What do you teach at TCS?
AP Comp Sci A, AP Comp Sci Principles, Beginning Comp Programming, 8th Grade Computer Science Discoveries
How long have you been teaching at TCS?
23 years
What do you love most about TCS?
My favorite part of teaching at TCS is interacting with families. I suppose this arises from being connected to TCS first as a parent and volunteer before I became a teacher. I like the commitment of families to send their children to TCS through many generations. I love getting to know the kids and their families. It is especially fun to teach siblings of prior students and see how the whole family has grown. What a blessing it is to be part of a family’s life over many years! I love Timothy because of its rich and long history of being faithful to God and His word through so many generations.
Why did you choose to teach at TCS?
In 1986, my husband and I chose to send our oldest child to kindergarten at TCS. When he was in first grade, I became involved with the PTF and learned much more about the school and the dedication of the elementary school teachers to their students. We had three more children enter school in 1989, 1992, and 1995. I continued my volunteer work with the PTF and in the library where I worked with the librarian to update the card catalog to a computerized system. Finally, when my youngest daughter was in 3rd grade, a colleague suggested that I apply for a job at TCS. My family was thoroughly entrenched at TCS by this time, with kids in elementary, middle school, and high school. It felt like God was calling me to enter the workplace again, even though I had left it 17 years before when my first child was born. I was hired in 1997 to work part-time in the library and teach one computer course. The next year I went to full-time teaching computer science courses. So the short answer is, I didn’t choose to teach at TCS at all. I never even considered a teaching job until it was suggested to me. So I guess God gave me the desire of my heart (which it certainly became) without me even knowing it was a desire until I began the job!
What is one word that best describes the school? Why?
RESPONSIVE. The school board and administration make the time and effort to listen to parents, students and staff of Timothy Christian School through emails, personal meetings, and surveys. When lacking expertise within the school family, the board judiciously hires outside Christian consultants to provide evaluation, feedback, guidance, and proven suggestions. Relevant information is made available for parents and faculty to read for themselves. Although the school has strong leadership, the responsiveness to outside input decreases the feeling of autocratic rule and increases the spirit of shared community with everyone having a vital part in the success of the school.
How are faith and learning integrated at TCS?
Classroom teachers are required not only to pray with students at the beginning of an instructional period, but also to integrate Biblical ideas and values into the lesson plans, not as an add-on, but so that the objective of the lesson is connected to a Biblical principle. While this is easier and more natural in certain subject areas, there is the understanding that all things worth learning will be filtered through the lens of a Biblical worldview.
In what ways are you preparing students for life beyond TCS?
The TCS Mission Statement concludes with these words: ” Our goal is to enable and empower our students to live for Christ as they study at TCS and as they move on in life. Whether going off to college or stepping into the workforce, we want our students to be ready to meet all challenges intelligently and with Christ-like character.” I’m hopeful that students in my classes learn to manage their time well, that they are able to set goals and develop the organizational skills, motivation, patience, and perseverance needed to attain them. Long term projects nurture those kinds of skills. I want them to become independent thinkers by offering them a choice of assignments while encouraging cooperation and sharing by requiring group projects. More than that, I want learning to bring them joy, not only good grades. I want them to develop a curiosity and wonder about mathematics, computation and technology. And ultimately I want them to know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and all the things that they are discovering were known by Him before the creation of the world. Proverbs 25:2 is a verse I share often, even with former students who have gone on to earn PhD’s. God, in His grace, gave each of us an enquiring mind and the capacity to investigate, to learn and to search out the truth. In doing so, we are bringing glory to Him.
What would you tell families to encourage them to send their children at TCS?
TCS is responsive to the needs of parents and their children. The administration and the faculty appreciate and solicit ideas and suggestions from parents on how best to partner in the education of their children that they hold so dear. The TCS faculty is committed to professional development and peer mentoring to improve teaching strategies and skills. Never has this been so evident then during the covid-19 quarantine period where teachers adapted to home instruction almost overnight. Realizing that all good gifts are from the Lord and nothing happens outside His providence, the administration and faculty are united in prayer, lifting children and families up by name several mornings per week. Of utmost importance is the desire of the faculty to remain faithful to the word of God. Buildings, leaders, personnel, programs, and teaching methods change, but the word of the Lord endures here.