PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A private school near Rockford is using a modern twist on the one-room schoolhouse model, mixing students of different ages and allowing them to learn at their own pace.
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Bethel Community Education teaches students from preschool through eighth grade in four classrooms, grouping children by learning needs rather than traditional grade levels.
"We decided to come here because my brain is built different, which means normal ways of learning just doesn't make sense to me," said 14-year-old Broklyn Landis, who has attended the school for four years after struggling in a traditional education setting.
The mixed-age approach allows older students to help younger ones while learning from peers with different learning styles.
"I would say I really like it because, like, I can be an older person and like, help people in like, the ways they need help. But I can also see, like, how other people are different, like, do things differently. And I can, like, learn from other people," Landis said.
Executive Director Amy Zwiep founded the school in 2019 after working as an assistant principal and teacher in traditional schools.
"I was an assistant principal and a teacher in a traditional model, and I really started to wrestle with that. Here we believe all children are made in God's image, and they learn differently," Zwiep said.
Rather than focusing primarily on curriculum, the school emphasizes individualized learning plans and students' emotional well-being. Students can advance beyond their traditional grade level in subjects where they excel.
"Here at Bethel, with an individualized growth plan for that learner. We can have a fourth grader doing eighth-grade math and keep going because we want them to excel in what comes naturally," Zwiep said.
Students are not expected to fit a predetermined academic mold and are encouraged to grow at their own pace.
"I feel like the way that people help me here, and like, help me through like, struggles and stuff like that, I couldn't imagine not having that support," Landis said.
For more information on Bethel Community Education, CLICK HERE.
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