Alumni: I could not get away with a “fluffy” answer at Greenhouse.
Charlotte Fawcett
In her eight years at Greenhouse, Charlotte honed skills that many of her traditionally-educated peers did not learn until college.
Years at Greenhouse: 2013-21
College: Wheaton College
Degree: Philosophy and Art History
Grad School: Beeson Divinity School (currently attending)
Living in: Birmingham, AL
Worships at: Christ the King Anglican Church
Greenhouse formed me to be a hard-working, intellectually curious, and articulate person. At Greenhouse, I read and discussed great works of literature in a classroom setting that spurred me toward deeper thinking and engagement with what I took in. I learned how to be a better writer and how to make an argument persuasively.
By the time I graduated from Greenhouse, I had read, discussed, and written on many of the greatest works in the Western canon. The high level of internal motivation and work ethic that was required of me has been invaluable. My first few weeks at Wheaton College came as a surprise when I realized that my peers were laboring over homework in the wee hours of the morning that I had finished several days prior.
The expectation my teachers at Greenhouse had for me to be able to articulate a meaningful, logical argument or response to a work is something I am so thankful for. I could not get by with a fluffy answer to anything, and being asked to think critically and come to a point of real understanding of what I was reading is something I realized not all of my peers had in their high school experiences.
The legendary viva voce exams were also hugely impactful. Being asked to memorize a large amount of information, formulate an argument with the information given, and then deliver that argument as a persuasive speech was a challenging and confidence-building experience that I'm so thankful for.
Greenhouse consistently challenged me academically and prepared me to embark on seven more years of higher education.
-Charlotte Fawcett