Transformed & Transformational

What does it look like for us to love out of the overflow of God's love for us? Brian Delamont, Executive Vice President of TeachBeyond, walks through Scripture passages and practical examples of what it means to live out TeachBeyond's core value of love.

• TeachBeyond's Core Value of Love: "Embracing our identity as a people who are loved by our Creator, we seek to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Similarly, we commit to loving each other and the world around us, learning to do good, seek justice, and correct oppression."
• 1 John 4:19
• Mark 12:28-31
• "God's intention for us is to reciprocate the love He shows towards us. We love because He first loved us."
• Deuteronomy 6:4-9
• John 13:34-35
• Luke 10
• Micah 6:8
• Luke 6:34-36
• "God has shown, and is showing us, what to do. We haven't fully arrived at goodness, justice, and eliminating oppression [...] but we are learning to do this. We create and live out a desire for these things to become more and more prevalent in TeachBeyond and in the world."
• Titus 2:11-14
• Romans 5:8
• Psalm 9:8-10
• Psalm 146:7-8
• "There's no other way for us to be as followers of Jesus than to love. To notice those who are close to us, as well as those who may be far away. To lift the heads of those bowed down. To provide physically, emotionally, intellectually. This is what transformational education can accomplish in the power of the Holy Spirit."
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-12
• "We long for the day when the fullness of God's love surrounds us, when His Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Until then, as people loved by God, we follow Him in the way of love, which includes sacrifice, learning, listening, and becoming all He intends."
• Hear a past episode about Deuteronomy 6 here!

January Reflection: What will you do today or this week to show your love for God and to show His love to someone else?

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: A new water bottle
• Heather: Helping friends prepare for a move
• Brian: A working furnace

Weekly Spotlight: Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

God often uses our past experiences to shape the opportunities we have to serve others. Cesar Valdez shares his personal story of being raised to value education, choosing to follow the Lord, and having an impact through Christian education across his home country of the Dominican Republic.

• "Education is the perfect tool to share the Gospel, to communicate God's words, to impact the lives of others."
• Arbor Christian Academy
• "Sometimes, we are in a position of leading others or giving to others, but at the end of the day, I'm receiving more than what I am giving."
• "I'm being transformed at the same time I'm trying to promote transformational education."
• "I had the blessing to become a Christian at a young age, and that was another determining factor in my life. Now, I'm trying to help others to break the line of poverty… That is one of the most exciting things we can do here, trying to help other kids, other students like I was, to have the access, opportunity to have a different life."
• "Spend more time enjoying God than trying to be an activist."
• "Easily we can find ourselves doing missions without God."
• Pray for: Building campaign for Arbor Christian Academy, volunteers to serve in the Dominican Republic, and more Dominican missionaries to serve through TeachBeyond

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Getting passport renewed
• Heather: Peaceful snowfall and not having to drive in it
• Cesar: Playing basketball with his son and a new season of parenting

Weekly Spotlight: Open Schools Worldwide

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Looking for fresh ways to cultivate critical thinking and reflection in your classroom? Tune in to hear Heather talk with three TeachBeyond educators about the value of critical thinking, examples from their classrooms, and practical steps to get started.

