A work-related move from Portland, Oregon in 2000 led Dave and Leslie White to enroll their youngest son, Paul, in the inaugural fifth-grade class of the first Ambleside School, which opened in Fredericksburg in the Fall of 2000. They became very active in the community and served on various Ambleside boards throughout the years.

After graduating, Paul went on to Wheaton College, moved to the Middle East for nonprofit work for two years, and now lives back in Fredericksburg where he sends his two children to the same Ambleside school he attended.

How did you find your way to Ambleside School of Fredericksburg?

Dave: In the spring of 2000 we had been living in Oregon for 12 years and began to plan to return to Texas for my work opportunity with Edward Jones. Leslie found that a new school was starting while looking for a great option for Paul, our youngest, who was entering fifth grade. Fortunately, she was introduced to a new school opening — Ambleside School of Fredericksburg!

Paul: I had only attended public schools in Oregon before the move, so I could immediately tell this was something different and new, and I recall being very excited for the school to start. Then when I moved back to Fredericksburg in 2015 I was asked to serve on the Ambleside Fredericksburg Board, which I did until my term expired in 2021. We then transitioned into the parent role, and have had our oldest son there since 2021.

What brought you back to Ambleside as a parent?

Paul: The way of looking at children as persons is really a fundamentally different viewpoint than what I see anywhere else. The careful consideration for what our children will learn is also instrumental in our being at Ambleside. But ultimately the short answer is that we see the joy our son has when he goes to school and the joy he has after the day is done, and we know we’re at the right place.

How has Charlotte Mason changed your family?

Dave: Her educational philosophy as understood and taught by Ambleside has been revealed in Paul’s continued love for learning and understanding of the world in which we live! It has given us a view of a system and philosophy that we have wished we could have experienced firsthand as students.

Can you share a story about its impact on your life?

Paul: When I went to work overseas I was expected to do many things, from practical tasks like managing the schedule to planning a major peace summit in Cyprus. I remember one of my British colleagues saying to me that she appreciated having me on the team because “you have the confidence that you can do anything, even if you aren’t trained in how to do it.” In reflecting over the years, I attribute that confidence to the ideas instilled in me at Ambleside — that I can do hard things and that through developing habits and strengthening weaknesses, any problem can be figured out and overcome.

What has been particularly meaningful for you as a parent watching your kids grow and develop into maturity?

Dave: I have always, in the simplest way, appreciated that Paul had a cohesive understanding of educational disciplines that are most often taught in a rather disjointed way. He could correlate history with the arts and literature of a specific time.

When your friends ask you about your kids’ school experience, how do you answer them?

Paul: The simplest answer to many friends is to give practical differences: we don’t have technology in the classrooms. That really resonates as many of our friends who don’t attend Ambleside attend a private school where every classroom has a smart board, and the children are expected to have personal technological devices as early as fourth grade. I often find myself telling people that intentionality is something they’ll find at Ambleside. There are no neutral actions when it comes to creating an atmosphere, so many friends are struck by the intentional way things are done at Ambleside because of that fact.

Tell us about your friendship with the St. Cyrs.

Dave: They are some of our dearest and most treasured friends! We have shared great times of sharing life and faith, along with some traveling together. We value the cherished times of sharing poetry, readings, and scripture together.

Paul: The St. Cyrs have been good friends to our family since that first year here. Maryellen was a sometimes intimidating figure as the Head of School those first years, and we’ve laughed since then about my childhood perceptions of her during that time. What has struck me the most on reflection is that what was intimidating was that you couldn’t “skate by” under the radar at Ambleside, and it was intimidating to have the Head of the School be actively and actually interested in me and my life. I had never experienced that type of atmosphere before, where you were not just one of many but were seen and appreciated as a unique individual.

Bill quickly became a mentor to me and poured much wisdom and advice into my life for which I’m very grateful. To this day, when they come to Fredericksburg we try to get together, and he asks me wonderful, caring, and pointed questions about my life and relationships so that it doesn’t feel as though it has been a year since our last conversation. Some of the very best advice I’ve ever received came from Bill.

Dave White

Ambleside Parent & Grandparent

Paul White

Ambleside Alumnus & Parent