As another school year comes to a close, we educators find ourselves bearing a familiar mixture of emotions. There is gratitude for God’s faithfulness. A sense of relief that summer is near. Joy in having seen students grow and move on to another grade or graduate. And, for many of us, exhaustion. Our profession has a cycle with a beginning … Read More
How Strong Is Your Network? Leading Change in BC K-12 Christian Schools
If you want to lead your community through crisis or change, the first step is to ask, “How big is our kingdom vision and what is the strength of our network?” This focused question surfaced for me as I studied change leadership in British Columbia (BC) K-12 Christian schools. My dissertation addresses the following questions: Christian school leaders must wrestle … Read More
Trauma-Informed Christian Education: On Earth as in Heaven
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Matthew 6:10 (NLT) In the first post of this series, we considered how student behavior often tells a story. What may appear as defiance, apathy, avoidance, or even academic success may be a student’s learned response to stress, fear, instability, or shame. When we … Read More
Trauma-Informed Christian Education: More Than Behavior
And we believers also groan … for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. Romans 8:23 NLT As a school-based mental health counselor in a Christian school, I often work with students whose behaviors have become dysfunctional in the school setting. I have counseled students who were unable to make eye contact with their teachers. … Read More
The Leadership Gap in Christian Schools
Forming Teachers as Leaders I remember the moment clearly. I was sitting across from one of the strongest teachers on my staff during her annual evaluation. As I shared with her how impactful she was and how there wasn’t much room left for her to grow, I noticed her expression change. Frustration crept across her face. So I paused and … Read More
Overflow and the Not-so-inspiring Spanish Teacher
In my first few years of teaching, I taught Spanish. I was not a good Spanish teacher, and my students knew it. It was the kind of teaching where the teacher said things and students did activities, but learning was minimal. I could not speak Spanish. I had never been to Spain or any Spanish-speaking countries. I did not know … Read More
An Invitation To Imagine: Come With…
Ben’s request Lao Tzu of the 6th Century BC is credited with saying, “The good traveler is not intent on arriving.” This quotation has been a favorite of mine for more than thirty years, not because I live it out well, but because it serves as a reminder for me, someone who has been destination-oriented, that I have often missed … Read More
An Invitation To Imagine: Strategic Excellence for the Sake of Formation
During a new family interview, a father paused before asking a question that carried more weight than he likely intended. “Can you tell me more about the academic program here? Is it better than what I experienced?” He went on to explain that he had attended a Christian school himself but felt unprepared for college and eventually dropped out. “I … Read More
An Invitation to Imagine: Unity, Partnership, and Shared Mission
Imagine a Christian school where the common thread holding the staff, leadership, parents, and students together was a shared understanding of the gospel (the creation-fall-redemption-restoration narrative of God’s work in the world) and the fundamental truths that have historically defined orthodox Christianity. What if that understanding, and that alone, was the litmus test for a school’s mission, academics, culture, and … Read More
An Invitation To Re-Imagine: Collaborative Christian Education Ecosystems
Christian schools have long pursued excellence within their own walls. But the work of forming disciples, developing educators, and strengthening communities is too great for any one school to accomplish alone. If we are to faithfully carry out this mission, we must think beyond isolated excellence. Here is our vision: In ten years, Christian schools will be strengthened through Christ-centered … Read More