Private, In-Home Tutoring in Durham, North Carolina

Central Park School For Children is located at 724 Foster Street, Durham, NC 27701. Central Park School covers kindergarten through seventh grade. Contact Central Park School at (919) 682-1200. Central Park School, having opened in 2003, is a child-centred, progressive charter school, and it is located in Durham’s energetic downtown Central Park district. The goal of the school is to have classes that will teach the whole child, with a hand-on and project based approach. This school combines established academics with new ways of learning, including music and movement, conflict resolution, and environmental education. Furthermore, the school views their parents as essential partners, who will enrich classroom learning and improve the school. Furthermore, one of the focuses of this school is to foster relationships. They teach their students respect and appreciation for the differences between themselves and their teachers, and the teachers visit each student individually before the beginning of the school year. The school teaches and grades students without standardized testing, they believe that you cannot truly assess the quality of a student through a standard written test. They also try to keep class sizes small, for a more intimate and close learning experience. Between their 600 students and two campuses, they manage to keep elementary class sizes around 16, and middle school class sizes around 23 students.

Voyager Academy is located at 101 Hock Parc, Durham, NC 27704. Voyager Academy covers kindergarten through twelfth grade. Contact Voyager Academy at (919) 433-3301. The mission of Voyager Academy, as detailed on their website, is to, “provide students in kindergarten through grade twelve an academically challenging and supportive learning environment. Staff utilizes experiential and traditional learning strategies so that students become responsible, engaged, and innovative members of society. The school’s expectation is that all students, working with dedicated faculty and family, will excel academically and socially.” At Voyager Academy, they place value in qualities such as being confident and trusting your own ability, being curious and eager to investigate, being empathetic and aware of the feelings of others, being reflective and using past experiences as a guide, and having integrity and doing the right thing. The school, founded in 2005, is nestled on a 20 acre campus, with class sizes of 18 students. The student population has 1350 students in it, with almost half of them being students of colour. Voyager Academy uses a project-based learning approach, in which students tackle real life problems with the problem solving and critical thinking skills that they have amassed in their academic careers.

JD Clement Early College High School is located at 1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707. JD Clement covers ninth grade through twelfth grade. Contact JD Clement at (919) 560-2696. The mission of JD Clement Early College High School, as can be found on their website, is to, “In collaboration with our community and parents… provide all students with an outstanding education that motivates them to reach their full potential and enables them to discover their interests and talents, pursue their goals and dreams, and succeed in college, in the workforce, and as engaged citizens. We share a vision of our schools where every child succeeds. This vision includes schools so enticing that students want to attend every day, where they find a safe, orderly and culturally diverse environment for learning that nurtures and strengthens the whole child—body and mind.” As they mention, the environment they provide teaches students to place a value on all people, and to treat all people with respect. Their curriculum is academically rigorous and challenging, as well as enriched, so that all their students graduate with the thinking skills, creativity, and technological skills to meet demands of any challenge they may face later  in life.

Educating Our Parents: Understanding the Durham District Curriculum

Core academic learning is subject specific in the Durham schools. The Mathematics curriculum followed in the Durham Public Schools is that of real like scenarios that incorporate Algebra, Geometry and Statistics into the students’ everyday life. A thorough understanding of mathematical equations, formulas and work problems are taught on a consistent basis so that students are equipped to use their mathematical experiences from high school beyond the classroom.

The Mathematics curriculum is rigorous and geared for students that are ready to take on the challenge of being able to complete problems from beginning to end, then know how to relay back what they did to solve a problem. The curriculum will get the students to learning and thinking outside of their comfort zones in math, as they advance in this subject, the more they will be successful at solving complex problems.

Durham is a city in North Carolina, and it is the seat of Durham County. Durham is also the fourth largest city in the state, as well as the 78th most populous city in the nation. Durham is relatively large, covering an area of 280.4km2, and housing a population of 251,893. Durham is one of the corners of the “Research Triangle”, a region cornered by three prestigious research institutions; Durham is the location of Duke University. The major employers in the area are Duke University and the Duke Medical Center, which employ nearly 40,000 people, and are located only 2 miles west of the original downtown area.

As of the 2010 census, there were 228,330 people, 93,441 households, and 52,409 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,406.0 people per square mile (928.9/km²). There were 103,221 housing units at an average density of 1,087.7 per square mile (419.9/km²). In the city, the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.1 years.

The Sarah P. Duke Gardens

The Duke Gardens are situated on 55 acres of beautiful land, which attract over 375,000 people annually to the heart of Duke University.  They also run public classes and events, such as adult education programs, tours, children and family programs, science of the season programs, and nature adventures camps. The gardens are tended by a team of virtuous volunteers, who offer information, guide tours and lead educational programs, tend the gardens, and overall enrich the experience for all visitors. About half of the budget used to sustain the gardens comes directly from the university, with the other half coming from generous donors enthralled by the beauty offered within the gardens.  For more information, please visit their website here.

The Museum of Life and Science

The mission of the Museum of Life and Science is to, “create a place of lifelong learning where people, from young child to senior citizen, embrace science as a way of knowing about themselves, their community, and their world.” The museum itself is less than 5 miles from the downtown core of Durham, and it is one of North Carolina’s top family destinations. Set on an 84 acre property, the interactive science park has a two storey science center, one of the largest butterfly conservatories, and gorgeous outdoor exhibits that have become safe havens for rescued black bears, lemurs, and red wolves. Some of their other popular attractions include their other 60 species of live animals, the Dinosaur Trail, Ellerbe Creek Railway, and Into the Mist. The exhibits at the Museum of Life and Science are designed specifically to spark curiosity and wonder, with a focus on STEM learning. The museum aims to have all visitors embrace science, both as a way of coming to understand themselves, and to understand the way the world works. For more information, please visit their website here.

The Duke University Chapel

The Chapel, which is located on the west campus of Duke University, is almost as beautiful as it is rife with history. The Chapel was built starting in 1930 and finished in 1932, with its formal dedication taking place on June 2, 1935. During this time, it was commonplace for the students to gather at the stonemasons’ huts in order to watch the Chapel take shape. It was used for commencement starting the year it was finished. The Chapel is technically a Christian church, but it has a unique interdenominational character and purpose, with people from many different backgrounds and faiths going there to pray and participate in the tradition of inspiring worship and music. For more information, please visit their website here.

Interesting Facts

• Durham is called the City of Medicine for a reason: it is home to over 300 health and medical related businesses.
• Before Europeans arrived, the area now known as Durham was occupied by two tribes of Native Americans who farmed the area: the Eno and the Occanecchi.
• Durham was home to Erwin Mill, the first textile manufacturer to produce denim.
• The City of Durham maintains over 60 public parks with over 1,800 acres of green space and over 20 miles of trails and greenways.
• The only Rose Bowl game not played in Pasadena, CA was played in Durham in 1942. This past November (2015), a man found a trophy in the trash that appeared to be from the 1942 Bowl game.