The Teacher's Lounge Presented by Curriculum Trak

Julia Appleton, former English teacher, curriculum director, and yearbook advisor at the bilingual Christian school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Acadmia Los Pinares, joins the Teacher’s Lounge to talk about the realities of highly sensitive teachers and students. She adds some context to this trait found in 15 to 20% of the population and provides some research-based insights into this often misunderstood approach to life likely taken by you or teachers and students around you.

In recent years, the number of K-12 and collegiate gaming programs across the U.S. and Canada have grown exponentially, often utilizing competitive esports and gaming labs to drive enrollment and to further each institution's unique mission and goals. However, despite a growing amount of scholarship on educational gaming programs, there has been very little forthcoming practical scholarship on how religious educational institutions might integrate gaming and faith in a practical manner that is educationally well grounded, spiritually rigorous, and practical. In this presentation, Dr. Brad Hickey offers a new educational paradigm for Christian gaming programs that he calls “Gaming Coram Deo, ” a set of terms, ideas, and age-appropriate practices that trains students to engage gaming holistically and in ways that provides community, strengthens SEL skills, and inspire students to reimagine the possibilities of gaming-related spaces and industries.

Dr. Mark Witwer, former science teacher, administrator, curriculum director, Dean of Faculty, and adjunct professor of Christian Education joins the podcast to further expand on some of the articles he has shared for the Curriculum Trak blog around “Teaching Christianly.” He also shares his three non-negotiable texts for teachers in the graduate courses he teaches.

Dr. Mark Witwer, former science teacher, administrator, curriculum director, Dean of Faculty, and adjunct professor of Christian Education joins the podcast to further expand on some of the articles he has shared for the Curriculum Trak blog around “Teaching Christianly.” He also shares his three non-negotiable texts for teachers in the graduate courses he teaches.

Josh Holtcamp, principal at Whitewell Middle School with its own Holocaust memorial, and Anna Salton Eisen, daughter of Holocaust survivors and the founder of a Jewish Synagogue in Texas, share their observations and experiences related to the current events in Israel.

Stacy Kok, kindergarten teacher at Cairn Christian School in Stoney Creek, Ontario, joins The Teacher’s Lounge to talk about the joy of teaching. After teaching at a missionary school in Indonesia, Stacy met her future husband, got married, and raised four children. For the past seven years, she has returned to the classroom full-time. She is currently also a part-time student pursuing a Master’s in Educational Leadership with the Institute of Christian Studies. In this podcast, Stacy previews a blog series she is providing around the joy of teaching.

Kristen Mast shares her passion for Social Studies instruction and highlights the value Social Studies plays in the outcomes of a faith-based school. Along the way, she provides tips for making Social Studies an engaging and stimulating topic. In this conversation, she encourages teachers to find ways to make Social Studies instruction more student-centric rather than teacher-centric and provides an overview of some of the topics she will cover in an upcoming webinar for the Curriculum Trak community. 

Kristen Mast currently teaches 7th-12th grade Social Studies at Avail Academy in Minneapolis, MN. She received a BA in History from Calvin University, a MEd in Curriculum & Instruction from Florida Gulf Coast University, and is working toward a PhD in Educational & Organizational Leadership from Concordia University St. Paul. She has taught various grade levels and subject areas in Christian schools for the past 13 years, but her deep passion is Social Studies education. She especially enjoys modern East European history and travelling to new places.

Kellie Tuten is the curriculum and instruction coordinator for Virginia Academy, a private christian school in Ashburn, Virginia. Her classroom experience covers a wide range of junior high and high school English classes. She recently completed a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction which she is hoping will help her get even more involved in coaching others in relevant pedagogical practices, especially in faith-based education. She joins The Teacher’s Lounge to share her insights into classroom leadership and compares and contrasts leading the classroom with managing the classroom.

Dr. Lynne Little of Compass Education shares some of the core principles of classical education that any educator or school could embrace.

Dr. Mark Eckel provides insights into the “wisdom of approach” and how educators can be more intentional about meeting their students where they are in the cultural climate.