Strengthening Christian Schools Conference

I started this blog with the intention of continuing to use it as a channel to put my thoughts down somewhere first of all for our social media class. Now that its over, I intend to keep it going, but I won't promise myself regular posts :) I like the idea of posting questions, quotes, and thoughts on here, mainly for reflection, but hopefully for a larger conversation with many of you.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Strengthening Christian Schools conference in Elmhurst, IL. It was right around the corner from where I taught for the first five years of my teaching career, so it served a dual purpose in connecting with new educators as well as reconnecting with old ones.

Here are some of my thoughts at the conclusion:

#1) There are so many great educators/administrators in the Christian Ed community.

#1a) Nathan Siebenga from Hamilton District Christian is one of them. As I go through grad classes and work towards my M.Ed. in School Leadership, I appreciated his insights on what school looks like, what our goal as educators is, and how to implement needed changes in school.

#2) Your school's story needs to be told. Questions that need to be asked of your school community are:

• What is __________ to you? (insert your school name)
• If we closed, would anyone notice outside those who send their kids to your school? Would your community notice?
• What walls exist between your school and your community? How can they be broken? Is your school willing to break them?
• Do people know why they send their kids to your school?
• Do students at your school have a chance to be part of something bigger than themselves?

#3) Do something in your school that is beyond your resources. This isn't to say to intentionally put your school in a hole financially or in any other sense, but in order to reach out beyond your school, you have to take a step into the unknown. The fear of the unknown and the fear of change is what holds schools back from becoming good schools and what holds good schools back from becoming great schools. When we look at the life and ministry of Christ and how he led his disciples, he consistently asked them questions, told them parables, and entered uncomfortable situations in order to prepare his disciples for their jobs as early church leaders.

Quotes from the week to ponder:

• "Do not cage a bird that wants to fly." (as it relates to our students!)
• "10% of my job is HR, the other 90% is dealing with issues from not being 100% HR."
• "Be great despite your enrollment, keep it mission & vision focused."
• "How can you bring joy to your school, to teachers as well as students."
• "God is in every little thing, no activity is without Christ in our school."

Videos to watch:

• Simon Sinek: "Start with Why"
• Will Richardson "The Surprising Truth about Learning in Schools"