We want our students to become self-directed learners who are actively engaged in the learning process, not passive recipients of a classroom lecture. At BFA, learning is the student's responsibility, not the teacher's. Our faculty are here to assist and encourage students in their learning, to serve as mentors, coaches, and role models. Accordingly, the school does not have classrooms, per se . Rather, teachers work with individual students or small groups of students around a table.
Many instructional areas consist of a single round table and two chairs.
This informal, home-like arrangement works well for students who may have been intimidated by large classroom settings or whose learning disabilities could not be addressed or accommodated by a teacher responsible for a classroom of twenty or thirty students. The original school facility at 1585 Clifton Road currently serves as our Senior House, where those students in their final year of study work to complete their graduation requirements. This facility formerly housed the Emory University Reading Center and, when the school incorporated separately in 1987, we assumed the University's lease and later purchased the property. Noteworthy additions to the original structure included enclosing the carport to create two science labs, extending the front room of the house with an alcove addition and, most importantly, adding a 600 square-foot media center in 1995. The addition of the media center greatly enhanced the appearance and functionality of the school, while new signage and landscaping made the school more attractive.