Wonders await.
You marvel at your child’s potential each day. The intelligence behind his eyes.
The smile that accompanies a surprise.
His quest to know more and more about the world.
Expert teachers who specialize in whole-brain learning and lead him to new discoveries.
An embracing culture that values his contributions and encourages his best efforts.
A respectful community where he grows as a learner, a performer, an artist, a teammate, and as a fine young person.
These are some of the wonders of Walker. Here, your child cultivates his own unstoppable joy in learning– one wonder at a time.
Other wonders to consider
Teachers who go the extra mile More than half of Walker’s teachers hold advanced degrees–and all engage in regular professional development–facts that speak to the expertise of our faculty. So when your student wants to go deeper, asking “Why?” a few more times after the lesson’s done, her teacher can satisfy her increasing levels of curiosity, providing not just answers, but posing challenging new questions. Our teachers also talk to each other–all the time. It sounds simple, but it translates into a big part of the Walker experience. Because our teachers care about your child’s holistic success, they regularly check in with each other to discuss her academic performance, her emerging interests, her strengths and struggles. Acting as a united team, it’s our job not only to teach compellingly, but to notice patterns and to respond personally to your child’s specific learning needs–and then to communicate openly with both of you.
Culture building character We take pride in our students, because they take pride in themselves and one another. We give them plenty of credit for their good judgment, their intellectual curiosity, and their work ethic. We also expect much of them. Acting with admirable character isn’t going above and beyond at Walker; it’s simply how we carry ourselves, treat each other, and build community. In and out of the classroom, we encourage and expect students to uphold the civic values you’ve been nurturing at home. Because our teachers and staff have known your student for years, we’re quick to help her if she’s struggling and to cheer when she makes wise choices. And when we hear, after she graduates, that she’s standing out as a leader among her college peers? That’s when we swell with pride–though, secretly, it comes as no big surprise.
An independently minded curriculum As an independent school, Walker can bypass the state guidelines and standardized tests mandated for public schools and instead focus on what matters to us–authentic, engaging learning that teachers customize based on the interests of the students in front of them. So while biology will always cover cellular respiration, the particular way a Walker teacher presents information and assesses learning varies from year to year, class to class. That level of customization places more responsibility on our teachers– they’re never just teaching out of a book. For your student, it means her voice matters, and her mind will be engaged in original, personally meaningful ways.
The school where he can finish where he started No matter when your child enters Walker, he’s joining a community where he’ll learn and grow all the way to graduation. For our earliest learners, that can mean 13 or 14 years on our campus. But families find Walker at various points throughout a child’s academic journey, and our community welcomes newcomers with the same enthusiasm that we show old friends. Academically, we carefully monitor each student’s transition between grades and divisions. Our ninth-grade teachers talk with your child’s eighth-grade teachers to make sure that your student is already known even before he sets foot into his first freshman class. Because we’re a safe place, intellectual risks occur naturally. Because we’re a nurturing community, we ratchet up the challenges. It’s a carefully designed interplay that shapes your child’s increasingly independent journey toward college.
An independently-minded curriculum As an independent school, Walker can move beyond state guidelines and standardized test mandates focusing instead on what matters to us–authentic, engaging learning that teachers customize based on the interests of the students in front of them. So while biology will always cover cellular respiration, the particular way a Walker teacher presents information and assesses learning varies from year to year, class to class. That level of customization places more responsibility on our teachers– they’re never just teaching out of a book. For your student, it means her voice matters, and her mind will be engaged in original, personally meaningful ways.
Performances strengthening confidence Dramatic speeches. Spring plays. Show Choir. Debate Team. Upper School Jazz Band. Walker steadily weaves performance opportunities into your student’s in-class and after-school life–just check out our preschoolers, who sing every day! We’ve seen our shyest students seek out more public speaking opportunities after an inspiring practice run, and watched gregarious children bring confidence, sparked on the stage, back to the classroom. With abundant leadership opportunities in our after-school clubs and encouraging pre-k-12 theatre arts, vocal, and instrumental ensembles, your student can’t help but pick up smart presentation habits and valuable poise.
Learning lessons on the field We’re committed to making athletics inclusive and welcoming at Walker while at the same time fielding highly competitive teams. Maybe that’s why eighty percent of Walker’s most recent graduates participated in a varsity sport. We consistently demand the best from our athletes, and they rise to the challenge. Walker’s coaches draw out your student’s personal best because, over time, they’ve come to understand his particular strengths and motivations. Contemporary research continues to prove the correlation between physical activity and sharper cognition in the classroom, and at Walker, we know the reverse is true as well–the critical thinking we encourage in the classroom provokes alert decision-making out on the basketball court or the soccer field. At Walker, our students learn to play both hard and smart. Visit and see a game for yourself.
When wonders combine. . . A stimulating, carefully-sequenced curriculum. An enviable student-teacher ratio. A senior class whose friendships endure over the years. Myriad opportunities for students to prove what they learn, and to keep surprising themselves.
. . . the results speak volumes
Presidential Scholars
Independent researchers
State champions
International travelers
Accomplished artists
Ivy League graduates
Multi-lingual teenagers
Future Ph.D.s
Community organizers
Inspiring young adults
Students who never stop growing.
The best way to learn more about Walker is to see our wonders in action. Your family can schedule a tour or a shadow day year-round.
THE WALKER SCHOOL
where wonders await.
678-581-6891
walkerwonders.org
THE WALKER SCHOOL 700 Cobb Parkway North Marietta, GA 30062-2404
walkerwonders.org