Advising & Support

Ambition Needs Support

Tabor's faculty members are committed to helping our students develop their characters, explore their interests, and reach for higher standards. Our academic support programs seek to foster a growth mindset in our students while encouraging them to become self-advocates. This ensures students have the best chance for success as they navigate the world at Tabor and beyond.

The Cornerstone: A Great Advisor

The cornerstone of the Tabor experience is our great advisor system. Each newly enrolled Tabor student is assigned a faculty advisor, and most students elect to stay with that adviser for their career at Tabor. By keeping advisor groups small, the school fosters strong relationships that allow faculty to counsel their students effectively. Of an advisor’s many jobs, helping advisees embrace the many challenges inherent in achieving an excellent education is the most important. Advisors make students aware of opportunities, cajole them to stretch their wings, and sometimes insist that they take the leap in discovering a new skill, trying a new activity, or challenging themselves to achieve to their highest potential. The advisor is often a student’s first stop for information or guidance, but students also meet frequently with their classroom teachers during faculty office hours to ask specific questions, discuss ideas, and brainstorm paper topics.

Setting Goals and Planning Ahead

Starting in ninth grade, advisors help students create a four-year plan. Together, they update the plan each spring, mapping out academics, co-curricular, and leadership opportunities for the coming year. Advisors place careful emphasis on ensuring that the chosen schedule balances rigor, risk, and intellectual curiosity. In coordination with Tabor’s College Counseling staff, the advisor helps to remind students of the importance of crafting a transcript and overall Tabor experience that best leverages a student’s talents and opportunities when it comes time to apply to college.

The Parent-Advisor Partnership

Advisors rely on parents for insights on their children, while parents come to rely on advisors as the first avenue of communication concerning their student. Advisors write formal summative letters to parents twice during the year, while grades are reported home four times a year. Of course, conversations between parents and advisors take place throughout the year, and during Family Weekends or anytime that is convenient. Parents are always welcome to schedule conferences or a phone call with advisors.