Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Hudson College (2021)
Hudson College alumni, current students, and parents shared their insights on the school’s culture, values, strengths, and weaknesses. Hear what Jane Gutcher, Brian Sahely, Taylor Stockwell had to say about the school.
Video Contents
- 1:51 - Why you chose Hudson originally? In what ways is Hudson what you expected and what maybe surprised you a little bit about the school?
- 7:53 - What do you think the biggest impact has been on your child?
- 11:01 - What in your experience do you think differentiates Hudson from other schools?
- Show Full Video Contents
Highlights from the Q&A discussion
Jane Gutcher — current parent
When Jane’s daughter first came to Hudson College, she came into herself and out of her shell. Later, Jane's son joined the school. Now that they are both in high school at Hudson, Jane says she appreciates the school’s uniqueness in many ways. The care and individual attention the teachers give to the students are a big part of it. Another factor is the tools the school uses to deliver education, such as Hudson's student laptop program and its exceptional STEM facilities. The biggest one of all, she says, is that Hudson feels like home.
- “[My daughter] was really a changed person [at Hudson College]. She came out of her shell. She was a little bit more chatty about school, and so we really realized that we made the right choice. She was coming home and telling us about the conversations she was having in the classroom with her teacher and other students, and how engaging everybody was. I think we came to the conclusion that even though Hudson is a little small, it actually created a really great forum for her to be able to express her thoughts and opinions.”
- “For [my daughter], she really came out of her shell. I don't know how to express that even more strongly. At the other school that she was at, [my daughter] didn't feel like she had a voice. As a female student, she didn't feel like she had a voice. She always felt that there was a sense that she was being taught at, and not taught. There wasn't this inclusive sense of learning. So when we came to Hudson [College], one of the things that she really loved was how engaging the teachers are.”
- “They asked her for her opinion, and sometimes [my daughter] can have very interesting points of view. [My daughter] felt like she was validated [at Hudson College], and it was okay to have those different points of view. I think that's what really made her feel more confident. … She expresses herself verbally to us very eloquently. However, when she was writing things down, she was always second guessing everything. So she was always thinking that she was going to be judged for her writing, certain kinds of points of views or opinions, but because she was given that confidence, she was able to really express herself well. I think that came out in her writing, and her writing did improve. I did notice that.”
- “One of the things that always is important for any parent is a high level of learning, especially when you're going to a private school. You're paying for the education. So you hope that you are getting a return on your investment. With Hudson [College], we can't say that we have anything to complain about as far as the level of education. … We really appreciate that [our kids are] challenged. Each of the teachers, it seems like they get to know our kids and see what really motivates them. Using that, they use certain techniques to help them, and really push them to their limits.”
- “I think what we can see is that Hudson College values a high level of education, but they're also really inquisitive and get to know the kids, and they're caring. I see those as the values that I observed that Hudson [College] has.”
- “The words that I came up with [to describe Hudson College] were insightful, caring, and intelligent. Insightful, because the teachers really get to know the kids. I think the teachers themselves, perhaps it's because it's a small school, seem to all know each other. If [my daughter] was in one teacher's class, another teacher might talk about [her] and say, ‘okay, she's having a bit of a stressful day, or she was stressed about having three papers due in the same week.’ It's like a kind of collaborative teaching amongst the teachers, and they get to know the students and they ask the right questions to the students to pull out the answers that they're looking for.”
- “[At Hudson College] it's always about really, even if she's doing well, how they can help her to do better, or how they can make sure that she doesn't burn out. So they're very caring. ... I said intelligent because this is something that I didn't touch on. Hudson [College] has so many things that are a little bit unique from other schools, things like all the kinds of STEM equipment, the way that there is a lot more collaborative discussions in class.”
- “There's different tools that [Hudson College] is using, like having the laptop program. I think that's really amazing because one of the teachers mentioned to me last year when [my daughter] was taking math with him, said, ‘Well, we allow the kids to use computers and cut calculators because this is what they'll need to do in University.’ Hudson [College] is really preparing the kids not just to finish high school, but to be able to use the tools that are out there, and not pretending that they don't exist, and then allowing them to become proficient in it.”
- “When [Hudson College graduates] go to a university, they're able to take notes on a computer. ... To have that learning curve be stamped down so that they already know those skills going into university. I think that's something that's highly intelligent for a school to already have in place.”
