By Lisa Dyer, TCS Director of Advancement
Due to the COVID-19 virus, Timothy Christian School closed our campus on March 17; but while our facilities are closed, teaching and learning continues! As we wrap up week two of distance learning, I have been so encouraged and blessed by the way our faculty has so quickly pivoted from teaching in their classrooms to teaching online, using new technology, and creatively teaching, connecting and discipling their students!
Our MS and HS teachers are using TEAMS, a Microsoft office product, to teach and interact with their students. Teachers post their lesson plans for the week and then create announcements and assignments daily. Students are able to complete their work and submit their assignments on TEAMS.
Teachers are filming video of themselves teaching lessons and uploading them to STREAM where students can view them. Teachers are conducting “TEAM meetings” with each of their classes in which students can interact with the teacher as well as with one another. Teachers and students can meet one on one and as a whole class.
Our elementary classes are using ClassDojo, a school communication platform where teachers can instruct and share with students and parents through photos, videos, and messages. The elementary students are also able to be together with all their classmates and teachers on Zoom! Mrs. McInerney is utilizing her YouTube channel to teach Chapel each Wednesday.
Our students and parents have been wonderful about learning and adjusting to the technology to view their assignments, complete them, and turn them in. We are truly grateful to all our families for their graciousness and patience toward us as we have learned new things and become more and more comfortable with the new technology.
We are thankful to the Lord for His great provision for the technology to enable us to make this transition. Just a few months ago, two of our parents walked into our Head of School’s office and said they felt led to give a gift to the school for technology. We were truly grateful for this gift and Dr. Smock immediately started putting plans in place to make upgrades putting equipment on campus as well as purchase the Windows Microsoft Office 365 package for each of our MS and HS students. It was that gift that the Lord used to prepare TCS with the technology necessary to face this current challenge! The Lord knew this was coming and He provided before we even knew how very much we would need it!
Principals McKay and McInerney are doing a wonderful job leading their teachers through these unchartered waters. They, as well as the teachers, are communicating regularly with parents and students to keep them informed about the details of how remote learning is working and encouraging them in this process. Recognizing the challenge of parents and students doing school work and jobs together at home, they are also working individually with families to help figure out a schedule that best allows them and their children to meet all the necessary deadlines in their household.
I am truly grateful for all of our faculty, staff, parents and students working together in this challenging time! The Lord is already bringing great things out of this trial! I believe that Timothy Christian School will be better and stronger than ever!
