Why teach Math? John Swartz is ambitious here. Hear him connect the question of why he teaches math with the question of why he exists along with stories of Almanzo Wilder and his own experience. He brings teaching experience as well as specific training in mathematics. He’s worked in curriculum at Christian Light and also served as a minister for many years.

In this episode, John quotes Larry Zimmerman who states that, “Christian teachers motivate their students to learn mathematics in two ways: first mathematics exhibits the glory of God, second mathematics equips students to care for the creation.” This comes from Zimmerman’s book, Truth and the Transcendent. John recognizes the utilitarian value of mathematics but is most interested in exploring the proposal  that, “Math is the language of the universe,” and that it is not a neutral subject.

This talk provides a thought-provoking investigation of an underexamined subject that occupies quite a bit of space in all of our schools.

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What images or models are your teachers taking into their classrooms? How do they see themselves and their students? What is really driving them?

Distorted images and motives can be difficult to identify but express themselves in all manner of persistent issues that do deep damage. Welcome to this episode where Anthony Hurst names a number of potential mindset problems, or areas of possible problems. He provides clarifying examples and concrete suggestions that will increase your perceptiveness about these mindsets and guide your response to problems. Anthony has experience as a teacher and school leader. What he explores here stems from his humility in learning from his own mistakes and allowing that to build his understanding of these mindsets.

Why does this matter? The work you do to develop the self-awareness of your teachers and aid the formation of healthy mindsets will have more to do with long-range fruitfulness than the best policies and policing that you can provide. It’s the difference between joyful labor and desperate survival.

The theme that runs through the talk is combatting disinterest, disrespect, and disorder in the classroom so that learning can be wholesome and fruitful for all involved.

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How and why do we teach science in a time when for years we’ve been battling in the world of science trying to prove God’s existence? With what mindset do we approach the natural world? How are we seeing creation, and how does this shape the way we see the Creator? Rob Layne is quite interested in exploring some of what’s going on deep under the hood in science.

In this episode, you’ll find some ideas for what to cover in science and how to teach it. You’ll also hear Rob attempting to describe what an Anabaptist approach to science might look like. He speaks from a background in education that includes teaching and working for Christian Light.

Let me give you a little more context. Broadly speaking, Protestants and Anabaptists have somewhat divergent understandings of the relative importance of the hands and the head. On practice and reason. Rob highlights a problematic part of trusting too much in reason, in having things worked out in our heads compared to prioritizing a life of obedience and accepting a level of not understanding or having thorough reasoning for our practice. It almost goes without saying, but let’s not forget the reality that God did give us heads as well as hands, and there’s also a danger of giving too little time and attention to using our heads well. But back to the issues, where do we look for proofs of the Bible and God. Should we be looking to science? Do unanswered questions produce doubt? What do the examples of Christ and the Scriptures show us about the way God reveals Himself to the world?

Maybe there’s something in the world of science for us to reclaim and revive.

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Does supporting your teachers look overwhelming to you? You’re not alone. Caring for and nurturing teachers is not easy. Each teacher represents many relationships and responsibilities. Your teacher’s jobs matter. And they matter every day. That’s why teaching is hard. And why it’s hard to care for teachers. There is no autopilot at school.

Anthony Hurst, who is a school representative for Christian Light, addresses this reality with the experience of both a teacher and administrator. He also understands the perspective of a school board. There’s lots of combined talking to admin and school boards here. As you hear Anthony address school board members, ask yourself, “What is my place in cultivating a healthy principal to school board and staff to school board relationship?” In short, even for schools that have on-site principals or administrators, the presence of the school board is essential to providing a healthy support network for teachers. Teachers can’t do it alone. Administrators can’t do it alone. It takes all of us trying to understand each others’ perspectives and working together to welcome each others’ presence. This takes an inviting attitude, a strategic plan, and lots of patient dedication to make this happen. And Anthony has lots of ideas to get you started

Take heart, and may this talk strengthen you for your good work.

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Most people can readily see the importance of English. Why do so few enjoy it in school or find it fulfilling?

In this inspiring session, Kendall Myers reminds us of why language arts classes rightly take a significant slice of our energies at school. Kendall brings a wealth of experience and thought to this topic from his time in the classroom, in school leadership, and as a parent. He asks the question: What should we accomplish in our English classes? He unpacks the basic goal of producing students who are capable of listening and reading with comprehension and speaking and writing with clarity.

You’ll hear a profound philosophy of language woven in here. Language opens the world to our students; it changes the way they see and understand. Articulating what they have learned or are coming to understand is a vital part of knowing. Expressing what they know clarifies their understanding and increases their ownership of the material.

