Time to Learn, Time to Grow

Bromley's calendar-year curriculum emphasizes educating the whole student

One of the biggest challenges faced by girls enrolled in therapeutic programs is the pressure to catch up academically. Having missed school or coursework for a myriad of reasons, many girls find themselves in possession of "partial" academic credits or simply missing whole course credits entirely - and while these gaps are not without cause, missing or incomplete coursework can create a vast amount of unnecessary anxiety for both students and parents.

So when the directors of Bromley Brook sat down to design a curriculum that would alleviate unnecessary pressure, stress and anxiety from the lives of girls already struggling to make vital lifestyle changes, one thing was immediately obvious: a twelve-month program would give girls time to focus on their emotional and personal growth without sacrificing the opportunity to make critical academic progress. What's more, scheduling academic courses for the first four days of the week then devoting two entire days to fine arts would further enhance the school's focus on educating and nurturing the whole student.

Already featured in the New York Times, Bromley's curriculum - with its emphasis on fine art as a means of creative expression, personal development and, quite simply, as one of the tenets of a strong, well-rounded education - empowers girls by removing the sometimes over-whelming pressure to earn or "make up" academic credit, replacing it instead with a consistent focus on the process of learning itself.

"Our [students often need] to move through curriculum more slowly, more actively and more thoroughly," says Bromley's academic director Laura Mack, who adds that the student body's broad range of types, abilities and motivations necessitates a high degree of sensitivity towards class size and pacing - especially since the girls are also expected to devote a great deal of time to personal and emotional growth.

It is precisely this dual commitment to academics and emotional development that sets Bromley apart from other therapeutic schools, many of which do not offer a full range of academic courses (including lab sciences and field work). But, as Mack puts it, "there is great therapeutic value in honest work, honestly done" and in the "rush and hurry, the social complexities, the curriculum focused solely on test scores and the sheer struggle that is the modern public high school," this fundamental truth is often overlooked or worse, absent to begin with.

And from inquiry-based science classes to developing comprehensive fine art portfolios, group-based therapy and personal counseling, Bromley is redefining education for each of its students, transforming the concept of learning into a journey of personal discovery both inside the classroom and out. On a practical note, by lengthening the academic year into three terms (September-December, January-May, May-September) it's also giving each student the time and space she needs to make solid, sustainable progress - at her own pace.

As one current student observes, "When I first got here [from a wilderness therapy program] I was really stressed out about credits. Then I realized I have just as much time as I need to get them done - at Bromley, I have the time to prepare for my future."