- “[Our daughter] recently told us that she actually misses going to [Hudson College]. She can't wait for school to start, which is really strange for a 16 year-old to say with her parents in the middle of summer vacation.”
- “[My daughter] really enjoys the fact that she has friends in all the different grades. She was really sad last year, when a couple of friends that she had in Grade 12 had graduated, and they were from overseas and they had gone back overseas. Because [Hudson College] is an international school [my daughter] had some friends that were from other countries. She had friends from all the different grades, and I think that was really great for her. She also feels that Hudson [College] is the right place for her.”
- “We were having a bit of a heart to heart, and [my daughter] said, ‘thank you for changing schools. Thank you for allowing us to do that.’ [My daughter] feels that she finally landed at the right place, and she feels like the whole [Hudson College] student body and the teachers are very caring. When she's in school, she feels like she's part of the family there as well. She loves it.”
Brian Sahely — current parent
Before his daughter started at Hudson College, Brian faced a significant challenge. Instead of simply being a dad, he found himself having to also play the role of a teacher. Brian would spend hours providing the extra help she needed. At Hudson, all that changed. Brian can now enjoy being a parent again, seeing his daughter take charge of her own education. She is now entering high school at Hudson, and her younger sister is about to begin middle school there. Brian takes added comfort in knowing they're attending a school that reflects his own values: structure, consistency, and support.
- “We met one of the kids who actually went to [Hudson College], he was saying how there's a lot of homework at Hudson [College] and they support you, and they're very structured. We went and we watched a few presentations. … We were just impressed. [Hudson College] was a small school and it seemed family-oriented, but everything that we were hoping for in a school, we got it.”
- “[Hudson College] has done really well for my daughter. I used to tell everyone I used to be at home, basically teaching my daughter different stuff, and following up with her [academics], and she never used to like that that much. Ever since she went to Hudson College, I am now able to be a parent. I have not had to sit down with her once since she joined Hudson College [to teach her], and I've been completely a dad. We don’t have the tears that we used to have, so it's very good.”
- “It made [my bond with my daughter] strong, and made me be a parent. That's the number one thing I tell everyone about Hudson [College]. I'm able to be a dad, not a teacher, and that's what I'm most grateful for.”
- “The biggest impact that [Hudson College has had] on my daughter is that it has gained her confidence. She has a lot more confidence now to speak up. ... She never used to speak up and she's speaking up now. She's very independent. I do not need to ever ask if she has homework or she's done her homework. She wants to do her work, and she makes sure she gets it done, and she follows the rules. She's more confident and independent now. The teachers are being so supportive for her, they have done wonders for her.”
- “[The teachers at Hudson College] made [our daughter] feel comfortable and they made her shine in what her talent is. So we're really grateful for it. All the money we've spent on Hudson [College], everything has been worth it today, completely.”
- “The teachers [at Hudson College] care, that's number one. They mandate structure and mandate discipline. Growing up when I was a kid, all my schools demanded that, and I don't see that here [in Canada]. ... But Hudson College demanded it... I believe structure is very important in any school, structure and consistency.”
- “When you have the wavelengths of good and bad, depending on which teacher you get, how they teach, what their values are, how much homework they're given, I find that confuses kids. I think it brings inequality depending on which teacher you get when you get that teacher. Hudson [College] is pure consistency. I know what I'm expecting to get from my kid. I know what I'm going to get out of school and the teachers.”
- “I think that it’s very important for a child to learn that there's an expectation, and it's going to stay like that every year. I think that's very clear at [Hudson College], and I personally wish all schools will follow that construct. ... I think [Hudson College] is a family school. … All the values that I grew up with match the values at [Hudson College], I appreciate that.”
- “[The three words I would use to] describe Hudson are consistent, structured, and supportive. Those are my three words, and I think everybody needs that. Consistency is very important not to confuse the kids. You don't want to be going from different teachers within the same grade, or from one grade to the next grade and have a whole different level of expectations.”
- “All the teachers at Hudson College follow the same requirements of the school. So there's no confusion, and I think that's very important. They give homework, give tests, and give exams, they expect them to be done. They expect people to be obedient to behave in school. There's that structure there. Everybody knows what's expected from them at [Hudson College]. There's no guessing game. So that's awesome. ... If the teachers see that children need help, they help them if they need to, and give them extra time.”
