Magnussen School (Junior Kindergarten through Grade 9) was created by Howard Eaton and Kristin Harbut in 2005. The school opened in September 2006 with six students enrolled in grades three through six. We imagined and created a learning environment that would strive to educate each child as an individual. Our idea was to provide education for all types of learners, in an environment that challenged strengths and supported areas that required strengthening. We have incorporated the ideas of Mel Levine’s All Kinds of Minds, as well as some of Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s philosophies along with our own. Our goal is to teach each child through a tailored education, recognizing the importance of individuality.
Since our origin we have asked the question, “What students does Magnussen School best serve?”
At the beginning, Magnussen School started with a group of students with the designation of gift learning disabled (GLD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The majority of these students displayed exceptional aptitude for acquiring curriculum well beyond their grade level. These students were often described as one of the “smartest” children in the classroom, but often in trouble for not always following directions. They were all inquisitive and emergent learners, but in their former larger class size academic environments, they at times displayed behaviours that posed challenges for their overall achievement and social well-being.
In 2006, Magnussen School became a safe haven for these students. Priority was placed on each student’s strengths. The areas in which they required improvement were addressed and the behaviours that they were once singled-out for in other schools as disconnected or struggling had diminished to near non-existence. The majority of these students, who continued at Magnussen School through the end of grade 9, acquired increased self-esteem, self-advocacy, ability to self-regulate, and all went on to secondary school environments and experienced academic and social success.
As Magnussen School expanded in student population, high-functioning students on the autism spectrum enrolled and experienced academic and social success in our environment. At the same time, students with general education backgrounds that were not meeting their full potential in their former school began transitioning to Magnussen School and here found a school where their talents were celebrated and nurtured. As with the group described earlier, these new students experienced gains in self-esteem, self-advocacy, and academic and social success in future school environments.
Magnussen School Name – Our school name is dedicated to the late Bjorg Magnussen (mother of Kristin Harbut), a strong and loving woman who had intuitive insight; wisdom and compassion for all children.
