“All good things are wild and free.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
The history of Shady Oak Christian School …
Joyce Trigger, the visionary Foundress of Shady Oak Christian School, began her journey with a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois. After honing her teaching skills in a Chicago suburb, she and her husband Tom relocated to Texas in the early 1970s. There, Joyce continued nurturing young minds at a private school near Rice University while advancing her expertise with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Houston.
Driven by a profound belief in developmentally appropriate education and a desire to protect the sanctity of childhood, Joyce envisioned a school where learning blossomed naturally through wonder, curiosity, and play. This vision came to life in 1987 with the founding of Shady Oak Christian School. For 34 years, Joyce led the school as its dedicated director, creating a nurturing environment that prioritized the whole child over the demands of hurried academic advancement.
Today, Shady Oak Christian School stands as a testament to Joyce’s legacy—serving hundreds of families and embracing child-centered practices that honor the rhythms of childhood. Though Joyce retired in June 2022, her passion and principles continue to shape the school’s mission, ensuring each child’s journey is guided by respect, discovery, and joy.
School Core Values
1. We cultivate empathy and compassion by showing how your actions affect others.
2. We celebrate the greatness of the individual by recognizing their worthiness and capability.
3. We cultivate gratitude.
4. We believe in the power of meaningful work.
5. We believe that my self-awareness allows me to embrace the gifts of others.
6. We believe that there are consequences to behaviors and those help me make thoughtful choices.
7. We cultivate curiosity and wonder.
8. We believe in the power of persistence, grit and problem solving.
9. We believe that there is freedom within consistent and enforceable boundaries.
10. We believe that becoming independent and self-reliant empowers me to contribute to others.
11. We believe in the value of the natural world.
12. We believe that healthy physical, social, nutritional and spiritual practices are the foundation for an individual’s success.
Our Teaching Methods
Play Based
Play-based learning appeals to children’s natural curiosity and their desire to engage in experiences based on their own unique interests, as they make sense of the world around them. Research shows that learning through play supports positive attitudes towards learning, providing a good foundation for ongoing success at school and skills for life-long learning.
Project Based
Project approach allows students to learn through hands-on experience and active participation. It is a student centered method that encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity. It involves students working on a project over an extended period of time that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question.
Nature Based
Nature based programs promote learning in children in both direct and indirect ways. It provides students to feel more attentive, less stressed, more self-disciplined, more engaged, more interested and more physically active and fit. And it can also provide a calmer, quieter, safer, warmer, and more cooperative setting for learning.