by Marian Anderson, Pre-Grammar Academic Director
At the end of every school year, I start a mental yearly review and summer planning list. I know all the different aspects of this model of schooling and what it takes to get my four kids out the door, ready and in proper uniform, on the first day of school. I know what it takes for me to feel ready for that first home day. I know that it will require many hours spent ordering, shopping, checking lists, and organizing. So come mid-May, I start my mental list of what to do better than the previous year. Order early. Wait for this or that particular sale. Label books as they come in. Yes, rolling backpacks are expensive… and so on.
Our family moved this summer, so things have been a little off kilter. I ordered uniforms in May, patted myself on the back, and resumed all other school related preparations in late July. But no matter what, if I am super organized or barely scraping by, I have this one moment every summer. When the books arrive, and most of the supplies are purchased, and I look at the piles and piles of books and teacher manuals–I always feel completely overwhelmed. I laugh at my mental checklist and begin to consider unschooling.
This year, thankfully, that predictable moment came right before teacher training. Immediately after I battled those thoughts, (I cannot do this, let’s hire a tutor, whose idea was this to begin with, let’s move to Africa) I had the privilege of spending the week in training with our faculty and staff. We spent the week discussing why we are a Christ-centered, Classical, and Collaborative-style school. Why? What does it mean to be these things? I sat and listened to their hearts, to their passions, and the reasons why they are a part of Trinity. And that is what I want to tell you about today, not from a teacher/administrator perspective, but from a mom’s perspective.
One of the points that we came back to over and over throughout the week is that what makes our school Christ-centered is Christians–people who love Jesus and His purposes on the earth. As a mom, I want my children to know math and science and history, but most of all I want them to love Jesus. I want the people in their lives who are influencing them and discipling them to truly love our Savior. And I want their education to be fueled by the desire to know our Creator. I am thankful that the Lord has assembled a faculty at TCS that loves HIm, seeks Him, and desires to make Him known.
This alone flooded my heart with peace. Books will come late and pages will be missing. Water bottles will be lost and expensive rolling backpacks broken. But as the new year begins, I hope that this will serve as a reminder that those things are not the center of our children’s education. TCS strives to make Christ the center in all things, from pencils to philosophy. The administration and board have prayed about and sought counsel on everything, from curriculum to scheduling. Those things are important and vital to the life of our school. But as a mom, I am so thankful that my kids will spend Mondays and Wednesdays with teachers who love Jesus, and love them.
