Every Square Centimetre

In episode 22, John van der Leek and PADS dog Summer welcome us to Abbotsford Christian School, where they work together to help all students give and receive love and acceptance. Join the ESC “Family” as we learn:

- that when it comes to anniversary arguments, Darren says Jeremy’s wife is always right,

- that the place you’d park your car at a dog school is the “barking lot,”

- that according to Statistics Canada, Abbotsford has been the most generous city in terms of donations for 9 straight years,

- that a dog’s unconditional love and obedience can make it an incredible servant worker in a school, and

- more practically, having a PADS dog in a school can be an amazing mental health resource.

Connect with John (and Summer) at [email protected].

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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 21, Alex Farquhar welcomes us to Drayton Christian School in Drayton Valley, Alberta, where Alex wants all grade six students to know they are capable in their learning. Join the ESC “Clowder” as we learn:

- Darren has an uncanny ability to identify the cost of esoteric items in the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue,

- international teaching experiences can be an education in itself,

- having both spouses apply for a single teaching job, doubles your chances of someone in your family getting it… it’s just math,

- Drayton Valley is an oil town with quick access to the Rocky Mountains and a notable incentive for post-secondary education,

- embracing a growth mindset as a teacher is foundational for encouraging it in our students, and

- being willing to put all of our teaching practices under review for continued growth not only can have a significant impact on student learning, but also can remind us to approach our students as image-bearers of Christ.

Connect with Alex at [email protected].

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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 this episode we connect with some of our favorite Christian school podcast friends and have some fun drafting our ideal schools using peculiar pools to choose from.

- In round 1 we draft our school's name and motto using 80’s bands and their songs.

- In round 2 we draft our school's sports teams, colors and mascot using a current pro sports team.

- In round 3 we draft our school’s framework using some of the options from the Christian Deeper Learning network.

- In round 4 we draft our school's building type.

- In round 5 we draft our school’s mode of transportation.

- In round 6 we draft our school's principal using characters from the Bible.

- In round 7 we draft our school's lead teacher using characters from a TV show.

In episode 20, Darren hosts another Every Square Centimetre “campfire” conversation. Reflecting on the last couple of years, Darren wonders what skills graduates need to walk well in a world full of contradictory and combative voices. Once again, we included a fun “crossfire” segment, responding to listener messages/questions like:

- Who is somebody you should celebrate?

- What are some summer listening recommendations?

- What is the most extreme thing you’ve done?

- How do you spell the word for the knitted thing Canadians put on their head in winter?

In episode 19, Matt Rock welcomes us to his maker studio and high school Construction Technologies courses, where he and his students love engaging in “high impact projects.” Join the ESC “Herd” as we learn:

- that cedar strip canoes can be a labour of love

- that Darren knows every square centimetre of Canadian farm to table restaurants

- that every Friday deserves a good classroom cheer of “What day is it??!!?”

- that designing high impact projects is a ton of work, but once you get a taste you can never go back.

- that feature walls can tell the beautiful story of an organization’s identity.

- London, ON, existed for over 10,000 years on the Antlered River, long before it was ever colonized into London.

- London Christian High summarizes its mission as “People and Purpose”

- Matt highlights creative thinking and the design process in his “maker studio” classroom.

- that sometimes when our leaders challenge us to see our courses as the reason students want to get up in the morning, a fire gets lit.

- that sometimes our classrooms can foster partnerships around the world!

Connect with Matt at [email protected].

In episode 18, Laura Rand welcomes us into her grade 1 classroom where students are excited to play their important part as “Rangers,” caring for the earth and doing important tasks in God’s world. Join the ESC “Raft” as we learn:

- that Darren bought a lot of Smartie McFlurries for love in high school

- that Pacific Christian School takes territory acknowledgment seriously by including it directly on their home page

- how Victoria’s Empress Hotel brings the British into the name British Columbia

- where the band 54-40 got the inspiration for their name

- how being a ranger is exactly the Christian role that Laura wants to embody with her grade 1 students, especially after she was labelled as being in a “bad class” growing up

- that tree planting just might be the ideal job training for designing a natural primary classroom.

- that dyslexia and reading requires personalized care and support, and

- why Laura describes her first ever class – a split grade – as “we were wild, we were nuts, we were happy, and I loved it.”

Connect with Laura at [email protected].

In episode 17, Darren hosts another Every Square Centimetre “campfire” conversation. Inspired by our participation in Converge and the Christian Deeper Learning Conference in San Diego, Darren asks why Christian Deeper Learning is important and wonders about the value of being part of a professional learning network. Once again, we included a fun “crossfire” segment, responding to listener messages/questions like:

- How did you make your classmate’s eyes roll?

- What needs decluttering in your life?

- What makes a good mentor?

- What is Darren putting in a conference gift bag?

In episode 16, Sherry TenHove welcomes us into her kindergarten classroom where the students ask “How can we live God’s dream?” Join the ESC “Coterie” as we learn:

- that Justin and Darren have farm memories that they can’t unsee or unsmell

- the rare occurrence of harvesting in the snow is a small price to pay for living under the big beautiful prairie skies

- some educational recommendations for teaching new readers

- how Sherry’s Deep Hope involves introducing students to God’s big story

- how a Wolterstorff quote inspired Sherry to invite her kindergarten students to seek out ways to actively “live God’s dream.”

- that engaging in real work that meets real needs for real people is not a substitution for academic rigour.

Connect with Sherry at [email protected].

In episode 15, ESC goes global with its first international square centimetre! Fiona Partridge from Adelaide, Australia, introduces us to a CSC sister organization–Christian Education National (CEN)–and shares a kingdom vision of all life and all things participating in worship. Join the ESC “Wisdom” as we learn:

- Some pretty impressive Aussie idioms

- That “emu bobbing” could replace the Throughline Earth Keeping

- That getting Darren, Jeremy, and Justin to run a marathon would be like having “A few roos loose in the top paddock”

- The Kuyperian roots that connect CEN and CSC share;

- How Fiona’s perspective that “all of life is worship” impacts her teaching, leading and living;

- What it might mean to be marigolds in our relationships;

- That the digestive system of a wombat would put a sparkle in the eye of any geometry teacher and

- That Christian education shouldn’t attempt to be “private” education.

Connect with Fiona at [email protected].

In episode 14, Janice MacDonald at Surrey Christian School in Surrey, BC, invites us into her Vocation 12 classroom where students discover their vocational identity in God’s kingdom. Join the ESC “Run” as we learn:

- Sometimes the pain of our own schooling experience becomes the catalyst for God’s redemptive work in our own lives.

- The word “wholeness” is missional at Surrey Christian School in a desire to become “more fully alive in God’s story.”

- That Surrey is soon expected to be the largest city in BC–surpassing Vancouver.

- Why Janice may soon be playing the breath-holding (!) game Kabaddi in her phys ed class.

- That TfT storyboards visually share the learning journey of the class,

- How Thomas Merton and the enneagram help Janice invite her Vocation 12 students to see themselves as image reflectors and,

- That Christian vocation is about much much more than just getting a job. But don’t take our word for it. Janice’s students Deborah and Paige will show you what “fully alive” looks like in their capstone projects!

Connect with Janice at [email protected].