LUC School Program

Lives Under Construction has over the years developed a school on premises to help boys who come and have been kicked out of public schools or have fallen behind because of behavior issues and learning disabilities.

The boys are taught by our classroom teachers and then instead of opening the books, most of the students use a web-based program to do their assignments on.  They will read over the information that has just been presented by the teachers and answer the questions following each section.  They receive individualized help from the teachers to better help them understand the material.  Many of the students have Individual Education Plans suited just for their particular needs.  If more help is required, the student may come back in the evenings for additional tutoring.  We have some students with various learning disabilities such as Dyslexia, Aspergers, A.D.D., A.D.H.D., Autism, Dysgraphia, and others.  Some boys have sight and hearing problems.  At times, they act up in class to avoid their obvious disabilities so that others would not view them as having learning problems.  Many are very intelligent but need to get over some of these hurdles.  Their verbal IQ’s tend to be higher than that of written exams. 

Many students are able to catch up to grade level and return to the schools they originally came from upon leaving the LUC program.  Because we use software that  is nationally recognized and we work in conjunction with the public school, the grades transfer back to their schools.  Most studensts have had previous behavior issues that kept them from being able to make progress in their previous schools.  LUC helps them in unique and innovative ways to help keep them in the classroom.  We use left and right brain techniques to help them concentrate. The boys are tested as in the public school and their grades are recorded.  Most boys are able to catch up to what would be their normal grade level. To help round out their education, we also provide the boys with a daily recreational activity and training as well as teach a variety of Vo-Tech’s listed in other areas of our Ranch Program.  We have a gym in the Trades Building so the boys can develop their coordination skills and they can compete against other schools or teams.  The Trades Building gym is where we hold our Open House event each first Saturday in October.  We are hoping to upgrade our stage, lighting, and sound system.  If anyone can help  us with this, let us know.  The boys work hard each year to present to our guests with drama and music.

The Ranch is fortunate to have some qualified retired teachers who volunteer teaching some classes.  LUC could use others who will just come and listen to boys read or help provide more one-on-one time with them.

Some students are gifted in music or art, but our resources are limited.  We have had some volunteers help teach piano, guitar, and other musical instruments over the years.  Some of the boys like to sing and we do perform in the community when invited.  One winter, we sang with a local church choir and practiced with them for about 6 weeks.  The boys that went enjoyed the experience.

At the end of Summer School, we have a few days of fun camping. Then the boys return to school. The teachers and the classrooms are always ready and the boys do a great job over the summer catching up so they will be on grade level for the most part. Some look forward to starting high school and others hope to graduate. Please pray for our boys! Some are very intelligent and some just need an opportunity to learn in a smaller class setting where they get special attention and the teachers know and are able to work with the various challenges they face. The boys work on their drama in the summer and so there are different things for different students.

Let us know if you have a gift that you could share. Various school supplies are always also welcome as the boys don’t come with those.  Public school kids receive those types of things from various organizations so our teachers really put forth a lot in what they do to make learning exciting…. and sometimes fun!