When I think of a Christian education leader who combines the best of prophet, priest, and king leadership, my mind turns to Ron Polinder. Formed by the routine and discipline of farm life and educated in K-18 Christian schools, Ron is someone whose life and career passionately reconciles his deep faith with his vocational practice. Along with many others, I … Read More
Celebrate and Imagine #3: Thought Leadership in the Boom Years, 1950 to 1990
In this post we will delve into the philosophical and curricular aspects of the movement, highlighting key individuals, particularly from the years leading up to the early 1990s. One could make an argument that these years were a key time in the Calvinist Christian day school movement in terms of articulating belief, uniting around a philosophical direction and identity, and at the same time assessing the effectiveness of the movement as leaders looked to the future.
Celebrate and Imagine #2: Engaging God’s World
Plantinga shares the lament expressed in Jeremiah but also the hope of shalom. Shalom is “the background vision for Christian education.” He calls Christian educators to be “the kinds of people who want shalom and work every day toward it–that is what a Christian education is all about.”
Tips for Teaching Controversial Science Content
Evolution. Climate change. Vaccines. Randomness. Just hearing these terms can elicit angst for Christian science educators. Whereas some of these topics are contentious because they challenge certain theological views, others have become overly politicized in the past decade and can be just as tricky to address in the classroom.
Celebrate and Imagine #1: Introduction and Beginnings
In fall of 2021, CACE invited a group of 70+ educators to Washington, D.C. We met at the Museum of the Bible for a two-day conference on the history and ongoing impact of Reformed Calvinist K-12 day school education. It was a time of remembering, appreciating, and evaluating the history of this movement and considering how it may continue to impact Christian education in North America. Hence the title for this ten-part blog series comes from the conference title: “Celebrating the Past, Imagining the Future.”
Relax and Learn the Science
Teachers can start by admitting that we do not have control over the messages students hear outside of school that engender some of these attitudes. However, we do have the opportunity in classrooms to challenge the idea that we have to oppose scientific evidence in order to embrace the Bible and live in God’s truth.
The Laborer Deserves Her Wages
Analyzing data from association surveys nonprofit tax forms, salaries of women in Christian education are compared to salaries of men in Christian education. The data is strong, but what are the implications for us?
Inviting Student Voice: Questions You Must Ask Students When Studying Animals
The animal kingdom reveals the extraordinary creativity of our Creator. Given the right assignment, students, too, are able to demonstrate incredible levels of creativity when reflecting on animals.
Is It Worth It? Being a Christian School Educator
Is it worth it? As I meet with Christian school leaders around the country, I continue to hear about the burnout of Christian school leaders and teachers, so the question is legit. Are these good careers or not?
Welcome to the Teaching and Learning Lab: Classroom-based Professional Development
Observing good models of teaching can be helpful, but the whole idea of demonstration lessons is problematic. On the one hand, you do want to learn new ideas that might help you become a better teacher. On the other hand, “Who is this person? Who does this ‘expert’ think he or she is coming into my room and showing me up with some fancy lesson?”