In episode 38, Darren hosts another Every Square Centimetre “campfire” conversation. As we imagined sitting on the lush shores of Centennial Beach in Tsawassen our conversations were inspired by Darren’s article in The Link, “The Most Dangerous Game,” in which he reflects on how our schools need to choose cultural dialogue and engagement over culture wars. With this in mind, we pondered questions like:

- Why do Christian schools exist?

- What role do they play in society?

- How do we stay true to our mission statements at such a time as this?

- What does it mean to be courageous in our faith?

- How can a couple Aussie writers speak into our current context?

And to close out this season, we end this episode with a “cross-fire” segment that involves playing a game to see how well we remember the animals that have been showcased over the past 4 years of podcasts.

In episode 37, Tyler Capton invites us into the high school wing of Gateway Christian School in Red Deer, Alberta. Join the ESC “Prickle” as we learn:

- That confessing can be good for the soul… and, sometimes, a good laugh,

- How “cringe rap” is a special genre of music within school staff rooms

- That teachers need to model a growth mindset for their students

- How a heavy metal band can be inspiration for a classroom Storyline

- That creativity and adaptability is key when working with students with diverse learning needs

- That the “Lord of all” approach to Christian education can bring about some challenging, but often rewarding, conversations into the classroom.

Connect with Tyler at [email protected], check out the "Harmonious Gentlemen" podcast or check out "Mr. Capton's Youtube Channel" for more fun content.

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].

In episode 36, Bill Beeke invites us into the hallways of Timothy Christian School in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Join the ESC “Walk” as we learn:

- That nobody avoids aging

- How Adam Wasik’s bike repair story (see episode 34 of the ESC podcast) inspired Bill to create a mechanic’s shop at Timothy Christian school that serves the Chilliwack community in beautiful ways

- That teacher’s weren’t prophets when they used to say, “when you’re an adult you won’t always have a calculator in your pocket”

- How passion projects give different students the opportunity to showcase their unique God-given gifts

- The ironic name for a group of snails

Connect with Bill at [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].

In our third “Big Boss” episode, Deani Van Pelt, President of the Edvance Christian Schools Association, joins the ESC “Bivouac” as we learn:

- About the “intense, practical utility of a water lily”

- Why “interleaving” may be the next buzzword in education

- That there is a growing appetite for independent schooling across Canada and it’s a huge privilege to be involved in Christian education at this time

- How watching our own kids go through school can motivate us to do Christian education better

- That leaders have a duty to respond to the life giving movement of the Holy Spirit that’s often evident in our burning question and in our tears

- That a group of Monarch butterfly’s is a bivouac

Connect with Deani at [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].

In episode 34, Adam Wasik invites us into the principal’s office of John Knox Christian School’s Secondary Campus in New Westminster, British Columbia. Join the ESC “Dynasty” as we learn:

- The longest a free diver can hold their breath

- How somebody that flooded a classroom was still able to receive an outstanding practicum award as a UBC teacher candidate

- That New Westminster is home to the most famous lacrosse team in the world: the salmon bellies!

- How a bike repair room can be a principal’s favorite space in the school.

- That meritocracy and competition are still a huge distraction in Christian schools

- That discussing our journeys with learning and social challenges can not only help make space for vulnerable kids in our schools/classrooms but also help the “neurotypical kids” to feel that they don’t have to perform to be valued

Connect with Adam at [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].

In episode 33, Sara Douma invites us to Rocky Christian School, an alternative Christian school program in the Wild Rose School Division. Join the ESC “Madness” as we learn:

- That whether or not you teach Phys Ed, you should have some go-to games to play with your students

- That Rocky Mountain Mudd can refer to a filthy hike or some filthy coffee

- How lego can help connect students to God’s story

- Why apologizing to students teaches that every single person in our classrooms needs to be treated like an image bearer of God

- What an honor and a gift it is to be invited into your student’s lives and to walk alongside them as they figure out how to understand and accept God’s love for them

- That “fly’s” and “oranges” could use a rebranding

Connect with Sara at [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].

We go international in episode 32, as Ruth Rodriguez invites us to AMG (Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Ruth is the executive director of AMG Guatemala and helps bring Christian education to some of the poorest and most dangerous communities in Guatemala. Join the ESC “shadow” as we learn:

- who was “privileged” to have comic strips available on the back of the toilet when they were growing up.

- what the idiom, “It’s a long way from saying to doing,” means.

- the importance of students experiencing the joy of being someone that matters, being listened to, and invited to play a role in God’s story.

- that brokenness means “the failure to recognize that we are sinners”

- how Christian schools can be places for community healing and open spaces to be heard.

- how raccoons could be more of a pest in Canada if they adopted the strategy of breaking windows and hiding in schools, like some of their Central American relatives.

Connect with Ruth at [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].

In episode 31, Eli Banta invites us to Great Lakes Christian High School, in Beamsville, Ontario. Join the ESC “Run” as we learn:

- about “hookin’ humpies” and hitting “seagulls with suckers,”

- that residents of Beamsville are either Sunbeams or Beamsvillians,

- that half of the student population of Great Lakes Christian High School are international students that live on campus,

- that Physics allows us to see some amazing aspects of the Creator that we can’t see anywhere else,

- what quantum entanglement is not,

- how inquiry-based learning and Cooperative Group Problem Solving (CGPS) can better engage learners, and

- that we’re all turtles on a fencepost.

Connect with Eli at [email protected].

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].

In episode 30, Darren hosts another Every Square Centimetre “campfire” conversation. Recognizing that there are a number of exhausted educators across our country, we invite Tricia Schinkel, school counsellor at Calvin Christian School in Hamilton, to help us process some of our questions: How do we stay well as we engage life in the present season? What role does the school play in promoting the individual well-being of staff? and “How do you recover after a season of not being well?”

As always, we end our campfire conversation with the “Cross Fire” segment, where we banter over listener inspired prompts:

- What’s something the people in your family don’t appreciate enough about you?

- What’s something you’ve messed up recently?

- What was Justin’s bluegrass band experience and was Tricia part of a punk rock band?

You can connect with Tricia at [email protected]

We go international in episode 29, as Paul Matthews invites us to Calvin Christian School in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Paul believes AI tools, like chatGPT, can be a real beneficial tool to help keep Christian educators in Christian schools. Join the ESC “Mob” as we learn:

- sometimes it's necessary to kill a bass to catch a muskie

- which Canadian or Australian beast would win a “battle of the beasts” in a school gymnasium

- how AI will be able to help teachers design individualized, differentiated lessons

- that Christians need to be involved in AI spaces as a place of creativity

- that burrowing your head in the sand, like an echidna, will be ineffective as AI technology continues to make ecological changes to society

- that students will take a “huge haircut” if we don’t prepare students to use AI well and,

- how you can be involved in Paul’s AI pilot program, myteacheraide.com

Connect with Paul at [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by:

EduDeo: Visit https://edudeo.com, their school’s page (https://edudeo.com/schools), or email EduDeo at [email protected].