Structure

The tutors each provide a 32-week lesson plan that is the foundation for the course. Objective daily homework is checked at home under parental supervision. This means that for some classes parents must purchase student texts and teacher’s keys. Subjective grading (such as reports and papers), quizzes, handouts, mid-terms and finals are graded by the tutor.

Parents should be the primary disciplers of their teens. The tutorial is designed to help make carving time out for that process easier. Parental involvement will be mandatory and a crucial part of the tutorial structure.

Every parent is expected to serve 2 full volunteer days (or 4 half days). On those days the parents will be helping with lunch or other administrative needs and with security by watching the doors. We are blessed with a great and large facility, but that does end up requiring more parent volunteer time slots. You are welcome to bring younger children on volunteer days.

Parents are always welcomed and encouraged to be more involved, including (but not limited to):

Lead a table Discipleship Study Lunch for a quarter

Help out with events and activities.

Help with morning prayer time.

Class Periods

Classes will last 55 minutes, with 5 minutes to change classrooms.

All tutors are encouraged to directly connect the material being taught to their personal walk with Christ.

Direction for what this looks like is up to the individual tutors, but with the understanding that this is expected of every class. At a minimum this can be the incorporation of a verse that is relevant to what is being discussed, but is open to a wide range of options.

Discipleship Study Lunch

We recognize that a substantial portion of fellowship and discipleship in scriptures center around the sharing of meals. The lunch time at the tutorial will be structured as a time to connect parents, tutors and students through a coordinated study. All students who are present during lunch must attend, and unless approved otherwise we require students taking a class immediately before or after lunch to attend.

Lunch will be thirty-five minutes long to accommodate this objective.

The students will be divided into assigned groups for the year.

A tutor or parent or other mentor will head the discussion at an assigned group.

During the study the table leader and students will eat lunch (either brown bag or part of the group lunch) and go through an intentionally-led Bible study.

All students are expected to participate. We ask table leaders to encourage students to be involved, and ask that the leaders scale back their discussion so that the students can have as much opportunity as possible to join in the conversation.

Bible reading plans will often be given to all teens/families at the beginning of the quarter to give a continual framework for Bible study for those who would like to have direction for continual study, and DBS studies may be tied into readings from that week, with students encouraged to read in advance.

The last 35 minutes of lunch is free time, and we encourage the students to use that time for fellowship.

Non-Discriminatory Policy

The Discipleship Tutorial does not discriminate based on race, color, national and ethnic origin.