Combined classrooms and a principal who teaches: This is how Savoy's Emma L. Miller School stays small, personal and keeps a balanced school budget

The Emma L. Miller School in Savoy, Illinois has managed to keep their small town school feel while balancing their school budget through unique teaching methods. Their secret? Combined classrooms and a principal who teaches.

What caught my attention in this article was how this small school manages to thrive despite national trends towards larger and more impersonalized schools. The school, which has just over 100 students spanning preschool to 8th grade, has implemented combined classrooms for certain subjects so that students of different ages can learn from and with each other. The principal, who is also a teacher, is able to directly impact the educational experience of every student.

While these tactics might sound old-fashioned, the school has adapted them to modern times. The combined classrooms utilize technology like online testing and allow for more individualized attention for each student. Meanwhile, the principal has created a community where every student, no matter their age or grade, knows each other’s name.

As someone who grew up in a small town with a small school, I know first-hand the value of an intimate educational experience. This article showcases the success of a school that has managed to stay small and intimate while retaining high educational standards.

The story of the Emma L. Miller School serves as a reminder that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education. We need to be open to different methods and approaches, especially if they’re effective. By highlighting this small school’s success, maybe others will consider following in their footsteps.