Most families recognize that one lesson plan for a class of children is not adequate to meet the needs of every child in the class. With pressure on teachers and schools to ensure that the majority of children in the class meet a minimum set of skills, children who are ready for additional information are either used as student teachers or ignored. Boredom is common and is not only painful but also a lost opportunity. Not only do children learn to think that school is boring, but it can also lead very capable students to feel that they are not good at school. Many times, they have difficulty relating to other children in their classes because they relate better to adults or older students.

My mother had a radical idea: create a school where the student-teacher ratio was kept low, and use those low ratios to differentiate the academics. What she found was that not only did this allow her to teach classes up to four grade levels above grade, but it also made it more fun for the children. It allowed her to integrate social and communication skills as well. This approach enabled children to communicate and brainstorm ideas with classmates without hiding who they are and what they think.