The Dock School Leader Podcast

You can say it in different ways, but a Christian school isn’t worth the time and effort it takes unless it’s helping form disciples of Jesus. That doesn’t mean you’re practicing child evangelism or replacing the essential work of the church. It does mean that we are partnering with our churches and families and that we as school leaders and teachers are fully devoted to following Jesus ourselves. Like Stephen says, we should think of ourselves as wearing signs that say, “Follow me.” This is a call to evaluate and refocus our personal vision and witness in our relationships around schools that most definitely shape our teaching and our students.

Stephan Gingerich has been on this show before and brings a range of experience in teaching and school leadership, some of which he gained while growing up and teaching in Central America. He brings refreshing perspective and challenges us in this talk to be concerned with what’s beyond our school fences.

Stephen invites us to ponder with him.

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“Genuinely Christian schools will not always fit what everyone else is doing in education. We need to give ourselves permission to go against the flow.” But it’s not sufficient to seek difficulty and resistance. We need a goal. A mission. A burning love. A beautiful vision. As Steven emphasizes in today’s episode, “Nonconformity is not enough. We need something to be conformed to. And for us, that something is a Someone.”

Educational orthodoxy. What is it and how does it impact us? You’ll hear about this in today’s episode, but basically, it’s the body of assumptions and principles that unify the majority of educational efforts around us. This orthodoxy shapes the way we describe a well-trained person and the educational experiences we dream of offering. Steven Brubaker, speaking from a long history in teaching and school leadership submits that the educational orthodoxy in north America is inadequate as a source of guidance for our schools and maybe even dangerously misguided.

But we will need a solid basis for doing something different, for swimming against the current. “Every nonconformity is a conformity to something,” Steven reminds us. Every resistance is a defense of something. What’s worth defending? Worth conforming to?

Drawing penetrating insights from the analogy of salmon, Steven lays out a challenge for Christian schools to identify and relentlessly pursue a worthy homing instinct.

What is a compelling and worthy final end for Christian education? The end beyond which we stop looking for some further fulfillment?

Schools conformed to Jesus. How could you and your staff make a practice of asking and seeking, “Jesus, how do I teach in my school?” And what would your school look like if you then boldly followed his leadership?

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It’s Christmas season and here on the Dock School Leader Podcast we’re running a special episode featuring a collection of stories chosen and read by two experienced educators that have appeared before on this show—Jonas Sauder and Ken Kauffman. Their selections range from fables to short stories to poems and all convey a timeless truth through the penetrating power of story. Take a break from the heavier content and enjoy these selections with us.

What we read often sticks with us at a subconscious level. Stories have the power to embed their message deep within us. They shape our worldview and affect our actions even after we’ve forgotten the details.

See below for the titles of the selections and the timestamps for each one.

Perhaps you’ll find something here for an upcoming devotional or a story time with family over the holidays.

[2:30] Wellspring of Wisdom – read by Jonas Sauder

[7:45] The King and the Seeds – read by Ken Kauffman

[16:30] George Washington Carver – read by Jonas Sauder

[25:00] Dear Mrs. O’Neil – read by Ken Kauffman

[34:20] The Blind Man and the Elephant – read by Jonas Sauder

[37:30] The Church Walking With the World – read by Ken Kauffman

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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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