishing that I had been able to tag along.
The students then reverently filed out to their classrooms. Just a few minutes later, more students who were much younger and smaller, came in just as quietly, held a similar devotional, and returned to class. I was left to ponder the scene I just had witnessed. I marveled how these young people were not only well-behaved, but they were also happy. They seemed to be overcoming the childishness of youth while still living and loving their childhood.
I wished that I had been able to attend a school like that. My years in the public schools I attended were wonderful and usually productive, especially elementary school, but I wonder if I could have learned so much more — not only about the three R’s and history, music, and art, but also about discipline, love, and respect.
When I left the school, it seemed as if I had stepped out of a dream. I hadn’t imagined that schools like this one really existed, especially in Utah. My account may sound like hyperbole, but my experience this morning truly was unique to me; it transformed my view of how daily life at school can shape a child’s life for good.
Granted, today was just one brief experience at one private school, and a school like this might not be best for every child, but I do hope that my children will have the opportunity to attend a school like Carden Memorial.
What do you think?
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I’m a graduate of Judge Memorial and I can tell you that schools like that exist. The details of the experience differ according to who is seeing them, but yeah, the schools are amazing.
My experience at Judge was one of encountering faculty who actually cared about students as individuals, who were passionate, intelligent, committed, who were more than just teachers – they embodied what it means to be educators. They opened my eyes to a world I never imagined before.
I know that kids hate the idea of uniforms, but I loved it. It made getting ready for every day so much easier. And the relationship between students and faculty was one of the mutual respect – our teachers and administrators did not see their jobs as keeping us in or making sure we obeyed, they respected each of us as individuals and they got that back in return – there were a few exceptions but for the most part there was genuine respect and admiration on both sides – which is where the genuine greetings you saw come from.
My thought is, what can we do to help public schools embody the same characteristics that make this private school great in your eyes. There is no good reason why we can’t have values as an important part of curriculum, or teachers that really care as the standard rather than the exception. But certain changes need to be enacted to see this happen.
The one big advantage that private schools have is that they can require something more from their students. The money and parental involvement required ensure that most students are not casual participants. Whereas, public schools must take and work with whoever comes in the door. This is not a bad thing, but a reality that must be taken into account.
You say that your experience with public school was great. Mine was much less so. My public school years were nothing short of socially and academically painful for me. Somehow I survived.
My three youngest children have attended a new charter school this year. In many ways it is an improvement over the the standard public school, although, there are some trade offs. Students wear school uniforms. Many of the teachers are caring and dedicated. (None are union members.) Still, this school is a far cry from the private school experience you have discussed.
Reverent is not a term I would ascribe to my children’s school. The school uses the expeditionary learning model. There is discipline, but there is also a lot of getting up, moving around, talking, collaborating, going outside of the classroom, etc. A stranger walking into my children’s school would probably consider it rather irreverent.
Glenden-
Thanks for adding your experience at Judge Memorial.
Scott-
Good questions. I have some ideas that I think would improve public schools, but I just don’t know how much they can be improved given the reality of their nature as you’ve described it.
Reach-
Charter schools are an interesting concept. I’ve never been to one but have heard a little about them. I imagine that since they’re still public schools they’re not going to be much better than traditional public schools.
Yes, my public school experience was pretty good. Well, that was all I knew, so maybe it could have been much better, which is my final thought in the post. But I do think that Utah’s public schools do a pretty good job with the resources they’ve got. I’m just afraid that they’ll only decline as time goes on.
As a mother of 8 children with children attending 3 different elementary schools, two different Junior high schools and two different High Schools in two different school districts. My lowly opinion is that some public schools do a lot better job than others. I know for a fact that it depends very much on the district, which I’m sure depends on who the administrators are and what they feel is important. It also depends on the principal and their attitude and definitely the teachers. The secret is to get good dedicated, ambitious, caring administrators, principals and teachers. Teaching is a very tiring and trying profession. I’ve seen too many cases of burn out and then they get lazy and don’t care any more on all levels. Many people in the teaching profession teach a few years and then figure out that they don’t like it and wish they had gone into a different profession, but it’s too difficult to change professions. I think it’s a problem that can only be changed one person at a time.
