I have nine years of university education and graduated from UC Davis.  I attended graduate school there, and then worked for UC Davis as a research scientist for ten more years.  I understand the university requirements and am better equipped than most teachers for preparing your child for their academic future.  And, as a scientist who became a Christian, I believe I am also uniquely equipped to help prepare them for many of the spiritual challenges to come. But they must listen… 

      
Sierra Academics is not a business, and isn’t run as such.  Our tuition and fee schedule are as low as we can make them and still keep the doors open.  We consider teaching your child to be the highest of honors and we take the responsibility extremely seriously because so much of who, and what, your child becomes is dramatically affected by their productivity during their high school years.  If we were a business, we would raise our tuition, listen attentively to every complaint, lower our academic and behavioral standards… and our classes would be full.   (Our classes are rarely full.)

            
Our academic system works…

Many of our students have successfully passed AP tests in History, English and we have even had freshmen pass the AP Biology exam.  These AP exams are currently the highest standard in pre-collegiate academics and aside from helping students compete for scholarships, students can also receive college credits while still in high school.
   

Sierra Academics is not a perfect program—far from it—primarily because I am far from perfect.  But it is a special program—a unique program—for unique families who are willing to do what it takes to prepare their child.  It is also an honest program.  If your child has character flaws, they will be made aware of them—clearly and gently at first, and then, if necessary, more bluntly—and they will be encouraged to lean on Christ and make the necessary changes. 

The program is run a great deal like a team—a Christian team—and like a member of a team, students need to fully participate and can’t be allowed to pick and choose which exercises they’ll do, and which exercises they won’t.  We are usually doing our best work when your student is being stretched.  But, be prepared, they will complain.  And I have found, both as a teacher and a coach, that the child’s complaints usually become the parent’s complaints as well.  However, the students who get the most out of our program are always those who complain the least.  Why don’t they complain more?  Well, it’s generally because they know their parents will simply tell them to “get over it and get to work.”  If you are this kind of parent, your child has a great chance at having a very positive and productive time while attending Sierra Academics.

Please note…

We will make mistakes at times, and you may even disagree with us on the best way to do things.  Be assured that a great deal of thought has gone into every academic decision and that your goals and ours are the same.  Please understand that if we had a meeting or changed some facet of our program every time someone was displeased, we would get little else accomplished and there would soon be nothing remaining of our program.

So, in order to protect the students of the non-complaining families from the tyranny of the more vocal among us, and in order to help defend our academic standards, we have discovered that the only truly effective way to deal with this situation, is to encourage parents with serious complaints to remove their students from our program and take them somewhere they feel they would be better served.

We are trying to help you do an incredibly difficult thing and raise more than just men and women.  We are trying to help you raise capable, confident, bold—yet humble—ladies and gentlemen, who understand the world and their purpose in it, and who will impact future generations for Christ.

We are well aware that we can’t force children into becoming what we want them to be, but we can help them see themselves, the world, and Christ, more clearly and help them choose to become something more than they would otherwise have been.  And though we try to have as much fun as possible, the process isn’t always pleasant... but the rewards are eternal and immeasurable.

I wish it could be easier and more pleasant for all of us, but rarely do things of value come easily or without sacrifice.

May God bless you and your family,

Matt Sween