It was a very hurtful time. That's not when you're the most open to calm, sane solutions. But if you don't have information and knowledge with which to think, it's like having a computer without any software. I really believe in building a strong academic base and then, as that base gets stronger, you start bringing in the thinking skills and such. Visitors can see Reid's rejection of current reform ideas in Valley Academy's highly regimented classroom culture.
Students wear uniforms of starched white and crisp navy.
They sit in straight rows, facing front. To rapid-fire flash cards, they recite vowel sounds and consonant blends in unison. About 25 percent of the school's students had been in home schools or private schools, Reid estimates. But when they traded their educators' hats for business hats, they struggled. Despite a bachelor's degree in science education, a master's in public administration, and 18 years of experience running hospital laboratories, Thomas Reid, who was named CEO of Valley Academy, found himself overwhelmed in the early stages.