From the desk of Rod Fletcher, Headmaster:

From time to time I receive emails from parents that put things that are hard to articulate into words.  The Brook Hill “experience,” or “process,” or “journey” is one of those things.  I recently received the following email from a Brook Hill Mom that describes her child’s journey and I think it is worth sharing because it may encourage other families who are in “process.”

Rod,

I am writing this to you today because my son is a senior and he said something to me last night that was so affirming.  I’ll start with what he said and then backtrack a little.  He had been studying for Mr. Dement’s history exam when he stopped for a study break.  “You know Mom, I am really going to miss Brook Hill.  I have been there over half of my life.  I have so many friends and teachers that I love and will really miss.  I can’t believe it’s almost over!”  “I’m so glad I got to go there!”

Now, that may sound like pretty familiar words from a Brook Hill senior as they begin to realize their time at Brook Hill is coming to a close but let me share with you the significance of those words.

Several years ago our family made the choice to move our kids to Brook Hill.  Our oldest child was in middle school at the time and our son was in the lower school.  To be perfectly honest, our main reason for the move was for our older child.  She just needed more than public school had to offer and we felt sure our son would have a better chance in athletics at Brook Hill than at a larger public school and although he wasn’t as driven academically as his sister we felt sure he would do okay.  Besides, we wanted a Christ-centered education for our kids too.  From the very beginning I knew it was definitely the best decision for my daughter.  She absolutely blossomed at Brook Hill.  But my son struggled.  He struggled a little academically.  He struggled a little athletically.  He struggled a little socially.  He just struggled.  While my daughter continued to grow in every way, my son’s growth was slow and much less noticeable.  So through the years as my daughter shouted from the top of her lungs, “I LOVE BROOK HILL!” my son remained silent and somewhere in the back of my mind I had this tiny little doubt that maybe, just maybe we hadn’t made the right choice for him.  How can two children be so totally different? 

Watching my son grow up and face academic challenges, social challenges, and athletic challenges has been much more of a process.  Because I’m an adult and therefore wiser than my son, I often tried to “help” him make the “right” decisions along the way.  That was me trying to control things and he just doesn’t work that way.  The more I tried to “make him” do what he “should” do the more he seemed to want to go in the opposite direction.  I finally had to come to grips with allowing him to completely fail.  Strange thing is, when I let go, my son took charge. 

I think sometimes as parents we are so afraid for our children to fail we actually hinder their opportunity for success.  I have learned to listen to my child and allow him to make decisions that will impact him even if they’re not what I would choose.  Every day I pray three things for him before he goes to school:  That he would grow closer to Christ; that he would grow academically; and that he would grow in responsibility as a young man.  The last two years I have watched my son blossom through adversity.  As I look back at the little things I used to worry about, I wouldn’t change anything except the amount of time I spent worrying.  Not his size, being little has helped him to be an overcomer and has taught him compassion for others.  Not his academic challenges, struggling has taught him how to battle back and overcome.  As a result he doesn’t fear failure and has such courage.  And finally, not his social skills.  Allowing my child the opportunity to find his talent (instead of what I thought it should be) not only ignited his passion athletically, it also unleashed a truly engaging side of him I didn’t know existed.  He really is an amazing young man and I am blessed and proud to be called his mother.

Now back to his words to me last night.  This was the first time my son had voiced his love of his school, his friends, and his teachers.  This was the first time my son told me how much he appreciated the opportunity to “get” to go to Brook Hill.  God has been teaching me to wait patiently on Him.  Last night was the greatest blessing as God affirmed that YES! Brook Hill was the right choice for my son too.  I had to wait several years for it but it was worth the blessing.

My purpose for sharing this with you is for you to feel free to share it with any parent who has a child that is struggling.  My advice is to stay the course and pray diligently.  Choosing another school because your child isn’t happy or is struggling isn’t necessarily the wisest decision.  The choice is really where and in what environment do I want my child to face his/her struggles?  I attribute my son’s success to Brook Hill’s Christ-centered environment and quality faculty and staff who not only educate but truly love our students.  I am convinced had he been anywhere other than Brook Hill, he would not be the young man he is today.

Blessings,

Brook Hill Mom