Meet Michelle Thomas of Bolder Pathway School in Broomfield

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Thomas.

Michelle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I always struggled in school as a child with social situations and following directions. I had several caring teachers that took the time to try to help me and it was my high school Biology teacher that inspired me the most to become something more. In fact, it was because of him that I decided to change programs in my freshman year of college to become a Science teacher, rather than pursuing my degree simply in Biology.

After college, I spent several years working at various outdoor education centers around the United States. After teaching for a year in Texas at a small private school, I decided to move to Colorado. Unable to find a teaching job, I worked as an office admin doing budgeting, getting bids for jobs, organizing files, and all the things that would eventually help me to start my own business. I even took an accounting class at CU Boulder in the evening for people who wanted to learn more about budgeting and balance sheets for business.

After two years of office admin work, I decided to start my own tutoring business so I could teach again. Within a few short years, my now husband joined me in the business and we grew enough to start hiring people. Around that time I got involved with several private schools doing remedial class teaching and helped start a half-day remedial program before deciding to start my own full-day private school.

Then it was all about laying out our mission and values.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My adventure of starting a private school has been like a roller coaster ride. There are times when it is exciting and other times I am scared to death of getting hurt. Not physically hurt, but I invest my time, money, and energy into what I do. The kids I serve are my life. For instance, when we outgrew the building we were leasing in Louisville, we searched for over two years to find the right place.

We finally found a great building we could buy in Broomfield and transform it into a school. We sold our house to have enough capital to purchase the building and then someone came in and bought it for cash. Our hope was dashed and we had to start the search over. We found the building we are in now, which needed a lot of changes and upgrades to serve our needs. What started out at as a $100K buildout quickly tripled in costs.

This was a huge set back for us. However, we were still able to make due with the parts of the building we did build-out to grow an amazing school that stayed true to our mission. And yes, there are still parts we need to build out, but we are on hold for now until we can grow our student population.

Tell us about Bolder Pathway School – what should we know?
We are most well known now for providing a middle and high school level private school that provides academics in a way that each of our students need. We have thrown out the lecture-style teaching model and replaced it with a model that includes multiple methods of teaching to each student at their individual level and pace. We focus on a standards-based learning model that informs a student’s level to move on, rather than the amount of time they sit in a classroom.

That way a student that misses a lot of school because of anxiety or illness is not held back by their number of missed days. We understand that some students may take longer to graduate and have had several students stay an extra year to graduate, meeting the full standards of their peers. We also have some that come in with severe learning disabilities, especially in reading, and we are able to remediate those needs by looking for methods that work for that individual student, rather than a one-size-fits-all program. By providing these students with audio and video options for learning, we no longer hinder their learning ability because they have trouble with reading.

We also have a top-notch Art program, a core component of our academics, that each student takes daily like any other academic course. After learning the basics of Art, they begin to explore their preferred area of Art, whether it is painting, photography, or digital design. We have many talented artists that never got to develop their skills for various reasons, but here they flourish and grown their skills and talents.

Finally, we provide real-world social skills development between our students. They learn how to interact with others and develop empathy for the needs of others by sitting down to discuss conflict, rather than just being punished. When there is a conflict between students or a student and a teacher, we engage in a social learning experience that involves both sides voicing their thoughts and feelings, as well as listening to the other person’s perspective. This creates a stronger understanding of the needs of others and how to create healthy boundaries and friendships.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel that my drive to be a lifelong learner is what has helped me most to be successful. I never stop learning from looking at new research in education and learning to developing my leaderships skills. I encourage my staff to read and if they have found information they think is valuable to the team, my hope is that they will share it will all of us.

This ongoing learning process is also important for understanding each student. Many of them come to us with a label and people often say, “this is the way to teach a child with label x.” However, in my years of experience, I find that getting to know the individual helps more than knowing their label. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences which is important to help them be successful. That in and of itself is an ongoing learning opportunity, as I get to know each student, parent, and staff member involved in the school!

Pricing:

• Daily School Program: $22,000 per year
• Individual Tutoring Sessions: $60 per hour
• Remedial Tutoring Sessions: $70 per hour
• KTEA3 Academic Testing and Dyslexia Screener: $300
• Consulations Available Upon Request

Contact Info:

• Address: 320 E. 1st Ave. Suite 101 Broomfield, CO 80020
• Website: www.bolderpathwayschool.com
• Phone: 7204209266
• Email: info@bolderpathwayschool.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BolderSchool/
• Other: www.greatschools.org/colorado/broomfield/4254-Bolder-Pathway-School/

Image Credit:
Fortuitious Photography, students, and staff

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