- “If [Hudson College] realizes that a [student] needs a confidence boost, they'll do what they can to give the confidence boost. So they're always supportive. My daughter has never felt scared to go and approach the teacher about anything. … The [students] are willing to approach the teacher about anything and any mistakes. The teacher is able to explain things to them and give them extra time.”
- “Nothing makes you happier as a parent than to see your daughter come home and be so anxious to tell you all these stories about school. So [my daughter] comes home, we'll be eating dinner. ... And she'll have all these stories. She'll be telling us about what happened in class, what happened with the friends, what happened with the teachers. … You just see the glowing on their face, the blushing.”
- “It's so exciting to have your child love school and enjoy it, rather than coming home and crying and not being happy, and to have them be happy and excited and tell you stories. Why would we change schools? To be honest, we were actually going to look at different schools after Grade 8, but after seeing how [our daughter] had done at Hudson College, we didn't even bother to go to any other school.”
- “[My daughter] gets to be my daughter rather than my student [because of Hudson College]. It's just her big smiles and stories just say it all about what she thinks about the school. She's very happy. I do hope that it works out as great for my younger daughter as my older daughter. That would be great as well. I'm looking forward to that. She loves Hudson [College] a lot.”
Taylor Stockwell — alum
Taylor is a recent graduate of Hudson College. She transferred there from another private school and says the change was remarkable. The most significant shift was social. Previously, she felt it was an environment where students in other grades seemed 'off-limits'. At Hudson, she found a place where 'everyone was friends'. She also appreciated how diligently the teachers at Hudson pushed her. When she first arrived, the low grades she received were a shock. However, they motivated her to push herself harder and acquire valuable study skills. After graduating from Hudson, she began studying psychology at the University of Guelph.
My daughter really became a changed person at Hudson College. She came out of her shell. We really realized that we made the right choice. She was coming home and telling us about the conversations she was having in the classroom, about how engaging everybody was. We came to the conclusion that, even though Hudson is a little small, it actually created a great forum for her to be able to express her thoughts and opinions. We’re really happy now.
At her old school, she didn’t feel like she had a voice. She always felt like she wasn’t being taught so much as taught at. There wasn’t this inclusive sense of learning. At Hudson College, our daughter really came out of her shell. As a female student, she didn’t feel like she had a voice.
When our family came to Hudson College, one of the things our daughter really loved was how engaging the teachers are. They asked her for her opinion. Sometimes she can have very interesting points of view, but she felt like she was validated, and that it was okay to have those different points of view. I think that’s what really made her feel more confident.
One of the things that always is important for any parent is a high level of learning. Especially when you’re going to a private school, you’re paying for the education so you hope that you are getting a return on your investment. And definitely, with Hudson, we can’t say that we have anything to complain about, given the quality of the education.
We really appreciate how both of our kids are challenged. All of their teachers, it seems like they really get to know our kids and find what really motivates them. That allows them to really push our kids to their limits, so they can write a better paper, or solve the harder math questions.
The teachers are also really inquisitive and kind and they get to know the kids. They’re really caring. From what I’ve observed, I see those as the values of Hudson College.
Things like all STEM equipment they have, or how they have a big focus on collaborative discussions in class. These are all different tools that Hudson College is using. Or the laptop program. Hudson has so many things that make it a bit unique compared to other schools.
One of the math teachers at Hudson mentioned to me last year, when my daughter was in his class, ‘Well, we allow the kids to use computers and calculators, because this is what they’ll need to do in university.’ To me it shows how Hudson is really preparing the kids — not just to finish high school, but to be able to use the tools that are out there, and not pretending they don’t exist.
Our daughter recently told us that she actually misses going to school. She can’t wait for school to start — which is really strange for a 16 year-old to say in the middle of summer vacation.
My daughter feels that she has finally landed at the right place. She feels like the whole student body and the teachers are very caring. She really enjoys the fact that she has friends in all the different grades. When she’s in school, she feels like she’s part of a family there. She loves it.
Because Hudson is such an international school, my daughter has had friends from other countries, and friends from all the different grades. I think that was really great for her.
