I will confess to you that I find it difficult to pay attention to a sermon or lecture. As a primarily visual learner, I would much rather read a book than listen to a podcast. I have had to learn ways to compensate for my lack of...

Several years ago, I visited a used book sale in its final hours before closing. The deal was hard to beat - fill a box for just a few dollars. My children added many books to the stack, and we were soon headed home with a hefty collection...

What should kindergarten and first grade teachers prioritize in order for their students to have a positive early school experience that equips and prepares them for the rest of their school years? 1. Security. First of all, students...

A beginning teacher, the first weeks of school, and a common question, “Do you feel like a teacher?” How does one answer that? What does being a teacher feel like? Is it showing up every morning, presenting lessons effectively, racing...

Ohhh, what a dark and dreary morning. It’s foggy and misting, and not conducive to a cheerful attitude for this teacher! As I drove to school this morning, I first felt rather downhearted with this weather and the dark morning. Then I...

We have likely all had an experience in our lives in which we see a child misbehaving in a grocery store or a doctor’s office. The embarrassed parent quickly says something like, “I’m sorry they cannot help it—they have ADHD”. Or maybe...

In my classroom currently, we are working on filling the marble jar. Every time the students score one hundred percent on a test or on Bible Memory, they get to put a marble in the jar. When the marble jar is full, we will celebrate with a...

mistake (məˈstāk) n . 1. an action, statement, or opinion that is incorrect, potentially causing unintended and possibly undesirable consequences 2. an inevitable and potentially valuable part of the teaching experience Mistakes come in...

Abibliophobia. Apricate . Zeugma . What do these words mean? And if you don’t know, how can you figure them out? These are common teaching questions in any classroom, both content classes and foreign language classes. In a study performed...

“Welcome to Camp Read-A-Lot!” Miss F and I greet our students as they enter the “camp.” We hand out name tags and direct the student campers to meet over here and we’ll give directions. We set up the camp in the gym before school started...

As the end of the year approaches, many teachers look back on what went well and what they want to keep for next year, as well as which areas they need to improve upon. I’m happy with my current schedule, and it took a lot of adjusting to...

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Lord, we admit that sometimes we are terrified as we gaze into all those young faces gathered before us and see eternity written there. This world is a frightening place, fraught with danger; and here we are, entrusted with the crucial...

There’s just something about spring. When the first daffodils expose their sunny faces or the blooming trees reveal the treasures they’ve been hoarding, it’s hard not to respond with some sort of emotion. Perhaps it’s wonder, delight, or...

On a fairly recent choir tour, a few of my former students asked me a thought-provoking question: “What makes a good teacher?” Right away, I thought of the academic content. A good teacher should really know his or her content area inside...

In many of our schools, the school boards are chosen from the church members of the supporting church or churches for their school. One scenario that can quickly happen is that each of these individuals will have their ideas about what a...

“You know, on school days you have the children more hours of the day than their parents do,” commented a grandma to me on Grandparent’s Day. I have thought about that, and it makes me feel very accountable. Another grandparent looked a...

Perhaps you have heard this phrase in conversation: 'Don’t sweat the small stuff.' This imperative first became popular in the 1960s as an adaptation of the older expression ‘ don’t sweat it’ a statement intended to free someone of guilt...

The first page of the Bible begins with a dazzling narrative. The God of the universe takes the chaos and waste world and turns it into a place teeming with life—a place that is called good. But after completing this important work, God...

The following is an edited compilation of responses from Anabaptist school administrators to the frequently asked question of why students should graduate from high school. Cultivating Kingdom vision It is true that many of the successful...