Awaiting each teacher is the class, a group of students to be taught–but at RQM, we realize that one lesson produces different results in the mind of each individual student, and therefore a teacher can not be simply a recording device who relays textbook information verbatim. Recognizing students’ individualized needs is a key ingredient in the recipe for academic success. The class of students as a group is something of a mirage, so we are always conscious of the fact that the learning process begins and ends with one teacher and one student. But because a class is indeed a gathering together of minds, we must operate from an established mindset, and as such we are guided by the following objectives: 

    - RQM lessons reinforce and upgrade the student’s day school instruction. A deeper sense of comprehension nourishes student motivation, or so we believe. 

    - Common Core Standards have been the official standard set by the NYS Department of Education as of January 10, 2011 “in order to ensure that all students are college and career ready in [all core subjects] no later than the end of high school.” Thus, our curriculum content at RQM is modeled after the NYS Common Core Standards. 

    - The most effective teaching is done holistically; for example, in ELA, the four target skill areas in reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary are to be unified and presented via direct instruction, modeling, and guided instruction, then tailored by incidental and formal assessment. With guided practice and feedback/discussion, specific student needs are constantly addressed during independent practice and test review. 

    - We are not trying to “reinvent the wheel,” but rather “upgrade the engine,” that is the student’s mind, with the best teaching mechanics known to exist. Each individual student will then find the wheels to make the engine roll along at the right speed, and thus we have accomplished our mutual objective: one teacher (the passenger) and one student (the driver).