One-on-one lessons bring high marks at private school
Teachers help kids ‘go beyond their abilities’ in the classroom
Overcrowded classrooms aren’t ever an issue at the Tenney School. The private institution in southwest Houston serving sixth through 12th grades has been offering one-on-one instruction for almost four decades.
Students spend at least a third of their day in individual lessons with their teachers. The rest of the time, they are in a small group of about six for labs and electives. If more than 10 show up for an activity, the group splits in two.
In total, enrollment currently accounts for 60 students, who rotate through 30 teachers. “Because of the 1-to-1 ratio, we know our students extremely well,” head of school Mike Tenney explained. “All of our students have four trainers working with them. Their teachers can help them with their strengths and weaknesses in a way that just can’t happen in a traditional classroom.”
He added that in a typical classroom, a lot is left to chance. Students have to learn on their own.
“Some kids just can’t,” he said. “Some kids thrive on competition, but at our school, we ask: Is this child doing what they’re capable of? We want them to gain confidence in their abilities. Then, we get them to try harder, to go beyond their abilities.”
He also believes in helping students discover their interests. That’s why he places extra emphasis on electives, group learning and sports. Recently, the campus added a sports court to expand its physical education programs.
This one-to-one model of instruction, which is integral to the school’s operation, was developed by his parents
George and Judy Tenney. They founded the school in 1973. Judy was a teacher and worked as a tutor when she and George moved to Houston. Her main focus was helping individuals get their GEDs and preparing nurses for the GRE.
“She was helping people reach their goals before and after school,” Mike Tenney said. “Eventually, she found that people needed one-on-one attention as their primary way of learning.”
At the time, George was in sales and put his experience into helping his wife advertise for classes and start a school.
“It was a small family business,” Mike said. “They did everything from cleaning the floors to educating to billing.”
At first, they rented office space in a building off Post Oak. Then, they moved to a facility near the intersection of Westheimer and Dunvale. By 1990, the couple bought a building just north of the school’s current location at 3500 S. Gessner
Road.
All the while, their enrollment increased and the afterschool program transformed into a full school day where tuition approaches $30,000 a year.
As a child, Tenney grew up hanging around the school, but he never thought that he would go into the family business. Instead, he served in the Air Force, earned an engineering degree and traveled. He was working as a defense contractor in San Antonio when he decided to head back to Houston and take over the school in 2007.
When Tenney took the helm, he was committed to pursuing the model his parents created — one-on-one education complemented with small activities.
He also wanted to expand the electives and sports offerings. For example, now there are two rock bands students can join in the music program. A CSI lab, added earlier this year, is also a popular choice for an elective.
“We’re constantly changing stuff,” he said. “We add something new and just run with it. Our elective program has gotten bigger, and there are classes for all our students’ different interests.”
That flexibility sets the school apart, Principal Catherine De La Rosa said. “We’re not as strict about our offerings,” she said.
For example, one student wanted to learn about genetics this year, so the school added a course. Another teen wanted to earn his pilot’s license, and De La Rosa reworked his schedule to make sure he could attend training. The principal has made flexible schedules for students who want to enroll in acting classes, pursue hobbies or dive into sports off campus.
“If you have an outside passion, we can work with you,” she said.
Dayna Freedhand said her 13-year old daughter enjoys being able to condense the school day so she can head to the barn and train hunter jumper for horse riding.
“We were looking for something different, something smaller, something more individual, where kids can excel as quickly as they can — or if they need help, they can find it,” Freedhand said.
Being at Tenney has helped her daughter surpass grade level at math, Freedhand added. “She excelled right through it, and has with everything, across the board. It’s a wonderful school. I cannot say enough about it.”
Tenney said students of all abilities can thrive at the school — from gifted individuals who get bored in regular classrooms to those who struggle academically. Students with different learning styles are able to find individual attention and unique learning plans that fit their needs. Some teens attend the school to escape bullying; others are managing their anxiety levels.
International students with families on temporary assignment also compose a large portion of the school’s population.
Regardless of the reason for enrolling in the Tenney School, De La Rosa said her goal is build esteem in all students.
“Most kids come to us lacking self-confidence,” she said. “They’re struggling or they’re high performing and struggling because expectations are too high. We build up their selfconfidence. Once we do that, we can attack any weaknesses.”
The Tenney School also offers summer programs for students looking to catch up in a subject or wanting to try one-to-one education.
Some students attend the school for a couple of years to acquire the skills they need before returning to traditional classrooms.
Tenney said that the current building has room to accommodate more students. Eventually, he hopes that school becomes a model and expands to other locations.
De La Rosa, who came to the school after teaching and serving as an administrator in HISD, said she is hooked on the oneto-one model.
“When I saw what they were doing at Tenney, I thought, ‘This is amazing. This is what education should be like,’ ” she recalled. She has watched teachers thrive in an environment where they are trusted to provide top-notch instruction for each individual student, where they are not teaching to the test.
“It’s difficult when you have a class of 30 kids,” she said. “Kids fall into the cracks, even GT kids. Here there are no gaps. The teachers are able to meet the needs.”
De La Rosa added that the faculty members at Tenney love to teach. “They just don’t want to grade 900 papers,” she said. “They’re very well-versed. They want to be here, and that makes all the difference.”
Enrollment is ongoing, she added. “The other kids are so welcoming and sweet. Everyone has a friend here. We’re like a small family.”
For more information, visit www.tenneyschool.com.