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
The Great “Stop-and-Drop-Shop” Fallacy
The other day, I was down at one of our local Christian schools collecting two of my grandchildren, to look after them at the end of the school day, whilst Sue, their mother, was busy running an after-school activity for parents. Actually, my grandson Brendon saw me in the school some time before the final bell when he was visiting … Read More
Graciously Unapologetic – A New Way to Be
Contemporary Christian day schools are filled with fear because Christ and something else have taken strong root. The results include dominating human-centered busy-work around ‘what to do’ to solve problems and concerns, and artificial constructs of control (i.e. exclusivity, legal rigidity, group norm, traditionalism, denominationalism, etc.) intended to soothe fears. Graciously Unapologetic was written to ‘out’ the fears that dominate … Read More
Do My Students Ask Essential Questions?
So, what makes a question essential? We identify essential questions with characteristics such as open-endedness, the question’s ability to call for higher order thinking, whether it raises additional questions, and how it requires support and justification. Essential questions are ones not answerable with finality in a single lesson or a brief sentence – and that is the point. This focus … Read More
Fill in the Blank
The schools that parents want to entrust their children to_________ (fill-in-the-blank). The schools that students want to be invited into __________ (fill-in-the-blank). Fill-in-the-blank questions are some of my favorites. While they remain on the lower end of Bloom’s Taxonomy (comprehension and understanding), they are relatively easy to write (as a teacher) and relatively easy to answer (as a student). It … Read More
Part III: To Be Deeply Rooted
Just so we are clear…CACE is not in the political business of endorsing candidates or platforms. However, we certainly realize the impact that government, state and federal, can have on how Christian schools operate which requires informed readers. Therefore, we want to continue to provide information worth consuming for those with a common calling in Christian education. Missionally, we want … 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
Part II: The Democrats and Education
American readers, we have our two major party nominees for President of the United States. Hillary Clinton made history by becoming the first woman to be nominated for presidency by a major party. Her nomination – bringing women who were first barred by law and then by custom, to the peak of the American political system – is cause for … Read More
Part I: The Republicans and Education
The political process in the United States is in full swing. Actually, if there is a phrase that describes more than full swing, I would certainly welcome it to describe this particular election cycle. With my home base in Iowa, I think that Iowans experience both the initial excitement of each election cycle and the fatigue of each election cycle. … Read More
The Perfect Storm?
In October and November of 1991 an unnamed nor’easter grew in strength off the east coast of the United States absorbing an already existing Hurricane Grace and eventually reaching full hurricane strength itself. Going unnamed during the event in order to avoid confusion with the previous hurricane, it spawned waves recorded at 100 feet high by buoys off the coast … Read More