Why GCCA: The Gjone Family's Story
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and all your strength. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
- Deuteronomy 6:5-7
Our names are Jim and Mandy Gjone, and five years ago, we decided to take responsibility for the education our boys received. This decision led us to move them (Luke, then starting 5th grade and Hudson, starting 2nd grade) to Grace Classical Christian Academy. “Why classical Christian education?,” many people asked. To put it quite simply, we wanted our kids to be able to know and defend Biblical truth.
Like every good story, we must first start at the beginning. Eight years ago, our family moved from Georgia (where all of Mandy’s family lived) to Texas for Jim’s job. The first few years everything was smooth sailing. Jim had a great job, we found a church that we loved, the kids were making straight A’s in school, and we had great friends. Slowly God started to reveal that our younger son, Hudson, who was in 1st grade at the time, wasn’t progressing academically as he should. Hudson was sliding through the system, and it was quite clear that he was being pushed through to the 2nd grade without the real knowledge he needed to be successful. We started making inquiries to his teacher about grades, homework, or any feedback she could give us…but we were met with silence. That year, God blessed us with a teacher that did not do her job. We say “blessed,” because it was her lack of concern for Hudson that caused us to seek the Lord in regards to our children’s education.
We had a few family friends that went to GCCA, so we knew of the school, but not really what classical Christian education was about. So, nervously and a little skeptically, we went to an Open House at GCCA to see what a classical Christian school looked like. Luke sat in with us as we watched children demonstrate what they were learning in school about God and His creation with such joy and enthusiasm. We were amazed at the students’ ability to communicate their understanding of the subjects they were learning about. That night it was impressed upon Jim that he - not the government - was responsible for the education our children received. After much prayer and discussion, we decided to make the leap into classical Christian education.
We would love to say that it was a smooth transition, but that would not be the truth. The first six months were some of the toughest months we had ever experienced. Failure is not swept under the rug or ignored, it is acknowledged and corrected so understanding and learning are achieved. As Luke and Hudson worked hard to catch up, our family spent (and continues to spend) a lot of time together reading, talking, doing math, learning and relearning new material. The GCCA teachers and headmaster provide instruction and feedback on gaps or progress of the students which helps us prioritize study time and work on areas that need to be understood better. Each subject is grounded on the basis that learning helps us understand God and the universe He created. It is a blessing to hear them quoting Proverbs daily and learning about God through math, history, grammar and every other subject.
Through all of the work, the boys are gaining knowledge, understanding, and character development to help them be successful and stand on their own when the time comes. We are learning to never underestimate our children. They are capable of “doing hard things,” which is our new family motto. Grace Classical Christian Academy is helping us to take ownership of our children’s education and find joy in the rigor.