This post is in partnership with Fusion Academy.
Remember when you were in middle school —ahh, the good old days…
(record scratch) Wait, the good old days?
Actually, middle school was terrible and high school wasn’t so great either. If your experience was anything like mine, you had to navigate all the normal growing pains of being a tween and teen in a traditional school. That meant huge classrooms, tons of homework, and academic programs that led to memorizing facts instead of understanding concepts. It was a one-school-fits-all concept, but, thank goodness, schools are changing. Education is changing.
A New Way of Learning
There is a new way of learning that is revolutionizing your traditional classroom, Fusion Academy. I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with the Head of School, Daniel Wright, and some of his associates at the new Fusion Academy in Berkeley.
I immediately felt calm when I entered the brand new facility. Soothing music, a zen atmosphere — it was very different from my usual early morning routine of wrangling two kids and fighting traffic. While waiting for my appointment, I noticed pictures on the wall. They seemed “old.” They couldn’t be current students; who were these people? I later found out these were photos of the teachers, at younger ages, to remind the students and the teachers themselves that they once were in the exact same shoes as current students. (Love this.)
[easy-image-collage id=15118]
One-to-One Learning
Fusion’s approach to learning is truly unique: it’s one-to-one learning. Yes, you read that correctly. One teacher for one student. And the passion and excitement about Berkeley’s new location was palpable during my whole visit. The facility is beautiful with naturally lit classrooms, friendly teachers, and happy students.
Flexibility
Fusion Academy is a fully accredited private school for grades 6-12. They accept full-time students, part-time students, and students needing tutoring and college prep. Basically, they are completely flexible to your child’s needs. Need to start a little later in the day? Need to end the day early? Need extra help in one subject while attending another school? No problem!
The course load is also completely personalized to match each student’s strengths, interests, and learning styles.
No Homework
And did I mention there is no homework? That’s correct. Fusion students do their “homework” at school in one of the two homework cafes. One is very calm and quiet, the other very social with couches and a ping pong table (it took me back to my dorm room days). Full-time students usually attend three, 1-hour classes a day, and then spend three hours in the homework cafe. Then when they leave school, they are finished with school. Textbooks stay in the homework cafe.
[easy-image-collage id=15123]
Arts + Science
Fusion Academy is known for its love of the arts and the Berkeley campus has an art studio, two music studios, and a yoga/dance studio. They also have a great science lab, which, as a science geek at heart, I thought was pretty cool!
[easy-image-collage id=15126]
Peers + Adults
I was curious how the students learn social-emotional intelligence in an individualized learning environment, and I really appreciated Mr. Wright’s answer. He explained that Fusion students spend time with peers in the homework cafe, yet, unlike traditional schools, they also learn to interact with adults and advocate for themselves and their needs in a one-to-one teaching setting. This combination sets the Fusion students apart and sets them up for success moving forward in their careers.
Open House
With over 50 Fusion Academy locations in the US and 7 in the Bay Area, we are very excited to announce the new Fusion Berkeley.
