The Geneva School of PA Offers an Excellent Classical Christian Education

The Geneva School of PA is a wonderful school for children in Northeast Pennsylvania--offering a classical Christian education. They offer Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. I stumbled upon this school almost accidentally when doing a website search for private schools for my son. It is a small school, with less than 50 children enrolled, but they are growing each year. Actually, I like the small size because my son gets far more individualized attention then he would in a larger private or public school.

The Geneva School is open to all faiths, although parents do have to sign a document agreeing with their statement of faith when they enroll their children. Tuition ranges from $1295 for 3 day (half-day) preschool, to $3600 for the higher grades. They have an all-day academic Kindergarten program which is $2600 for the year (note: these prices are for the 2006-2007 school year). The school does require a minimal number of volunteer hours from parents each month to help keep the costs down and to ensure parental involvement in the children's education.

One thing I like about the school is that the children wear uniforms. It's so easy to get my son dressed in the morning. They wear khaki pants/corduroys (that you can get from any maker/brand), and embroidered shirts with the school logo. There is also a sweater vest with the school logo to be worn on dress uniform days; the girls wear plaid jumpers on dress uniform days (once a week). The girls may wear pants on the other days.

The teachers are well-qualified educationally. I appreciate this, because some private schools do not look enough into teacher qualifications. I know that the teachers are very committed because they do not get paid even close to the salaries that they would command if they were to teach in public schools. My son's Pre-K teacher definitely goes above and beyond what is required. She even keeps one student for twenty minutes every day after the school day ends and spends individual time with them.

The school follows the classical model of education called the Trivium which consists of three different stages of learning. My experience has been mostly with the Pre-K as that is what my son is enrolled in. They do a lot of hands-on learning. There are various stations around the bright, colorful classroom (science, math, reading). They also do circle time, play, sign language, and some worksheets with letters and numbers. The children will be well-prepared for Kindergarten.

If you are looking for a quality private school in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of Pennsylvania definitely check out the Geneva School. They offer open houses or private tours. You will not be disappointed.