The biggest impact that Hudson College has had on my daughter is that it has given her confidence. She never used to speak up, but she’s speaking up now. She has a lot more confidence now to speak up.
The teachers at Hudson have been so supportive of our daughter. They have been unbelievable. They made her feel comfortable and they made her talents shine through. All the money we’ve spent on Hudson, everything has been worth it to date, completely.
All the values that I grew up with, Hudson matches those values, and I definitely appreciate that. At Hudson College, they mandate structure and they mandate discipline. I believe structure is very important in any school. Growing up when I was a kid, all my schools demanded that. These days, I don’t see that as often at schools around here. But coming to Hudson, the school demanded it. It reminded me of how I learned when I was a kid.
Consistency is one of the big things that has frustrated us at other schools. Hudson is pure consistency. I know what I’m expecting, I know what I’m going to get from my kid, I know what I’m going to get from the school and the teachers.
These are my three words for why I love Hudson: consistent, structured, and supportive. Consistency is very important, to not confuse the kids. Structured: you give homework, you give tests, you give exams, you expect them to be done, you expect students to behave in school, so everybody knows what’s expected from them in school. There’s no guessing game, and that’s awesome. And supportive: if a teacher sees that a child needs help, they help them. If they need to give them extra time, they give them extra time.
When we visited Hudson College, we were just impressed. It was a small school, and it seemed family-oriented, but everything that we were hoping for in a school, we got it. We met a current student, who was honest about everything: He told us about how there’s a lot of homework at Hudson, and how they support you, and how they’re very structured.
Now that my daughter is at Hudson, I never need to ask her if she has homework, or if she’s done her homework. She’s more confident and independent now. She wants to do her work, and she makes sure she gets it done.
Before Hudson College, I used to have to do a lot of schoolwork with my daughter at home. But ever since she went to Hudson, I’m now able to be completely a parent. I’ve not had to tutor her even once. There’s no more tears. I’m now able to be completely a dad, and not another teacher. It’s made our bond strong.
As a parent, nothing makes you happier than seeing your daughter coming home and being so excited to tell you all these stories about what happened at school. What happened in class, what happened with friends, what happened with the teachers — for example, how they played this game outside and the teachers were actually playing with the kids as part of their team. And you see the glowing on her face, the excitement.
At my old school, while it was a private school, I think the teachers were a bit hesitant to push the students to their full potential. Especially if they liked the student, they would just give them a good grade. When I went to Hudson, I met a lot of teachers who weren’t doing that. I was initially getting bad grades, and I was shocked. It really motivated me to care about school and to care about improving the quality of my work. That’s something that I’ve carried with me at university. I got so much out of Hudson College.
The tri-semester system caught my parents off guard a bit, but I think it was the best system you can have for high school, because it allowed students to have about an hour and a half every day to do whatever work they had. It gave you structured independence, which was really cool, because it taught me how to manage my time and how to have a good work ethic, so that I had time to do things I enjoyed as well. I think the way that Hudson structures its classes with semesters made it a lot easier for me to transition to university.
When I started at university, I had a lot of friends who were shocked when they found out they had to do so much reading every week, because they didn’t go to a semestered school. But that was just something that I was used to after Hudson — it wasn’t a surprise to me.
There’s so many things that I loved about Hudson College. What I appreciated most was the community. It was a small school, and everyone knew each other. How accepting the students are, that’s one thing that differentiates Hudson. There are social dynamics, but everybody is friends. That’s something that I hadn’t experienced before at my old school. It was very cliquey, and not a very comfortable environment. When I got to Hudson, I was actually initially very guarded, because I didn’t understand that people would be so nice, and that everybody could be friends. Something that would surprise people is that everybody is friends, regardless of what grade they’re in. That’s truly something that didn’t exist at my old high school. If you were in a different grade than someone, they were just off-limits, you couldn’t talk to them.
Hudson is very unique in a lot of ways. Unique in a very good way. I think if Hudson College was a person, they would be very unapologetic. They would say things that others might not think of, but that everyone could eventually come to agree with.
I think Hudson has chosen to focus on students in an extremely creative way. They really prioritize each student’s success, instead of doing things the cookie-cutter way. I think you need that to really create change, because I don’t think the education system is incredible as it is — I think it’s kind of barbaric in a lot of ways, and I really love when I see high schools coming up with new ways to do things.