But this talk doesn’t just give the philosophy. While that’s essential to caring deeply about English, Kendall’s talk also points towards the kinds of activities that can turn this subject into something students look forward to. Specifically, he offers an overview of how to think about cultivating your students’ reading. What should our students be reading and how do we identify a good book?

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You’ve heard it before; your school will develop a culture, a spirit. The question is: what kind of a spirit will it be and what can you do to form it?

Richie Lauer brings helpful insight and proactive ideas for you to consider as you get into your school year. Richie has taught and administrated and now fills a role at Anabaptist Financial. This talk comes from way back in 2001. Richie highlights the need to cultivate and guard respect, looks at ways to maximize participation, unpacks the significance of the various interactions around school, and offers examples of the kinds of traditions that bear a lot of weight in developing healthy school spirit.

Many of the details and too much of the information learned at school is forgotten. School plays a unique role in forming a child’s identity and that is something they never lose.

You can find the entire session from which this talk was excerpted at the link below. Jonas Sauder gives his thoughts and ideas in the second half of the session.

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As a school administrator, what is your role in speaking into your students’ homes? That’s actually a much bigger question than what this talk addresses.

Homes matter so much.

Perhaps we’re tempted to think we can take any student and transform them through a great school experience, but that only reaches so far. As we consider our influence at school and capacity to establish a particular culture, it’s important for us to come to grips with the influence of the home. This ought to inspire our gratitude for the good homes and parents from which we benefit as well as prompt us to prayerfully search for ways to care for the troubled homes with which we interact. Ultimately, we offer our work at school to our heavenly Father and trust Him to work through the Spirit to form and establish our students according to his good will.

Gerald Miller cares an awful lot about this issue as you are about to hear in this vigorous appeal to take the home’s influence seriously. He has taught and administrated for many years at Faith Builders Christian School in northwestern Pennsylvania. He is addressing parents and school leaders here as a parent and a school leader. This is an opportunity to consider important strengths and weaknesses in your own example if you are a parent and an opportunity for anyone to gain insight into the circumstances of the families that you serve.

We offer this episode in the hope that God will graciously guide you in responding to any needs that this talk brings to your attention.

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“A teacher can never put in a method what he does not have in himself.” -Emerson White

This is part 2 of this pair of talks from Jonas Sauder on orienting teachers to their work. Jonas speaks from a deep and passionate vision for education that has sustained and guided him over the past decades. It’s inspiring to hear him cast vision for teaching from a place of fullness and freshness.

In the first episode, Jonas laid out some basic concepts for teachers in forming healthy expectations for their work and their place in the community. In this episode, he delves into the need for and fundamentals of classroom management. Jonas is keen to emphasize that you don’t manage a classroom primarily by how you plan but through who you are. Especially for new teachers, that may feel daunting. Maybe even like a bit of a dead end. I hope you’ll find some language for how to communicate about both the more concrete and abstract components of effective classroom management.

Infused in this talk is a core understanding of children as persons, not pawns. Classroom management is about creating an orderly, nourishing environment for little humans not designing and maintaining some kind of machine.

Jonas closes with a few cautionary ideas on how to lose control of your classroom.

As you press into this new school year, may God give you grace to lead your team with clarity and joy.

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Preparation is vital to building solid momentum. Our next segment of four episodes will explore two areas that will play a huge role in the building or defeating momentum at your school this year. These two areas are orienting your teaching team and investing in healthy school culture. What do your teachers need to understand and prepare in order to succeed? In both August episodes, Jonas Sauder will address this question. In September, Gerald Miller and Richie Lauer will help us orient and deepen our leadership of our school culture.

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Many of you school leaders are in the process or will soon be onboarding new teachers. All of you are about to guide your team through a new school year. Perhaps your staff have experience, maybe you have someone starting their first year of teaching. How do you see your teachers, especially your new ones? What expectations do you have for them? How do you go beyond just helping them to feel good for the first weeks and set them up for a successful year?

Jonas Sauder has labored for decades in many levels of Christian education. Listen in as he addresses a group of new teachers and glean from his perspective as you lead your team through the opening days of this upcoming school term.

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What sources of motivation power the performance of your roles? Not only is perseverance a challenge, but it has so many imposters.

There are so many broken versions of true motivation that offer us a way forward just when we’re in a pinch or when we’re sitting in silence waiting impatiently for some fresh inspiration. It seems that it takes some suffering to strip away our ambition and expose our egotistic motivation. And it’s deeply unsettling to be left with what feels like nothing.

Perhaps you’ve been through this or are going through this even now. We require many rounds of training here. This talk explores three elements of the courage to endure.

John Coblentz offers these three sources of motivation that draw us towards what’s real, true, and beautiful. John has taught, led, pastored, and counseled in a variety of places. He now serves at Faith Builders and is part of the leadership of a church in Meadville Pennsylvania.

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