In a year of unprecedented circumstances in education, it was surprising to see a school come in #1 in the small workplace category in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Surveying businesses on a 24-factor scale including pay, health and wellbeing, etc., who would have thought that a significant number of teachers would have self-reported a high quality work place? But Cornerstone Christian Academy won the small workplace category alongside more well-known places like Brasfield and Gorrie and Supreme Lending. This year, when teaching has supposedly been up-ended forever by the pandemic, how did a school win?  What can we learn from Cornerstone Christian Academy?

First, it is evident that private schools had the opportunity to shine during the pandemic. Less weighed down by bureaucracy, many small schools like Cornerstone Christian were able to adapt in ways that thoughtfully considered both the needs of teachers AND students instead of just one or the other. The AJC describes the way Cornerstone Christian administration took extra care of teachers with events like “Thankful Thursdays” when they would buy teachers and staff lunch from nearby restaurants once everyone came back to school. They also dropped off small treats for teachers when the school was operating virtually. 

But beyond making teachers feel appreciated, they effectively equipped their teachers with the training and technology needed to transition to a successful covid-altered education environment. Much of the conversation surrounding teacher burnout has been less about feeling under-appreciated and more about the powerlessness teachers felt in their ability to act as quality teachers. But this did not seem to be the case at Cornerstone Christian. Maybe it is in part due to the numerous teachers who also have children or grandchildren attending the school. But more likely, this fact is just evidence of the teachers’ strong belief in the school’s quality. 

Still, the most impressive and telling statistic in the AJC article Cornerstone was teachers' desire to continue teaching. Cornerstone teachers, on average, have 14 years of experience teaching. In contrast, around half of the college graduates that become public school teachers each year stay in the profession no longer than 5 years.

It is hard to believe that schools like Cornerstone Christian Academy are the very type of school teacher unions often cast as heartless money machines. Instead, consider what these teachers reported first-hand and consider the level of education they were able to uphold when other schools could not find a way to open their doors. Why are we so afraid to let parents choose schools like Cornerstone Christian Academy for their children?