Elliott Prairie Christian School near Woodburn, OR, is sponsored by Hopewell Mennonite of Hubbard. Here is your opportunity to plant where others have watered and help us chart a faithful course forward.  Call or text Elson Strubhar at 503.209.0680.

These guidelines give detailed instructions for setting up and maintaining a safe chemistry lab.

Voluntary position with a $300/month stipend Helps in the everyday running of the mission school at United Christian Mission. Will assist teachers in the classrooms with grading and tutoring, drilling and substitute teaching, and help with local kids clubs and around the mission. Looking for Anabaptist Christian with a high school diploma or GED and willing to commit to 2 years on the mission field. Faculty come home during summer break.

“If only we didn’t have to fight for souls!” This was the lamentation of a teacher friend of mine a number of years ago after a conversation on the difficulties we were facing with some of our students. It summed up our discussion quite well. As Christian school teachers, we are indeed engaged in a battle for the souls of our students, and at times the warfare becomes intense.

But, friends, we are not alone or unequipped in this battle! We have allies, we have weapons, and we have a champion Leader.

I believe one of the most insidious tools of the devil is to make you believe that you are all alone, and that it is up to you to figure things out on your own. He wants you to think that when a challenging need arises in your classroom, it is up to you to be the savior, the knight in shining armor who slays the dragon. And then when you find yourself unable to win the battle, he is more than ready to storm you with feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

It is not all up to you. If you are part of a good Christian school community, you are blessed with many allies, and the most important ones are the parents of your students. I can think of times over the years when I could have solved problems more quickly and easily if I had been proactive in enlisting the help of my parent allies. Raising children to be committed disciples of Christ is an astronomical task, and by sending their children to your school, parents are acknowledging that they need help with this job. Partnering effectively with parents in the battle for children’s souls is powerful, and I believe it is a beautiful example of the way Christian community is intended to work.

Besides parents, you probably have a principal, board members, and co-teachers as your allies. Make use of them. I am grateful for fellow staff members who give advice and encouragement, or sometimes even just commiseration. I felt the absence of this keenly when I was the only teacher in a small school, and so I sympathize with you if that is your situation. Perhaps you can find ways to connect with teachers from other schools. Teacher friends are wonderful allies.

In this battle for the souls of our children, we are also wonderfully equipped with the armor and weapons described in Ephesians 6, and we have a champion Leader to guide us. We have God’s Word, His Spirit, and the powerful weapon of prayer. How often do you pray for each of your students by name? When challenges arise in your classroom, do you naturally turn to prayer first, or is it a last resort? As we follow Jesus and are continually formed more and more into His image, we grow in our ability to fight spiritual battles well.

Never give up hope for any of your students, even when it seems that nothing is making any difference. The Holy Spirit is at work in their lives, even when we don’t see it, and we need to trust that work. One of my former students is currently serving a prison sentence for crimes he committed, but I believe that God still has great plans for him and that this is not the end of his story.

Also, I recently experienced the joy of seeing some of my former students make a public commitment to Jesus through baptism, and I listened to their testimonies. It so happens that several of them were the main characters in the discussion that I referenced in the beginning of this post. Fighting for souls is never easy, but we can battle courageously as we keep our eyes on Jesus and let our hearts be filled with hope.

Pioneer Christian Academy is a community school in Brownsville, OR. Our mission statement is "Helping students from all walks of life achieve Godliness, success, and a love of learning." We are looking for a 5th and 6th grade homeroom teacher. Several years of experience preferred. Check out our website or contact Chad for more information. 417-893-8756 or chad.schrock@pioneerchristian.org

Bright sunshine, balmy breezes, stuffy classroom, worn workbooks, antsy students, dreamy teacher—it’s springtime and the end of school is beckoning. The countdown is getting lower but there are still some weeks left until the welcome summer break. Do we just set the autopilot and coast till the end of the school year—maybe trying to just hang on and not let everything fall apart? Or can we put these last weeks to good use and finish well?

I think all of us (except for a few first graders who still think school is their favorite place to be) are becoming weary of school life and school routine. We could all use a boost in school fervor about now. For the teacher it can become easy to let things slide. We are almost finished, so does this class time or subject really matter? Students also can become lax in their diligence. They’ve done well enough all year. Things they’re learning now will be reviewed next year. Is the rest of the year really important?

