About Us
Our Story
The Campus is a new idea that works! Philosophically unique, tested over time, and so innovative it has been written about in the Atlanta Journal constitution and The New York Times. The creator of this idea in education is the owner/director of The Campus, Evelyn Plott. Students at The Campus are treated as individuals with unique educational and intellectual strengths and deficits. Each is encouraged to discover what they are capable of… and then to pursue it!
Mrs. Plott earned her undergraduate degree from Auburn University and then a graduate degree from Troy State University. After teaching for 15 years in public and private educational settings, Mrs. Plott was faced with special educational needs in her youngest daughter. Emphasis on test scores, special software, and intense focus on the disability… these were common practices in education. Mrs. Plott had a different idea and decided to bring her daughter home and teach her herself. She believed that identifying and fortifying a student’s strengths would, in the long run, be more effective than spending all energy to overcome the weakness. Other families, intrigued by this idea, became part of this “way of learning” and Mrs. Plott’s labor of love grew into The Cottage in her basement and became The Campus when she moved into commercial space in 2002.
Remediation for weakness is a part of our program, but not the emphasis. Our staff, in addition to being experienced educators, is experienced in this particular educational model. They have seen potential realized in situations where it had been buried for years. We recognize that genuine success relies on something intangible that is not measured or even considered in most educational settings. It is the mission of The Campus to blend academic excellence in a standardized sense with this intangible idea we call “Purpose.”
Benchmarks of Purpose
• Grades should reflect understanding, not compliance
• Personal best is a valid goal
• Parents are, for the most part, the wisest counsel for their students
• Learning is an innate desire
• Some students need more time to learn.. others need to be allowed to move on when they are ready
• Sometimes, a student can learn it best if left alone
• There are at least seven intelligences and 35 natural talents… they should all be valued
• Intrinsic motivation can best be discovered when it is required
• There is a causal relationship between freedom and responsibility
• Character should play a role when determining consequences
