Academic Rigor | Expanding Our Team
This week’s Lion Lines blog is a continuation from a previous one entitled ‘Introducing The Thriving Index’. For context, it might be beneficial to read that post first before proceeding.
The Lord’s faithfulness to our school has been abundantly clear in each season of institutional growth. When the school opened in 2014, there were 42 students enrolled in grades K4 through 1st grades. Now, eight years later, we have 131 students in K4 through 7th grades! Additionally, we have grown to having 8 TRS employees in that first year to have 26 employees of our school. As our student population continues to grow, quite naturally, we desire to expand the number of Christ-centered educators who teach and shepherd our students in their educational journey.
When TRS launched in 2014, Teacher Assistant (TA’s) full time positions were incorporated into the organizational chart to provide support and assistance in our K4 & K5 classrooms. An emphasis on early education was, and continues to be, vital to ensure our students are developing at a rate that is at least on par with other children their age. During our most recent Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MSAIS) re-accreditation in 2020, TRS received the recommendation to consider expanding our team to incorporate additional Teacher Assistants solely dedicated for our 1st grade students & 2nd grade grade students.
After careful consideration and with the continued financial support from key financial partners, we embraced this recommendation and created these two new positions. TRS now has 4 full time Teacher Assistants working in tandem with our Classroom Teachers to support the academic development of students during their first four years of school.
Interim Head of School, Mrs. Lisa Moore says, “Additional hands on deck makes a difference in a student's academic progress. A teacher may find it challenging to manage all the classroom activities and individual student needs on her own. Teacher Assistants help prepare classroom activities, work on instruction with individuals or small groups and help to manage off-task behaviors to allow for greater depth of learning for students individually and collectively.”
Associate Head of School, Mr. Lane Beasley says, “Rather than having a ratio of 15 students to 1 teacher in 1st & 2nd grades, with this strategic investment, we have cut that ratio in half. This results in more one-on-one academic instruction for every student; greater academic supports for low performing students and further challenging students who demonstrate academic proficiencies.
By investing in these key positions in the early elementary years, we anticipate that we will see fewer students in upper elementary and middle school requiring academic intervention. Reducing the number of students needing academic intervention will allow our Academic Interventionist to commit more time to fewer students which will allow them to experience success more quickly.
K4 Teacher Assistant Ms. Boxill with K4 Classroom Teacher Mrs. Stokes
1st Grade Teacher Assistant Mrs. Phillips with 1st Grade Classroom Teacher Mrs. Perkins
K5 Teacher Assistant Mrs. Hatcliff with K5 Classroom Teacher Ms. Hodges
2nd Grade Teacher Assistant Mrs. Newcomb with 2nd Grade Classroom Teacher Mrs. Henry
This investment is in alignment with the MIND | Academic Rigor pillar of our Thriving Index. We believe having more personnel readily available for our students will translate into greater student academic outcomes.
TRS cannot overstate the importance of our financial partnerships. The Lord has shown tremendous provision to The Redeemer’s School through the generosity of a community of investors who believe in our mission and embrace the opportunity to partner with us in our impact. We are forever grateful to our financial supporters for equipping us with the ability to supply our students with all of the academic resources they need to THRIVE.