I would like to suggest to the teacher that you take thought for next year. Bad habits that develop at the end of this year will need to be broken at the beginning of the next. Take stock of your classroom management. Is it still going strong? Are you still following through? It is easy to let things slip at this time of year. But it only leads to frustration for both the students and the teacher. I recently found that it was time to introduce the next level of my discipline plan. It hadn’t been necessary up to this point but now I needed to call students to a new level of excellence. Don’t be afraid to implement a new strategy if that is what it will take to help students and teachers finish well.

Are the lessons becoming humdrum and lacking in student engagement? Often by this time most of the difficult subject material has been covered and students are working with review materials more independently. The lesson counts may also be winding down and students have more free time. Take advantage of the easier load to add in a few extra projects that push for excellency and add some spice to the normal workbook pages. A few ideas to spark your own:

• Have students write and illustrate their own story books as a language arts supplement.
• Write and “publish” a classroom or school newspaper about the events of the year.
• Have students create a poster, shadow box, three-dimensional project, etc. for a science or history addition.
• Have students research and prepare a speech for a topic of their choice. Additional sparks of interest could include posters on their topic, food samples, or costume that supplement their topic.
• Take math to the field. Measure the size of an acre. Using the parents’ jobs as starting points figure out some real-life math scenarios. Plan a store for students to buy (and sell) items for coins and paper money. Have students prepare and serve a meal for the class.
• Take a field trip to a local lake, pond, or river and explore the biology found there.
• Grow tadpoles into frogs.
• Visit a birding area or just the woods in the back of the school and look for spring migratory birds.
• Be practical. Not every idea will fit every grade level. Use this time as an opportunity to take the abstract workbook lesson and turn it into real-life usage.

Those warm, sunny days call us outside. Vigorous exercise while playing aids the classroom work. Exercise is good for our physical, mental, and emotional health. It can be tempting to spend extra time at recess. Occasionally this is good. Just remember that making it an everyday habit does no one any favors. But make sure everyone gets the chance to enjoy being outdoors. Take time to clean the playground of trash, dead leaves, and sticks. It might be even better to figure out how to effectively take the classroom outside at times. Soak up some sunshine while eating lunch. Send students out to write a paragraph about what is going on around them. Delight in the warmth and renewal of spring.

Teachers set the tone for their classroom. And yes, teachers, sometimes you are weary to your very bones. Maybe you have a student who takes extra diligence and maintenance every day. Maybe you have questions about a student’s ability to move on to the next grade. Maybe your duties seem overwhelming. Ask God for grace and wisdom and strength to continue to finish well. He gives it out liberally to those who ask (James 1:5).

The last weeks of school should not be viewed as a cell where we are just counting down the moments until freedom. You will never have these days again. Use them well!

A document outlining the organizational structure and governance of Legacy Christian School. Offered here as a template for schools looking to develop a similar code of regulations.

Courtesy Mark Miller.

These two documents from Legacy Christian School—a code of regulations and a conflict of interest policy—seek to establish organizational clarity and effective governance. Offered here as templates for schools looking to develop similar policies.

Courtesy Mark Miller.

This chart outlines the graduation requirements for students at Interlake Mennonite Fellowship School (aligned to Manitoba standards).

A handbook containing information, expectations, and policies for parents and students at Interlake Mennonite Fellowship School. Offered here as a template for schools looking to develop their own parent-student handbooks.

Courtesy Byron Dueck.

A handbook containing information, expectations, and policies for parents and students at Legacy Christian School. Offered here as a template for schools looking to develop their own parent-student handbooks.

Courtesy Mark Miller.

A handbook containing information, expectations, and policies for parents and students at Pioneer Christian Academy. Offered here as a template for schools looking to develop their own parent-student handbooks.

Courtesy Chad Schrock.

This handbook contains information, expectations, and policies for staff at Pioneer Christian Academy. Offered here as a template for schools looking to develop their own staff handbooks.

Courtesy Chad Schrock.

Excellent communication between teacher and school board is vital for a productive and profitable learning environment in the classroom. Building a good relationship between all levels of school staff will greatly help to maximize the effectiveness of each one involved in the work of the school. But how to attain this? This workshop from the Christian School Administrators Institute discusses ways for the board to support a new teacher in finding their way in their new responsibilities, as well

Bethany Fellowship School in Kokomo, In. is looking for teachers for the 1st grade classroom and the 4-5 grade classroom. We are a K-12 Church school with approx 65 students, 5 teachers, 1 part time teacher/music teacher and an aide to help where needed.

