Schools take great risks when they quash innovation. To go nowhere is to go backwards. Though the desire to protect a school’s tradition and fear of the unknown are common, they can prevent good changes, as well as stifle growth and improvement.
Words and Walls
Do we want diverse and inclusive schools? Absolutely. All of us who teach, lead, or chose faith-based schools for our children have good work to do in this space. Getting there is going to be a long process. It is challenging to do difficult work in a society obsessed with the immediate. Let us not grow weary.
Diversity in the Christian School: Motivation and Action
Burdened by headlines of racial unrest, Christian schools across the country are seeking answers and want to know more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) They desire to create a place for learning and growth in this arena for students, faculty, and parents. Others pressured by their communities to grapple with their school’s past want to learn how to work … Read More
A COVID Opportunity
COVID-19 has made 2020 a year few will forget. School administrators will remember the sudden shifts needed as the virus spread in March. Leaders and faculty worked together to deliver education virtually so that learning could continue. Later in the spring, plans unfolded for how to finish the school year–how to share final projects, celebrate seniors, and perform graduations. As the … Read More
Diversity in the Christian School: What G.R.A.C.E. Meant to a Student of Color
Myia Sims shares what it is like to attend a white Christian school as a black student and what she learned through a diversity club called G.R.A.C.E Council: “Through this program I came to recognize Jesus’ cry for holistic justice and how as a follower of Christ I was called to advocate for the oppressed. These lessons gave me a renewed faith in the totality of the Scriptures.”
Competing for Hearts and Minds with Video
Joey Richards, Associate Head of School at Southwest Christian School in Fort Worth, shares several tips for creating high quality videos to share with your Christian school families. He also shares his ingenious setup for quickly converting an office into an improvised studio.
Diversity in the Christian School: Why Diversity Matters to a White Person, Part 2
God’s command in Micah 6:8 is well known: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” That action is lived out in society, not in isolation.
The Many Roads to Christian Deeper Learning: Project Based Learning
TfT begins with the premise that all things in the world belong to God, and that as schools, we want to help students see God’s grand story in every subject they study. Every unit and lesson must be seen as sacred–a divine opportunity for the student to enter into a deeper relationship with their God.
Diversity in the Christian School: Why Diversity Matters to a White Person
By showing up and showing interest, you demonstrate that the concerns of those who are marginalized are important and need to be understood.
Diversity in the Christian School: Learning While Leading
Diversity in demographics isn’t enough if all the students in the school don’t have the same opportunities. Do we possess the superficial markers of diversity without actually embracing and honoring that diversity? Have we built authentic community with all our students and families? Do all the people in the building have the same opportunities to share their voice, perspective, and experiences?