Another Great Read

It’s really cool how we connect with other Christians today. I am always excited to find other Christians in my field and love to connect them.  It always tickles me when they say, “I didn’t know she was a Christian. I didn’t know he was a Christian.”  It happens in every school and every marketplace. Why? There are so many reasons, but the biggest, of course, is fear of losing our jobs.  This is a real fear, but I think we need to start looking at how we can be vehicles of Christianity in the marketplace and how we can be that sweet fragrance of our Lord everywhere we go. Last time I wrote about, “Making a Difference” by Donovan Graham because really grabbed me as a must read.  In fact, I am happy to say that I was able to give 3 copies to teachers at a middle school near me who are going to do their own book study with it.  I know it will transform the way the look at themselves, their colleagues and especially their students. This time I would like to recommend another great book by Angela Watson, “Awakened.” This was one of those amazing connections of our times.  I don’t know Angela at all, but I hooked up with her on her Facebook page – The Cornerstone Devotions for Teachers. As I dug a little deeper, I noticed that she had written a book for teachers also and I found a great review on the Education ReThink blog by a John T. Spencer, a teacher she met at ISTE.  Of course, as I began to look at John’s blog, I noticed that he had a few books too!  I immediately downloaded, “Teaching Unmasked: A Humble Answer to Waiting for A Superhero.” Looks very interesting and I’ll report back after I’ve read it.

In the meantime, I would highly recommend both Angela’s Facebook page and her book.  She has masterfully blended the psychology of teaching and Christianity.  Her subtitle is, “Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching.” I love how she describes her bent to be one of the negative nannies in the teacher’s lounge to a transformation of her own personality with practical and spiritual principles.  She has a gift for being a real teacher and this is a most unique book because it helps the teachers in the trenches relate to the day-to-day difficulties of our profession and to be lifted above the mess.  I would love to meet Angela someday and bring her to one of our Christian Educator events or webinars.  She may be just the gift you need today.

Prayerfully yours,

K

Making a Difference

It has always been my heartfelt desire to explain our high calling as a teacher and I often come up short for lack of clarity, but I no longer need to be concerned.  Donovan L. Graham has eloquently simplified this most important topic – Being a Christian Educator in our public schools.  I know I don’t have to tell you how difficult it is to live out our faith while our society is increasingly antagonistic to the mention of God or religion in the public arena.  However, we still need to be the best educators because we work for the Lord. I was immediately drawn to the book because in his dedication he mentioned his wife, Wilma “and all teachers who sacrifice themselves to be a picture of Jesus to their students.” Mr. Graham fully understands the immensity of the topic and gives us tangible and clear guidelines for implementation of our call in life.  He even has a section by our very own Finn Laursen, who recently made a short video after he completed the book and I was so inspired that I began reading right away. (The video is on the front page of the CEAI website as of today.)

Without giving away too much of Mr. Graham’s content, I love how he has five themes running throughout the book: Relationships, Grace, Bearing the image of God, Intimacy with God – care of the teacher’s soul and “We Can’t Go It Alone.” These five themes go hand-in-hand with the 16-9 Movement (please read the first post for details) because it teachers us to know the law and live a life of grace.  What I love is his call for community.  “We Can’t Go It Alone!” You are not alone and I will do my best to gather us together and give us opportunities to communicate, share, encourage and uplift each other.

One of the ways I would love to begin community building with Christian Educators is to do a book study with “Making a Difference” by Donovan L. Graham.  This is how I picture it happening.  Purchase a copy of “Making a Difference” and then join our PLN – Professional Learning Netwok (I’ll send you the details if you are really interested).  In our private social network, we will set a schedule for reading the book together in a Book Club format.  We will have posts in our PLN that will work as a discussion board and then we will meet by webinar once a month until we complete the book.  Can you imagine the encouragement of like minds digging deeper into this most excellent book?  I bet we could even get Donovan to agree to meet with us in one of our webinars!

Finally, for those of you that are really interested, the first three people who post a comment to this blog entry, I will purchase a copy for you!  Even if you don’t have time to read it with us in Book Club style, please consider it as a must read before the school year is over.  It will change the way you teach!

Prayerfully yours,

K

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule

Much has been written on ethics for business and education. All educators are held to a higher standard (and rightfully so) because we touch the next generation. My favorite book on ethics is by John Maxwell, “There’s No Such Thing as Business Ethics.”  His subtitle is, “There’s Only One Rule For Making Decisions.” That rule is the Golden Rule. What if we could take that simple, yet profound concept and apply it to our schools?

The Golden Rule has roots in all cultures and religions. Jesus said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This ethic of reciprocity covers all human relations in the classroom. If we could use a video camera to record everything we said and did in the classroom and then watch ourselves, what would we see?  Would we be a teacher, administrators or paraprofessional who chooses their words with care? Would we see acts of goodness, kindness and gentleness? The spirit is willing, but unfortunately, the flesh is weak. Replaying a video recording of our lessons is often an eye-opener. Have you ever recorded yourself teaching? Most of us avoid it because we don’t like the way we look or don’t like the sound of our own voice, but I challenge you to videotape part of your day for two reasons.  One, professionally, video recording (with permission from the students and parents) is the best self-evaluative tool for reflective improvement. What we think we are getting across is often not as clear when we look at our video recording and see ourselves as our students see us. This is particularly true when we are very good at our subject because we forget that the material is brand new to those receiving it.  Two, and most importantly, I would like to challenge you to record yourself (even if it’s just the audio) to listen for the Golden Rule.

As Christian educators in the classroom, the Golden Rule helps us define our worldview. If we are going to “do to others as you would have them do to you,” the 9 fruits of the Spirit will mold everything we say. Did our words display love, joy, peace, goodness, gentleness, kindness, patience, self-control and faithfulness? Did the replay of our recording exhibit acts of kindness that we would love others to do for us? Are we treating our unlovable students as fearfully and wonderfully made like we are? It’s not easy, but it’s the right thing to do. As you consider this challenge to record yourself, please know that I fall far short of being a 16-9 educator, but it is my desire, with the Lord’s help to exemplify His ways and His steps each day I walk into a school.

Find a dear Christian friend and discuss this challenge. Make a commitment to coach each other through the process of being a better teacher by focusing first on the Golden Rule. Record and share your lessons with the lens of “iron sharpens iron” and this will be the most valuable PLC (Professional Learning Community) you form.  Not only are we held to a higher standard because we are an educator, but as Christian educators we are held to the highest standards, those of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The best news is that we have His help.

Prayerfully yours,

K