 Last week, seven members of the Lutheran High School of San Antonio faculty attended the Herzog Institute's Academics and Student Success training — and they returned with more than notes and handouts. They came back with clarity, fellowship, and a renewed vision for what's ahead in 2026-27. At the center of everything we do at LHSSA is a simple but powerful mission: to nurture faith and pursue excellence, so that our students have a firm foundation of faith, character, and knowledge on which to lead lives of impact to the glory of Jesus Christ. It's the kind of statement that's easy to print on a letterhead. The harder — and far more important — work is making sure it actually shapes what happens in every classroom, every lesson plan, and every decision a teacher makes during the course of a school year. Redefining Success Rather than measuring success primarily through grades, test scores, or college admissions, the training pushed our faculty to ask a deeper question: What does it actually mean for an LHS student to succeed? Not succeed by the world's metrics alone, but succeed in a way that reflects who God created them to be. That question led our team toward a philosophy of education as formation — the idea that our job isn't simply to deliver information, but to help students realize they are unique children of God, with gifts and a calling all their own. Beginning with the End in Mind A central idea from the training was this: if you want to know how to teach, you first have to know who you're trying to form. Before you can build a curriculum, plan a lesson, or design an assessment, you have to know what you're aiming for. So our team did exactly that. Together, they created the Portrait of an LHS Graduate — a clear picture of the young men and women LHSSA is committed to forming. It describes a graduate who:
 From Vision to Practice
With that portrait as a compass, our faculty were equipped to begin with the end in mind — asking at every turn: does this lesson, this assessment, this classroom practice actually move our students toward this picture of who we want them to become? The training emphasized authentic, student-centered learning and performance-based assessments that ask students to demonstrate real understanding and transferable skills, not just recall facts for a test. It also gave our team practical tools for asking the big questions that tie the daily work of teaching back to mission — questions our faculty will keep returning to throughout the year as they plan curriculum, design lessons, and disciple students in and out of the classroom. Fellowship That Fuels the Mission Beyond the frameworks and planning tools, this training was a gift of fellowship. Seven LHSSA educators spent focused time together, praying, dreaming, and wrestling with hard questions about what faithful Christian education looks like. That kind of shared vision doesn't happen by accident — it takes intentional time set apart, and our team is grateful for the chance to invest in it together. Looking Ahead to 2026-27 Our faculty return with more than a training certificate. They return with a shared language, a clarified mission, and a concrete tool — the Portrait of an LHS Graduate — that will shape how we teach, plan, and lead in the year ahead. We can't wait to see this vision come to life in our classrooms this fall. Please join us in praying for our faculty as they prepare for a school year rooted deeply in mission — one where every lesson points toward students with a firm foundation of faith, character, and knowledge, ready to lead lives of impact to the glory of Jesus Christ.Acad
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
July 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed
