The Journey School of Houston provides inclusive education to meet the needs of the whole child. Our personalized curriculum supports individual growth in order for each child to succeed and live with intention.
To serve the educational needs of exceptional students using an inclusive environment, built on the basic tenets of respect and compassion. Children develop adaptive social practice, problem-solving skills, and discover their learning potential in a setting that addresses the needs of each child.
Our deep understanding of child development with a working knowledge of how children learn is the foundation for student-teacher relationships that are emotionally connected with a curriculum that is specifically designed to enhance a child’s innate intelligence and creativity.
Learner Profile
The Journey School learner is a bright student with social and emotional delays, otherwise known as twice-exceptional. Many Journey students have been diagnosed with ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, or a learning disability. Some students have had traumatic experiences that interfere academically and socially.
Common Characteristics
Common strengths of twice-exceptional learners:
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Advanced vocabulary
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Highly creative
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Inquisitive
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Desire to understand why things work
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Consuming interest or talent, they are exceptionally knowledgeable about
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Quirky yet sophisticated sense of humor
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Express advanced ideas and opinions (sometimes well above their age/grade level)
Common challenges of twice-exceptional learners:
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Inconsistent academic performance
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Poor spelling skills
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Perfectionist
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Afraid of failure
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Sensitive to feedback
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Difficulty with written expression (due to feedback sensitivity or self-criticism)
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Poor executive functioning skills
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Difficulty recognizing social cues
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Low frustration threshold
Academic & Talent Development
By understanding and leveraging each student's interests, abilities, curiosities, teachers can differentiate between each child's strengths while supporting their weaknesses. Each child's natural curiosity is used to foster wonder and problem-solving. The classroom environment allows child-led exploration, which encourages discovery and refining of talents and gifts and a sense of ownership over their education.
Social & Emotional Learning
The school integrates 8 core social and emotional skills (self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, goal-directed behavior, relationship skills, personal responsibility, decision making, and optimistic thinking) to support students to navigate school and life feeling valued and efficacious. Teachers are trained to integrate social and emotional learning into their instructional approach, providing learning experiences that are complex that allow for exploration and deeper understanding of the curriculum.
Family Perspective
The family is the central component of the child's life. The family plays an active role on the school team by contributing their parental experience, promoting their goals for their child, and understanding the developmental process.
Our child development specialists are credentialed mental-health professionals, who help families and educators understand the internal experience of the child. Family consultants, with a clinical license, recognize the family's central role in the success of children. By working as a team with the parents and educators, the team empowers each child to integrate who they are with what they learn, cultivating independent thinkers who are self-motivated and exceed standards set for them.