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Emily Billings with her class as Westside Christian Academy.
Emily Billings among Teachers at Open House on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016
After several years of being homeschooled, Emily Billings entered Westside Christian Academy as a third grade student and graduated five years later. This academic year she returned to WCA, now a K-12 school, to teach third grade. At the school’s open house on Saturday, February 27, she will be answering parents’ questions not just about the curriculum she is teaching but how a classical Christian education prepared her for much more than a job after college graduation.
“When I returned to WCA in the fall, I felt as if I was coming home. I always felt cared for and genuinely loved by my teachers,” said Billings. The student-teacher ratio was about the same then as today, 12:1, so her teachers could really get to know her.
Their love and care extended beyond her time at WCA. One teacher in particular, Kathy Foldesy, now the Director of Curriculum and Instruction and an Upper School teacher, was Billings’ “go-to” person in high school and college. When her father became sick during her college years, Foldesy was a consistent presence, becoming her life coach with a healing touch. Now as colleagues, Billings knows she can draw on Foldesy’s sixteen years of teaching experience at WCA. In addition, Billings was recently married. Now the women and their husbands have become close friends outside of the school.
“Our teachers spoke life into us, seeing us as the people God had created us to be,” said Billings. “I remember being told, ‘You are an honorable woman of God.’ It had a huge impact.”
Words like those challenged Billings to live up to them in the choices she made in and outside of the classroom. Her teachers apply the concept of “shepherding a child’s heart” both when the child is successful as well as when he stumbles in relationships with other children and adults, classes, goals, etc.
Her classes at WCA were challenging and required discipline that helped her succeed in high school and college. However the approach to learning at WCA was broader under the classical curriculum, a methodology that that produced great Americans such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and Christian thinkers such as CS Lewis. English and history were her favorite classes.
“Students weren’t just ‘grade machines’ learning what was required to get good grades,” she recalled. “When we graduated, we left with the ability to think critically.”
Classical education has three stages: grammar, logic and rhetoric. During Grammar School (kindergarten to sixth grade), students focus on the memorization of key facts in their subjects. They easily learn Latin, the root of most of the English language, which expands their vocabulary and their understanding of new concepts plus prepares them to learn other languages.
As an Upper School student for her last 2 years at WCA, Billings was applying logic to facts and beginning to make reasoned arguments. She said she missed studying under the classical education curriculum in high school and noticed the difference. Although WCA’s parents and staff had long wanted to add a high school, it was launched in August 2015 with 8 students. Today’s students can complete the logic stage through the ninth grade and then the rhetoric stage in grades ten to twelve.
Both Grammar and Upper Schools also offer the arts and daily instruction from the Bible appropriate to the grade level. Extracurricular activities include volleyball, basketball, cheer squad, track, and a variety of clubs.
Billings went to Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, earning her Bachelor of Arts in English and Classical Christian Education. She made the transition from student to teacher after short stints as an intern at WCA and at a school in Fairfax, Virginia.
“When we know what the kids love to do and set high standards, it creates a love of learning that lasts a lifetime,” said Billings. Yet she was also surprised by her students.
“Kids are capable of so much more than we expect. They have amazing memories. They will remember a small detail from a lesson we had a month earlier and apply it to the current lesson,” said Billings. “I love their creativity and their love of learning. It’s exciting for me to see these life-long learners form.”
She is also enjoying the atmosphere that made WCA so special to her as a child.
“There’s a unity. The young kids are not scared of the older ones,” said Billings. “When you see them in the halls, you will see young kids excitedly running up to eighth graders and hug their legs.”
At WCA, “family groups” meet weekly. The multi-grade groups are comprised of a student from each grade and are led by an eighth grade student. The older students can practice leadership and mentoring skills. Younger students enjoy the attention, feel they belong, and are welcomed by the older ones. Billings has seen in her own life how some of her life-long friends came from different grades at WCA. Another benefit of working on projects together in the multi-grade groups is the cooperation and respect for others influences how the student interacts with his or her siblings at home.
Another important surprise has been the reception she has received from the parents of her students in her first year teaching at WCA.
“They are so gracious and welcoming. On the 100th day of school, I received texts and emails from parents expressing their appreciation for what I do and encouraging me,” she said.
“It’s truly a family feeling partnering with the parents,” she continued. “It’s the academic excellence and Biblical truths that foster that partnering. To work and be raised in such a wonderful community is much more than punching a time clock. I feel so blessed.”
Saturday Open House for All Grades with “FunZone” Activities
The Saturday open house for all grades will be held February 27 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Parents can meet the staff and WCA parents, take a tour, and participate in a variety of 20-minute sessions including:
- “What is classical Christian education?”
- “What can I expect in a WCA kindergarten?”
- “Why do you teach Latin?”
- “What does it mean to shepherd a child’s heart?”
- “Upper School (grades 7-12)”
While parents are learning about the school, their children can join the in special “FunZone” activities for ages 3 – 12 in the gym run by WCA parents and student volunteers.
Open House Held during School Hours
Classes will be in session for the weekday Open House for all grades on Thursday, March 3 from 8:45 AM – 10:30 AM. Guests can meet a few WCA parents and teachers, and be given a tour by the headmaster.
Evening Upper School Open House
A special evening open house focused on the Upper School (grades 7-12) will be held on Tuesday, March 8 at 7 pm.
Registration is Appreciated
Although advanced registration is not required, it helps communication, especially if the schedule changes due to inclement weather. More details and online registration can be found on the school’s website at www.westsideacademy.org. Interested parents can also call the office at 440-331-1300 from 8 am to 4 pm on school days.
About Westside Christian Academy
Westside Christian Academy is an inter-denominational K-12 classical and Christian school in Cleveland’s western suburb of Westlake with a Grammar School for Kindergarten to Grade 6 and an Upper School for Grades 7-12. Our mission is to integrate biblical truth with academic excellence so that our students will become leaders committed to impacting the world for Jesus Christ.
Using a classical curriculum and methodology, our academic program includes a strong emphasis on the 3 stages of a classical education: grammar, logic, and rhetoric with classes including Latin, history, science, mathematics and the arts. Through a lens of a Biblical worldview grounded in the Old and New Testament Scriptures, we teach children to think and learn for a lifetime, cultivate Biblical character and leadership, and strive to shepherd a child’s heart, not just behavior.
The student-teacher ratio is favorable with class sizes that average 12. WCA is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and The Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS).
Learn more at www.westsideacademy.org.
