From First Day to Flourishing
Four years ago, a student walked into CALE unsure of what to expect. Today, she is thriving — growing in academic confidence, surrounded by close friends, serving as a member of the CALE Kindness Club, and even volunteering to read with our elementary students.
Recently, this student revisited a piece she wrote about her very first day at CALE. Her words capture what
it felt like to step into a place where she was truly seen.
A Student's Story
One day, my mom told me we were going to another tutoring place. (I have probably been to a
million tutoring places.) I had to have a lot of help because of my ADHD and dyslexia, but none
of these places did anything for me.
“From the looks of it, this was just another one of those places — but boy was I wrong!”
Crunch, crunch. I loved the sound of the fall leaves beneath my feet on our way to the door. When I went inside, a woman named Suzie gave me a huge hug. Her hugs must have been her superpower, and she was as sweet as candy. She was so good at overwhelming people with her love and joy. Her hugs were filled with compassion and care, and they made me feel loved and welcome.
“Hi love bug,” she greeted in one of the sweetest voices I had ever heard. I could see from the beginning that CALE was not like the other places because they cared about me and my needs. I could tell she was going to be like a second mother to me.”
Later in the day, I met another teacher (who was probably going to be my third mother)! She was very fancy, dressed with a big diamond necklaces and red lipstick. When she started to teach me, I could tell she knew what she was doing. I was learning that I was going to grow with this person named Miss Jill. Happiness gripped my heart like a magnet.
The only thing I was wishing for was a school. When Miss Jill finished tutoring me, she said,
“Let me show you the rest of our school.” “Ok,” I responded, excitement rushing through me. We
walked through the hallways, seeing classrooms and when we got back to the entrance, my
mom and dad were talking with Suzie. On the ride home, I wanted to ask if I could go to school
there, but I knew we couldn’t afford it. Then my mom interrupted my thoughts, “So, how’d you like it there?”
“I loved it, ” I responded with obvious joy.
“That’s wonderful, because we were thinking about sending you here,” she admitted.
“Huh? Really?” I choked, overjoyed.
“Yes, I’m so excited!” I told her. I wasn’t going to have to worry about those papers that I didn't
know how to do. I had a wonderful opportunity to grow and learn something for once and a
chance to make new friends.
“Wonderful,” she responded. That was the beginning of the end of my worries and the stress about school and the beginning of the best years of my life!
Dreaming Forward
At CALE, we don’t just help students grow — we empower them to turn their growth into action.
After experiencing firsthand how powerful the right learning environment can be, one student chose to step forward and explore what it would look like to create that impact for others.
Learning that Inspires Leadership
At CALE, we believe the most meaningful learning happens when students experience growth personally — and then are inspired to carry it forward.
Sarah experienced this firsthand. Through personalized instruction and classrooms rooted in kindness and respect, she saw her own academic confidence grow. Just as importantly, she developed strong social-emotional skills — learning how to communicate, advocate for herself, and build healthy relationships. She didn’t just succeed in her classes; she felt seen, supported, and challenged in ways that helped her thrive.
As Sarah began thinking about what she might want to study in high school, she realized she was drawn to education. Although CALE does not currently have a formal internship program, Sarah took the initiative to propose creating a summer opportunity for herself. She expressed a desire to volunteer her time, work alongside CALE leaders and teachers, and better understand the “why” behind the approach that had shaped her own growth.
Turning Passion into Action
At CALE, this is exactly what we hope to see — students moving their learning and dreams from conversation into action. When given space to explore ideas and pursue interests withsupport, they develop real-world skills like initiative, communication, problem-solving, and leadership.
- She advocated for an idea.
- She created a plan.
- She put it into motion.
Sarah’s story reflects what happens when students grow in an environment that nurtures both competence and character. When students feel empowered, they don’t just imagine possibilities — they begin building them.
“I want to tell you how much I love CALE and how you, Dr. Jill and Dr. Susan, have created such a loving, comfortable, and outstanding learning environment to be in. Thank you!” —Sarah, CALE middle school student
The following is a parent's personal testimonial about their daughter's experience starting at CALE in 2022.
Prior to attending CALE, our daughter was diagnosed with a learning disability, memory impairment, anxiety, and depression. She really struggled in the regular education classroom and could only access specific help in a special education classroom during short assigned parts of her learning day. She was so unhappy in school. She was beginning to realize that her peers were performing above her own ability level and school was not fun for her. She felt isolated and worked VERY HARD to hide her struggles from her peers. Teachers were constantly telling us that they never saw a child work so hard for such little gain. She HATED going to school and every morning was a fight to get her up and out of bed.
We decided to look at CALE in February of 2022. She was instantly welcomed into the kind and loving arms of the CALE staff AND students. She was EXCITED about this new school option and REQUESTED to go to school and give it a try. The change in her was instant. She began to be excited about school. She was able to work in small ability groups to complete her work with success among her peers. She no longer had to leave the classroom to receive the help she needed. In the short 3 months she attended CALE, she was released from her counseling services and off all her anxiety and depression medication. Best of all she was making progress in her learning and she was able to see herself that she is SMART!!!!
This year we have continued to see the growth that CALE has given to her. She is starting to read and her writing has come so far. She really enjoys school and BEGS us to never take her away. The school and the staff have really poured their love into our girl and we have seen her grow. She is so much happier and more relaxed about her school experience. We are constantly hearing about all the hands on learning she gets to do daily and she is excited to teach us all she has learned. We are so thrilled with the changes we see in our daughter since attending CALE. CALE has truly changed the trajectory of our daughter’s learning journey and we will be forever grateful for the time, energy, and LOVE they have poured into our family.