RenewCast

It's extremely common for Christian Schools to claim to be cultures of Grace, yet these very same schools either struggle to have clear understandings of what that means in practice or they're actually scared of moving in that direction because of the friction it will cause. It's increasingly normal to want order, structure, consistency, and everything "appearing" stable; grace means that things will get messier. It means that we'll have to embrace the hard work of prioritizing lasting change and transformation about the easy of conformity. But, that's where the good news of the gospel becomes most felt in the lives of our kids.

An unhurried education. Is such a thing possible? How do we bring about more rest in our schools? How do we allow students to have greater ability to pause and grow within the community of the school, rather than hurrying through the day? Is it possible to reduce stress and anxiety?

The Olympics can teach us a great deal about ways to further engage our students into the lives of our schools. Students need to feel a sense of belonging, and sports natures this longing and connection in a unique way. The Olympics also has a profound ability to model what it looks like to bring people together. How can we use similar things in the lives of our schools? Host Noah Brink discusses the great opportunity that the Olympics provides to nurture a sense of wonder, communal pride, and respect for individual gifting.

Christian School teachers have to be prepared to know how to respond to the most talked-about issues of the day. Events like that of July 13 are the sort that prompt students to come to class with countless opinions, looking for both validation and answers. While there's no way to properly prepare for shocking events like these, it's critical that we have the biblical frameworks in place to provide a foundation for our response.

When we prioritize honoring God and recognizing our students' dignity as image bearers of God, we have to rethink our approach to what we require or expect of our students on Mondays.

Every aspect of the Christian school ought be held under the lens of a biblical worldview, including the structures we put in place for compensating faculty. Of course, we need to figure out ways to provide even higher compensation, but the model we use to calculate that rate of pay is of the utmost importance. And, it should align with our philosophy and beliefs.

Nearly every Christian school laments that it doesn't have an intentional program to both develop its teachers to teach "Christianly" and to ensure that all of its faculty is on the page when it comes to articulating the schools mission and core distinctives.

The fourth category of the RenewEd Worldview Grid asks, "Are we cultivating a culture of Grace-prompted obedience?" This question guides us toward having an approach to behavior that's consistent with a gospel-centered worldview.

Taking a Gap Year between High School and College ought not be Plan B. In fact, it might be one of the greatest ways for a student to accelerate the process of maturity into adulthood.

The seventh category of RenewEd's Worldview Grid asks "Are we seeking and celebrating a restoration of all things according to Jesus's Plan?" and then applies this question to our approach and practice in Christian Schooling.