Above and Beyond

When new families come to visit Bios, I always mention as we tour through the classes that our teachers are very hard workers. For instance, you will never hear of or see any instructor at Bios showing a video to their class because the teacher wasn't prepared or just did not feel like teaching that day.

And it's true. Each student has individual goal sheets called "check sheets". These check sheets provide daily goals that are particular for the individual student. Throughout the quarter and at the end of each quarter our Bios teachers are evaluated on how each student progressed towards their goals.

But today I am going to present to you two recent demonstrations of teachers going "Above and Beyond" the daily high expectations of instructing at Bios Christian Academy.

Our first example involved a high school teacher and a new student who arrived at the beginning of the year with a first grade reading level. With the effort of all of the student's teachers during the first three quarters of the school year this student was able to attain reading skills at a fourth/fifth grade level. At this point, she began using a fifth grade science text which was not a part of our regular curriculum. (We do not use text books for elementary science but instead individual and team projects.) The high school teacher created individual check sheets, lab projects, and tests for this student. This took many hours of work to create a science experience for this student at her reading level. Because of the teacher's efforts the student passed the first test and successfully completed a lab.

The next "Above and Beyond" is also a high school example. Joining our industrious school at the beginning of the fourth quarter, a student came to us with seven weeks left before her AP biology exam. One of our science teachers gave the student a previously released test from College Board to determine where she placed in her knowledge and skills. Much to both of their disappointments, the student scored a one on a scale of 1-5. This lack of accomplishment was attained after already spending the three previous quarters in an AP Biology course. The science instructor and I met with the student and her family to explain the situation and a possible solution.

Even though our science teacher was not planning to organize the AP class until next year, she offered to organize an intense study and practice time over the next seven weeks which would require a commitment from both student and teacher of many hours outside of school of study and preparation.

Over seven weeks and four practice tests later, the student raised her score on the practice tests significantly. She has taken her AP exam and waits impatiently along with her instructor for the results to come in July.

Teaching at Bios is well-structured yet within that structure teachers have freedom to serve our families one student at a time. Above and Beyond moments like these occur often because of that freedom at Bios.