Normally, I wouldn’t write a blog post that’s personal. I try to keep everything instructional, but this is something that I feel warrants a personal perspective. Currently, Massanutten Military Academy is running a Go Fund Me campaign to help raise scholarship dollars for students. Having worked here for a year, I know what some people think. “It’s a private school, why should we help someone go there when there are public schools?” Well, I think I bring a different perspective because I attended public and private schools as a kid and I’ve taught in both as well.
As a junior I attended Massanutten. I had been in a Catholic school my Freshman year and public schools as a Sophomore, but MMA was something completely different. I had always combatted the “new kid” stigma that comes with moving into a new school. I knew that if I did my work and didnt’ cause any trouble (I was actually a really good kid) then I wouldn’t attract much attention. There was always a teacher that took a passing interest in what I was doing, but that was about the extent of it. So when I came here and suddenly knew everyone in the corps and all of the teachers knew what I was up to, it was like nothing I had experienced before. The atmosphere here was like a family and I gained confidence that I didn’t even know I had in me with all of the support I received from these people who “didn’t have to care.” I chose to enroll here, but could only attend because I was scholarshipped.
As a teacher in a public school, I had an average of 32 students to a class and I know that number is small compared to what other people have in theirs. Watching some of those kids struggle for various reasons will break your heart. I could give you a list of kids that would’ve benefitted from a place like this. Not because they were bad kids or needed behavior reform, but because they needed a smaller class and a more structured environment where they had mandatory study time. I also know that many of my students would not have been able to afford what an education like ours could offer them.
As a teacher and Director here, I see those kids every day. The kids who needed that little bit of extra help. I see them take leadership roles and grow into amazing and confident young men and women. I watch as they learn not only academics but life skills that will benefit them for years to come. I am so lucky to be a part of their development, and I wish we could help every student I’ve seen who could benefit from this. This is why we need your help.
Please help us give students the opportunity that I had. Please donate to our Go Fund Me campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/mmascholarship.