What principles inform your board discussions and decisions about teacher salaries? In this recent workshop recording from the Christian School Administration Institute, Philip encourages boards to consider principles of stewardship, service, business ethics, and more as they determine what to pay their teachers.

We have also added dozens of audio files and documents this year.

Bourbon Christian School is in need of a full-time Room 2 homeroom teacher (grades 4-6, 15 students). Our staff here consists of 4 full-time teachers and 1 part-time teacher, with a total student body of 44 students in grades 1-11.Bourbon Christian School is supported and sponsored by the Clay Street Church in Bourbon, Indiana. The Bourbon Christian School board is one of the best, well-functioning Conservative Christian boards you will find. You would be joining a well-established, stable school environment. In the 25 years the school has been going, the teacher for the 2023-2024 school year will only be the 4th Room 2 teacher. You would primarily be responsible for teaching all the subjects for grades 4-6, but your exact class workload is somewhat flexible. During orientation, the elementary staff work together to decide which teachers will teach which classes. For instance, this year, the part-time teacher is teaching all the elementary math, and the Room 1 teacher is teaching all the elementary history classes, and the Room 2 teacher is teaching most of the English classes, etc.If you or someone you know is looking of an elementary teaching job, please have them call or email us. Hurry before the position is filled!

Dear High School Senior,

You’ve made it! It is graduation time and an end to twelve or thirteen years of studying, learning, and growing up. You probably have some mixed feelings about this: excitement, relief, maybe a little fear? I have seen you grow as a student in the last four years; I have prayed for you, encouraged you, and hopefully challenged you. But as you are leaving my classroom, I pray that you are not leaving the things you have been taught. II Timothy 3:14 says, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.”

You didn’t think you were done with learning, though, did you? I had you in literature class, remember, so I have one final diagram here for you to decipher. And in case you can’t read my mind as to why I chose these symbols, here’s a little help. (See below.)

1. All of the symbols are placed in the foundation of the Cross. You build your life on this foundation. Every decision, every choice, every thought should be constructed on the foundational stones of the Cross and God’s Word. You may feel much pressure right now to decide what you want to do for your future. Honestly, many of the decisions you make in the next few years (except if you marry and have children) do not have to be permanent. You might choose to pursue one job and then switch to another. You might decide not to go to college next year but change your mind the next. But what should never change is that each decision you make is based on the firm foundation of God’s work for you on the cross.
2. The first symbol is an open book. Even though your formal education may – or may not – end here, you should keep learning…keep opening books. Of course, the most important book you should keep opening is the Bible, but beyond that, keep reading books that help you grow. And you can learn from other sources as well. Listen to your parents and other godly people in your life. Find a mentor in your field of service or career who can guide you with godly wisdom. And even to old age, keep your mind open to learning God’s ways and will for your life.
3. Do you remember the second symbol from Home Ec class? It is a flour sifter, used to sift out any impurities in baking and make the flour fine. You also need to sift out any impurities that you come across and be able to discern Truth from lies. Acts 17:11 says that the Bereans were more noble because they “searched the scriptures daily” to see if the teachings they were hearing were of God. The world bombards you with so many philosophies that it can be overwhelming. How do you know what to believe from all the many voices you hear? While you should listen to godly people, the bottom line is that you need to know the Scriptures well enough that you can lay all of these philosophies beside the Bible and determine which of them follow God’s Truth.
4. The third image is a collection of math symbols. You may have wondered how you will ever use some of the math classes you have had, and granted, you may never need to use the quadratic formula in your life. But you will need to be logical…and that is something your math classes were based upon. Emotions always play a part in our lives; God created all humans with feelings. But be careful of basing major decisions such as loving a spouse, choosing a job or a ministry, or even following God’s calling on emotions only. Emotions can fade; logic will last.
5. The last symbol you see is the sky. Your goal in life should always be eternal life in heaven. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to “ unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” The idea here is to focus on Jesus in heaven exclusively, ignoring any obstacles in the path. Of course, you will have tasks and relationships all your life, but these should never detract you from your ultimate goal. And if you ever stray from the way of God, return to the Cross and start your path from there again. When we read Pilgrim’s Progress in class, we saw how Christian was always headed for the Celestial City no matter what obstacles came in his way. Live your life so that you will one day enter heaven to hear God say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

I pray God’s blessings on you for all your future endeavors,

Your Teacher