February Reflection #2 Visit to Tiftera

My county was on Winter Break for February 17-18. I took this opportunity to visit the local Private School Tiftera. Tiftarea Academy is an independent coeducational, college preparatory nonprofit day school serving over 600 students in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve. At all levels, Tiftarea students are immersed in a challenging academic program. Their atmosphere is based on the traditional values of honor, achievement, and citizenship and is characterized by a strong sense of family. High standards or student behavior and appearance contribute to the development of the total student and foster a sense of individual and community responsibility.

Students who attend Tiftera are charged tuition.

Annual Tuition

12 Monthly Payments (June-May)

Quarterly Payments (Registration, Oct, Feb, May)

Pre-K

$5436.00

Kindergarten

$5991.00

Grades 1-2

$6444.00

Grades 3-5

$6747.00

Grades 6-12

$7092.00

Academics:

Pre-Kindergarten

The ABeka Curriculum is used in both the 4 year old and 5 year old kindergarten programs. Our K4 program is an all day program focusing on building a solid educational foundation in a nurturing & secure environment. Programs of study include:

-Language Arts:

Phonics & ReadingPoetryLanguageD'Nealian Handwriting

-Numbers

-Bible

-Music

1st Grade -- 2nd Grade

Phonics & Reading (ABeka)

Spelling (ABeka)

Math (ABeka)

D'Nealian Handwriting

English

Social Studies

Science

Bible (ABeka)

Physical Education

Library

Music

Art

Computer

3rd Grade -- 5th Grade

Reading

Spelling

Math (ABeka)

D'Nealian Handwriting

English

Social Studies

Science

Bible (ABeka)

Physical Education

Library

Music

Art Computer

6th Grade -- 7th Grade

Literature

Language Arts

Math (6th)

Pre-Algebra (7th)

Social Studies

Earth Science (6th)

Life Science (7th)

Physical Education

Bible

Computer

The Upper School Curriculum (Grades 8-12) Standard classes 4 Math, 4 Science, 4 English, 4 Social Studies, 2 Foreign Languages, Electives and Dual Enrollment Classes Offered.

The leadership style of Mr. Bell is that of Transactional Leadership. He is very goal oriented and he believes that investing in the school through fund raising and recruitment of new families is a top priority for him. As headmaster he is like an active manager of the school. He has an Upper Campus Principal and a Lower Campus Principal who works under his guidance. He believes in hard work and believes that the students at Tiftera push each other to achieve.

I am glad I had the opportunity to see and experience the culture of this school. I enjoyed talking to Mr. Bell and I appreciate his candidness concerning the differences between Public and Private education.