The US educational landscape moved into a new and potentially significant direction last week with the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary in the new Trump Administration. Some in non-public (defined in various ways as parochial, or parent controlled, or private) education as well as those in charter schools were delighted with the choice, seeing the possibility that more … Read More
A Canadian Rocky Mountain High!
It was truly a great day of celebration, with the majestic Canadian Rocky Mountains as the backdrop in beautiful Banff, Alberta, when more than seventy-five Christian school leaders from Canada, the United States, and Australia gathered prior to the Christian Schools Canada conference to share efforts around Deeper Learning in Christian schools. At this September 21 pre-conference party, there was … Read More
Reconciling Faith and Science
Christian teachers are called to be reconcilers. As ambassadors of Christ, they are given this ministry of reconciliation: pointing students to living in harmony with God, neighbor, creation, and self. In II Corinthians 5:16-21, the apostle Paul encourages the Corinthians that, being given this message of reconciliation, they are then called to share the sweetness of wholeness through Christ and … Read More
Beginning Well: Part 3 of a Conversation with Dan Beerens and Steven Levy
In Part 3 of the CACE summer webinar series Dan Beerens and Steven Levy explore how teachers can create a culture in their classrooms where students are dedicated to excellence. In particular, how to give the message to students at the beginning of the year, that everything they do matters. Participants share ideas how they deliver that message, and Levy presents … Read More
I Wonder as I Wander
I can’t seem to get my head around it! No matter how many times I talk to someone around the world and it sounds like they are sitting in the same room with me, I am filled with wonder. When I look at anything in micro and see how color and design pop forward that I previously hadn’t observed, I … Read More
What’s Your Plan? Part 2 of a Conversation with Dan Beerens and Steven Levy
In Part 2 of the CACE summer webinar series Dan Beerens and Steven Levy discuss how school leaders and teachers can use the summer to plan more effectively for the following school year. Part 1 was about “Ending Well” in celebrating the accomplishments of the school year and Part 3 will be about “Beginning Well” as we jump into the … Read More
What’s Your Plan?
If you are an administrator, the latter part of June is an ideal time for reflection and future planning. Immediate day-to-day pressures cease and unless you are in a modified year or year round schedule situation, the pressures to start back up feel down the road. Still fresh in your mind are the things that worked well or didn’t from … Read More
Ending Well: Part 1 of a Conversation with Dan Beerens and Steven Levy
The school year is over, and we are in the midst of celebrating the past year with our students and families. Too often we wait until another year is gone by to discuss or think about how we finish, and we continue to do what we’ve always done. Dan Beerens challenged us to think differently and asked us in a … Read More
Will We Be Ending Well?
I wrote this blog post several years ago and since we are nearing the end of the school year, I thought it was worth repeating – the questions still remain important to consider. Shortly after publishing the post, I received a wonderful response from Jon Postma about my questions. At the time, Jon was a teacher at Lafayette Christian in … Read More
Should Christian Schools Be More like Seminaries or Churches?
Out of its best motives, the Christian day school movement was born from the deep conviction by parents that God’s truth be recognized in every subject and every aspect of learning. Knowing that a teacher’s worldview has a powerful and undeniable impact on students’ worldviews, public schooling was not acceptable to these parents because of concerns over what core values/worldview … Read More