TfT Bulletin #17 | May 24, 2023

On a sunny Sunday morning a few weeks ago, I found myself walking the Freedom Trail in Boston, Massachusetts. I was in New England to visit some of our TfT Network schools and had a little time for the local sights. The Freedom Trail with its centuries of American history provided quite an informative tour for this Canadian!

Fortunately for me, I passed a church that was just beginning its worship service. The Freedom Trail was going to have to wait.

I am always a bit uncomfortable attending a service in an unfamiliar church—worried that I will falter in their rituals or take the seat of someone who has sat in the same pew for the past 50 years (Dad . . . ).

After being safely ushered to a seat, these words on the program immediately relaxed me:

Pilgrims. Tourists. Worshipers.
Believers. Questioning. Seekers. Curious.

All are welcome.

I saw myself in each of the above descriptors, and I felt welcomed. Though I wasn’t particularly weary or tired that day, the welcome words reminded me of Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 28:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.

As I relaxed into the beauty of the service, I was once again convicted of the purpose of Teaching for Transformation—an invitation for all to play their part within God’s Story.

Summer 2023 TfT Masterclasses – Registration closes June 16

It is exciting to periodically check registration numbers—they continue to grow as we finalize plans for the Masterclasses. They are intended to support you in building your TfT plans for the year. If you have not considered attending a Masterclass, please review the list below. Virtual classes are intentionally designed to fit your summer lifestyle while connecting you with TfT teachers in your specialty area. Participants will exit their Masterclass with an inspired TfT plan for the year. Registration will remain open until June 16.

Primary Classrooms: Grades K-2	Intermediate Classrooms: Grades 3-5	Middle School Classrooms: Grades 6-8
K-12 Learning Resource	6-12 Social Studies	6-12 Sciences
6-12 English Language Arts	K-12 Visual Arts	K-12 Transformational Lesson Design

Invitation into renewal: Rehoboth Christian Choir Tour

On a recent tour to the Midwest (visiting many of our TfT Network schools), the Rehoboth Christian High School Choir led by Director Anna Christensen shared a message familiar to TfT: God makes all things new. God’s story of redemption and restoration was told through music, Scripture, Throughlines, and student reflection, all in the context of the Native American culture that shapes the Rehoboth community. (See both the program and the slides shown during their performances.) Students created deep hopes that expressed their desire to bring this good news to their audiences and to personally experience God’s transformation through the choir tour. During the final hours of the 3,500 mile trip, students and staff passed the bus microphone, reflecting on God’s work in making all things new.

Elementary TfT: Reflecting on a school year at Shoreline Christian

As is part of the year-end rhythms of most TfT Network schools, the teaching staff at Shoreline Christian School spent time reflecting on and celebrating the TfT journey of the past school year. Fifth grade teacher Kyla Kim’s Deep Hope is for her students to be in awe of God's radical love, approach the world with wonder, and embrace the power of yet. As part of her year-end reflections, Kyla shares wonderful examples of how TfT lived within core practices (FLEx), essential practices (Learning Targets), and the rhythms and liturgies of her classroom.

Secondary TfT: Secondary Engineering at Grace Community School

Jessica Huddleston’s Deep Hope for her engineering students is that they will be fully alive in God’s story by creatively designing with purpose and ingenuity. In this video, Jessica shares how the practices of TfT impacted the way that she created this relatively new course at Grace Community School. Secondary math and science teachers will find inspiration and ideas as they hear about the incredible work done by students who addressed “real needs for real people.”

The TfT Tips Trio

The art of reflection is a skill honed over time. Students need many and varied opportunities to practice deep curious thinking through reflection. Check out this week’s TfT Tips for ideas on offering students a variety of approaches to reflect on their learning.

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