• Cultivating a Culture of Critical Thinking by Diane Peneycad
• Cultivating a Culture of Reflection by Leighton Helwig
• "Simply put, critical thinking is what your brain does with facts and information." - Diane
• "Critical thinking is such an essential part of our image-bearing nature. This is a great privilege we have. We don't live by instinct like animals, but we get to image God." - Jacob
• "If we can eat and drink to the glory of God, we can also think to the glory of God." - Jacob
• "We do want students to ask questions, but we don't want them to be cynical in an unhealthy way, so I think there's a good balance to have a teachable attitude." - Jacob
• "There has to be a balance of responsibility to content and objectives and what's required for us to teach, while still offering an environment or opportunity for the questioning and the thinking. I think if I would err on the side of one or the other, I would err on the side of thinking and equipping for future consumption of content." - Leighton
• "There are times we're going to go really deep, and there are times when it may not, but we can still engage them in the thinking process at various levels… Students need time at various levels of thinking throughout their day and throughout their courses." - Diane
• "You need to create an environment that's a safe environment, that they understand that we're going to be thinking and there may not be one right answer." - Diane
• Project Zero's Thinking Routines Toolbox
• "Modeling is super important. We bring our own transformed life into the classroom." - Diane
• "The best-case scenario is when students choose to use [a tool] on their own for their own learning. That's how you know it's been embedded in the way that they are thinking." - Leighton
• "Never say what a kid can say. In other words, I need to create the environment where I'm asking the right question that the student is then going to frame the response." - Diane
• "It's okay to disagree, but how do we do so respectfully? How do we honor each other as image bearers of Christ?" - Diane
• "What makes you say that?" - Diane
• "I think it's really important for teachers to be willing to seize those teachable moments." - Jacob
• "God created our minds to think. If we're not creating environments to have that happen, then we're not allowing the full potential of what God has created in our classroom." - Leighton
• "As you develop a school-wide culture of thinking, it just becomes a way of life for teachers and students." - Diane
• "To be able to go to that deep place of thought, we have to rest. We have to rest to reflect." - Jacob
• Sign up to receive TeachBeyond's OnPractice publication here!

What's changing our lives:

• Heather: Time to journal and reflect
• Jacob: Journaling
• Diane: Being able to ride her bicycle inside
• Leighton: How to Know a Person by David Brooks

Weekly Spotlight: Christian International School of Prague

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Author Marci Renée shares about the adventures of Pierre in her latest children's book, My Tower Is Tumbling, and her family's experiences after many years of living overseas. Listen in for stories and practical tips for unstacking the accumulated griefs of Third Culture Kids.

• Marci's website, The Cultural Story-weaver
• Coloring book for My Tower Is Tumbling - complete this to be entered into a giveaway!
• "What is unique to TCKs is that there is so much transition."
• "We stuff it all in our suitcase… and we take it to the next place, and it just starts getting heavier and heavier."
• "If we as parents are able to share some of our own journey of processing our griefs and losses, that's going to create safety and trust."
• "We know that there are going to be griefs and losses… There's something about preparing yourself. It makes the landing a little bit softer."
• My Tower is Tumbling (faith-based version) on Amazon
• My Tower is Tumbling (secular version) on Amazon

Past episodes related to this topic:

• Third Culture Kids with Michele Phoenix
• TCKs and the Grief Tower with Lauren Wells
• Transitions with Amy Young
• The Practice of Processing with Elizabeth Vahey Smith
• Returning Well with Melissa Chaplin

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Considering the question: Where do you typically see yourself in stories?
• Heather: Fireplace
• Marci: Changes in the lives of her children

Weekly Spotlight: LIFE International School

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

As we come to the end of the year, how can we intentionally look back and look ahead? Consider these five questions for reflection from TeachBeyond's Brian Delamont, Heather Brown, and Keane Fine. Happy New Year!

• 5 Reflection Questions:
• What are you proud of? What do you want to celebrate?
• What do you want to carry with you from 2023? What are you hoping to leave behind?
• What matters this year?
• What feels familiar and different this year?
• What do you hope this will look like at the end of next year?
• Leviticus 23 and 7 Feasts that Point to Christ
• Emily P. Freeman's The Next Right Thing Guided Journal

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Finishing a journal and beginning a new one
• Heather: Heating pad
• Brian: This podcast!

Weekly Spotlight: Christian Academy Mozambique

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

This week we're sharing Advent episodes from past seasons! You can find show notes for this episode and other past episodes here. Merry Christmas!

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

This week we're sharing Advent episodes from past seasons! You can find show notes for this episode and other past episodes here. Merry Christmas!

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

This week we're sharing Advent episodes from past seasons! You can find show notes for this episode and other past episodes here. Merry Christmas!

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

This week we're sharing Advent episodes from past seasons! You can find show notes for this episode and other past episodes here. Merry Christmas!

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

This week we're sharing Advent episodes from past seasons! You can find show notes for this episode and other past episodes here. Merry Christmas!

We'd love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/