Teach Like a Child of God
In 2006, Dave Burgess’s book Teach Like a Pirate launched a thousand book studies. Its tenets of taking risks, building student rapport, and being “all in” still inspire educators almost twenty years later. However, with full respect for teaching with passion, I’d like to propose a slightly different model for Christian Educators to pursue: teach like a child […]
First Day Don’ts
Let’s be honest, the start of a new school year is equal parts exciting and overwhelming. There’s fresh potential, clean notebooks, and an undeniable sense of optimism…quickly followed by broken smart boards, mystery smells, and last-minute schedule changes that make you question every life decision that brought you to this point. But whether you’re a […]
Buckle-Up: Preparing for the Ups and Downs
Each academic year can feel like a roller coaster ride with a pace and timing all its own. Since our students (and sometimes even our teaching assignments) always change, we never know what to expect—what twists or drops might be coming around the bend. As teachers, we can climb aboard and buckle up, holding our […]
The Resilience Challenge
“I didn’t pass that test. I’m so dumb.” “I didn’t make the team. I’m not good at anything.” “This photo looks bad. I am so ugly.” These aren’t just fleeting thoughts—they’re powerful, personal narratives that many students silently repeat to themselves when faced with failures. Too often, they allow a single mistake or setback to […]
Management Minute: When There’s Not a Single Student in the Room
So often, we think of classroom management as what happens when students are talking out of turn, lining up, or earning fuzzies in a jar. (High school teachers—if you don’t know about the fuzzy jar, go find your nearest elementary teacher. They’ll explain.) But as Christian educators, there’s an important discovery waiting to be made: […]
A Word from our Director: Is your Mind Set on the Kingdom?
We hear a ton about “mindset” in education. And if I had to bet, the growth mindset box on your PD bingo card was probably filled in at every session. Have you also heard of a learning mindset? What about a resilient mindset? Or have you been encouraged to help your student develop a global […]
Editor’s Letter: My Modeling Contract
I was 23 years old when I got my first modeling contract over 25 years ago. I was young, naive, and excited to captivate my audience. No, I didn’t literally “walk the runway.” Instead, I modeled different attributes to over 100 students each year in my classroom. My students watched me as I, an imperfect […]