I am a past graduate of Carden Memorial School, as well as Judge Memorial Catholic High School. Both schools offered an amazing education and shaped the person that I am today. I have a 13 month old son and my dream is for him to attend Carden Memorial and Judge Memorial and have the opportunity to learn the same valuable lessons that I learned. Carden Memorial School allows children to be children and in our society today, that is something that is sadly lacking.
I attended Carden and it is nice to see that not much has changed. I miss the reverence and the well behaved students…It is sure different in a public school environment.
I loved reading this letter. My wife and I toured Carden last year on an unannounced visit with our now 2yr old boy. We still talk about the visit with him, and he remembers it all. He had wandered up to one of the classrooms and heard the children singing a song he knew. All the children were in uniform and extremely well behaved. As they moved between classrooms, they also appeared to be happy. Staff there were more than willing to show us around and answer all our questions. What an incredibly impressive school this is. It reminds me of the school I attended as a child growing up in the UK. We are moving from California, and while we could live virtually anywhere in the valley, we definitely want to be close to this school.
I graduated from carden last year, this school was the best thing that ever happened to me !(2010) The teachers there actually do care, when I forgot to turn in work or did not do it (I totally regret) the teacher would remind me and ask if I knew how to do it. If I did not know how, they gladly took time to help me figure it out by using different tactics to get the information to stick in my head. Carden also has an amazing drama teacher/history teacher (Mrs. Smith). In 7th and 8th grade, your grade would perform a play that was written by Shakespeare. This not only teaches how to perform infront of your peers, but also teaches you the way they spoke and the time period in which it was written.
And finally the biggest thing I miss about carden is “the teaching table” where you have one on one time with the teacher. This is very helpful, because you can ask questions on your homework and class work.
I MISS CARDEN AND WISH THEY HAD A HIGH SCHOOL!!!
I am an ex-teacher at Carden Memorial Private School and though the majority of their staff is well trained and the kids are well behaved, it should be noted that their curriculum is not in line with the standard “Carden” curriculum, hence the addition of “Memorial” in their title. This means a few things, most notably that they spend little or no time emphasizing Martin Luther King, his efforts, or any other efforts by black Americans. I would go as far as to say they “gloss over” the African American contribution entirely. Furthermore, the friendly “Mr. Jeffs” you speak of frequently asked me to round up all of his “usual suspects” whenever a classroom crime had been committed. Suffice it to say, all of these students were of some ethnic background. I still recall walking into his office to pick up these poor lads after being interrogated only to see Jeffs holding one of them upside down by the boys ankles and shaking him. Jeffs looked over at me. He seemed obviously amused, the boy however was not.
There are a lot of great teachers there that should be commended. But 8k a year to teach racism is a little steep. We expect institutions like this to take the higher road.
This is one insider who has kids and has chosen to send them elsewhere.
I completely disagree with the racism fact!!! And the holding kids upside down!!! First of all mr. Jeffs probably hasn’t been able to do that for over 20 years!!! Also about the racism, I still remember Martin Luther king quotes to this day and never once did I hear racist comment at carden!!!
Dear Be Advised: Carden has come a long way since you’ve been there. The teachers now quote Martin Luther in their classes, and his contributions are included every January during the weekly devotional. Racism is not tolerated among the staff nor the student body. I’m sorry your experience wasn’t more positive.
im a student at carden im it 8th grade and have been here since kindergarten i lov carden its such a wonderul school and i dont want to leave it will be very sad when i have to. people thing private schools are boring schools with bratty people but carden isent carden is wonderful!
Nearly seven years ago, I graduated from Carden Memorial School. I am grateful that I was able to attend this private school, as it made a big impact on my life. It allowed me to value my education, taught me respect and service to others, and much more. I still clearly remember reciting the pledge in French and English, scriptures, poems, and meditations. It is funny to think back to my first day at a public high school. I was shocked when the students just got up to leave when the bell rang, rather than waiting to be excused. I credit carden for instilling in me the work ethic that allowed me to attain a full ride academic scholarship at the University of Utah. I highly recommend Carden.