Church-Home-School: The Three-Legged Stool

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE RoundtableLeave a Comment

As many of you know, Dordt University takes its name from the historic Synod of Dort held in Dordrecht, the Netherlands in 1618-1619. Arising from that six-month assembly was the Canons of Dort, one of the  major confessional statements of Reformed churches. The Canons of Dort were a response to controversial theological statements made by the followers of Jacob Arminius; … Read More

Chasing “likes”

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable1 Comment

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” This quotation is attributed to Teddy Roosevelt as he often demonstrated a joy-filled life in the leadership positions he was called to serve. Given that his life journey was not an easy one, it would have made sense for him to stop and compare, allowing joy to be stolen. He lost his first wife … Read More

Why Coaches Need Coaching

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable1 Comment

Triangulation is the world of research when three pieces of data crash together, affirming or at least connecting the variables. This blog is due to the triangulation of three coaching experiences that collided in the past month for me. The first data set was a two-day coaching intensive that CACE held at Surrey Christian School. Two of our Teaching for … Read More

Two Stars and A Wish…

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable1 Comment

I hope it is OK for me to dedicate this blog to one of the original thought leaders in the biblical framework for teaching that we call Teaching for Transformation or TfT. As some of you may know, CACE has been partnering with the Prairie Centre for Christian Education (PCCE) in developing and delivering TfT to schools in the United … Read More

Christian School Mission Statements

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable1 Comment

Developing a Mission and Vision statement is a task that every Christian School has engaged in at one time or perhaps, multiple times throughout their history. A lot is asked of Christian school mission statements. They must sell the school to prospective families and donors alike, rally the community in a multitude of different ways, and direct the overall operations. … Read More

Lessons from the Playground: School Climate and Structures

Tim Van SoelenInnovation

As defined by the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASDC) School climate refers to the school’s effects on students, including teaching practices; diversity; and the relationships among administrators, teachers, parents, and students. My personal definition of school climate is the temperature of the school, “controlled” (think thermostat) by the structures that are in place, the things that have an effect … Read More

Teaching, Coaching, Administrating…Synonyms?

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable

Earlier this year, I had a unique opportunity to accompany my father-in-law (Dr. Len Rhoda) on a trip to Southern California, to Valley Christian High School in Cerritos where he and my mother-in-law (Lee) began their teaching and coaching careers. The purpose of this trip was to meet up with a team he coached to the 1967-68 CIF State Basketball … Read More

Taxes, Christmas and Christian Education

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable

The recently passed tax reform seems to be crowding out Christmas. Instead of stories of acts of kindness that seem to be on the uptick this time of year (I just experienced a rather small but maybe significant one on an airplane where a person gave up his first class seat to one of our armed services personnel who was … Read More

Norm and Norms

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable

If your television viewing history includes the eleven-year period from 1982 – 1993, you probably recall a sitcom titled Cheers. The show is set in a bar named Cheers in Boston, Massachusetts, where a group of locals met to have a drink, relax and socialize. The refrain from the show’s theme song quickly became the tagline, Where Everybody Knows Your … Read More

What If We Called It Practice?

Tim Van SoelenThe CACE Roundtable2 Comments

“If the kids haven’t learned the concepts by the time they leave the classroom, the homework is pointless.” H.O.M.E.W.O.R.K = Half Of My Energy Wasted On Random Knowledge. “Homework – the teachers’ way to find out how smart parents are!” The recent articles, blogs, rants, and defenses of homework have definitely caused me to think deeply about what I assign … Read More