Why Choose Trinity Lutheran Schools?
Okay,I know it seems extremely biased to have a current TLS (Trinity Lutheran School) parent write this article BUT bear with me on this because I am much more objective than you may think! I thought about beginning this article to boast the advantages of a solid Christian education but although TLS has a stellar reputation, including weekly chapels, memory verses and solid biblical teaching; this alone would not persuade me to choose TLS. I thought about academic excellence – just looking at the statistics is validation that choosing TLS for this reason alone would make perfect sense. But, I would not have been “sold out” on this lone point either. Other considerations such as: staff that knows and love my children, addressing concerns that go beyond the classroom, safe nurturing environment, excellent parent/teacher communication, being intentional about emotional wellness, etc. None of these, in and of themselves, is a decision maker. My decision maker is that every category, for me, points to TLS.
Let me elaborate… I have four children, ages 29, 26, 7 and 5 (this is NOT a typo ) I have had the benefit of raising two children to adulthood and using hindsight to guide the younger two. The older two are happy, healthy adults but there was no “school of choice” and I went with the crowd down “Public School Lane”. Their experiences, although not catastrophic, could have been better. So, now with “School of Choice” and the education I received in raising the first two, I now believe in interviewing schools .. and I have done just that.
We moved to this area in the early summer of 2011. I interviewed our local public school (twice – I really wanted the convenience of my local school!), two phone interviews with private schools, one face-to-face interview with a private school, and the interview with TLS. I will admit that as soon as I realized that our local school was just not an option, I was leaning toward the 25-minute drive to TLS since our 7 year old had attended a Lutheran school downstate. (To answer the unasked question – “No, we are not Lutheran” ) I thoroughly interviewed five schools downstate before choosing that Lutheran school, but that is another story….
So now you’re saying, “That’s all well and good, but I have no idea how to interview a school!!” This is your lucky day because I am going to teach you! I will give you a list of questions AND I will clue you in on what answers to look for and what red flags to take note of. Here we go …
STEP ONE: Plan Your Time
--- Select the schools you want to interview
--- Conduct ALL interviews within 2 weeks of each other (You need to compare apples to
apples – asking what a teacher is working on in December is an unfair comparison
to what the next teacher is working on 4 months later. I find that appointments in
March/April can tell you the most)
--- Have a list of questions, the most important questions listed first (If the first two
or three answers have you totally unimpressed – move on and don’t take any more
of their time)
--- Make appointments … this will give you insight of their accessibility AND their
communication
STEP TWO: Show Up To The Interview
--- Questions to consider
What is your kindergarten class working on now? May I see it?
Are they reading? Are they writing in journals? May I see some?
How are disagreements between children handled?
What outside resources are available for my child and how are they accessed?
How do you accommodate a child who is exceptionally bright?
STEP THREE: Observe
---Sometimes your observations will speak louder than their answers.
--- Things to look for
Is the class environment conducive to learning or is it loud and unruly?
Is the teacher open to answering your questions (remember to give him/her
some grace since they do have a job to do )
How are the students behaving? Commonly the children will reflect the class-
room environment. NOTE: Understand that any classroom disruption can
send things out of whack BUT the way the teacher handles this will speak
volumes.
STEP FOUR: Evaluate the “Extras”
--- Technology Lab: Are the computers up to date?
--- Library Equipped? Understand that if the tech lab is up to date, then library reference
materials are not as critical since that will be accessed via computers.
--- Foreign Language: Are any languages being offered, and starting at what age?
--- Music: What does the music program consist of? If there an opportunity for band or
orchestra? Do you facilitate their music experience by providing names of
teachers for private instruction?
--- Physical Education: How often do students participate in gym class? Are they exposed
to various sports so they can understand rules and how to play? Example: Will
my child be taught how to keep score in a tennis match? Why is a high score in
basketball a good thing, but in golf it is a bad thing?
--- Sports Programs: What team sports are offered? At what age do the sports programs
begin? NOTE: Remember that this area can be accessed through local school
sports programs since students living in a district can be on their team without
actually attending the school. This being said, I fully understand the benefits of
playing in sports with your classmates and all of this will have to be sorted out
in order of priorities for your child.
--- Art: Is there an art room? This is an important question if Art is a priority for you
because if the art class is taught in your child’s main classroom, the exposure and
projects your child will be able to investigate will be limited. (think about how
messy the class will be after a project … not likely to happen in the main classroom)
Okay, there you have it. Now, as promised, here are some red flags for you to consider. If you have a child that is exceptionally bright, watch out for the school that is over-eager to promote your child to a higher grade EVEN IF it is in conjunction with other students in the same situation. As parents we get so excited about their abilities and recognition, but let’s remember that this is a child and there are other aspects of this child besides academics. If your child is emotionally mature, then you will likely be fine with this scenario. But many children of high intelligence are not emotionally and/or socially age appropriate. Remember that your child will not always be at this school or with these classmates OR you could move out of the area and then what will you do? The age differences will magnify as they get older (example: classmates are 16, they are driving and dating… where does your 14 year old fit in? Are you comfortable with that?) Enough said on this topic, you get the gist.
Another red flag to be careful of relates to the child who may need assistance beyond the immediate classroom. If your child requires services from the ISD (Intermediate School District) you have likely had an IEP for your child. The expectations you come away with from this IEP may or may not be what actually happens for your child. This is not a “hit” on the ISD, they are unbelievably overwhelmed with the numbers of students requiring their attention that they cannot possibly be expected to give 100% to them all. The words, “let’s try this and see how they do at semester break” is a red flag. This is your recipe for disaster. IF you child is not coping well at semester break, you have just wasted half of the school year and playing “catch-up” is extremely difficult. Many times the IEP will leave you thinking your child will be receiving 1 to 1.5 hours of services weekly. The reality is that your child will be fortunate to receive the minimum of one hour and 30-45 minutes is much more realistic. The ISD is not equipped to give the upper time frames of services to each child, they do the best they can but that may not be enough. Now I will give you my scenario at TLS. The year started in Pre-K with the knowledge that this child needed speech therapy/tutoring to prepare for kindergarten. At the IEP, the parents voiced concern about this child’s needs and their desire to get as much help as possible for their child. Mr. Dockery (TLS principal) suggested private speech therapy/tutoring as an option and made a recommendation of someone with a proven track record – highly respected in her field. Mr. Dockery then offered a private space in the building for this private service AND made arrangements with the teaching staff to coordinate the Pre-K schedule to accommodate these services. This child is still receiving private services twice a week in addition to the ISD. My question is this – would any other school love and care for this child’s situation better than TLS? I am convinced that this school is not only giving children great biblical teaching, but they are “walking the walk”!! They don’t just know each student’s name at this school, they know each and every child!
In conclusion, I understand that there are many options for parents to consider for their child’s education, but not for me. The statistics bear it out, my experience bears it out AND the evidence seen in the children of TLS bear it out … TLS has got to be at the top of the list!! If you feel that you need more information, I know you need only ask the question and the staff will most certainly address your concerns with love and respect.
Isaiah 26:2-4 “Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”
Colossians 3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”