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| Bulletin 4 | October 6, 2020
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As we have definitively turned the corner into my favorite season of autumn, these words jumped off the screen to me:
An ‘Awe Walk’ Might Do Wonders for Your Well-Being
This article in The New York Times articulates what many of us know to be capital “T” truth: spending time in creation is formational - spending time in creation is not something we simply do; it does something to us! Just like the Lord rejoices in his works (Psalm 104:31), so we can too.
As we settle into personal and professional rhythms during this school year, I encourage you to spend time with your Creator in His creation. Outdoor experiences feed the soul and enable you to better serve those around you.
Please continue to reach out to me (darryl.deboer@cace.org) with your TfT stories and resources to share as we work to encourage, inspire, and connect our network of TfT schools. It is a delight to celebrate these learning stories.
With deep appreciation and admiration for the Kingdom work you do,
Darryl
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Creation Enjoying: Consider the Snail
Aligned with the invitation above to spend time in creation, this recent blog post by David Smith of Calvin University invites us to consider what the snail can teach us. Smith calls educators (and our students) to step away from screens, try something different, take a risk in teaching and learning, practice a way of being, and reflect. All these practices align perfectly with Teaching for Transformation.
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Throughlines—A Resource for Teachers and Parents
This resource produced by the Prairie Center of Christian Education features the Order Discovering Throughline. Whereas these materials were originally designed for the purpose of supporting parents during remote learning, they serve as an excellent resource for teachers during face-to-face learning as well.
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Real Work, Real Needs, Real People: Adapting FLEx for Covid-19
Many of us are in the challenging position of designing FLEx within Covid-19’s limitations. But with willpower and creativity, FLEx can happen, even from a safe distance. This news article explains how the social, mental, and artistic needs of those shut in due to Covid-19 were met in unexpected ways. It offers a host of curricular possibilities for teachers designing FLEx projects during this season.
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Deep Hopes at Southwest Christian
As Southwest Christian High School (Chaska, MN) enters year four of their TfT journey, they wanted to celebrate their maturing practice with their parents, both as a way to invite them into the vision and to demonstrate the continuing value of Christian education in these challenging days. Teachers built displays of their Deep Hopes and Storylines that included a few framing thoughts and artifacts of student interaction. Parents could browse through and wonder at these displays during the “Meet the Teach” event. The end result was an inspiring, provocative mosaic of fully integrated Christian education.
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Throughline Character Illustrations
Thank you to everyone who shared a memory of teacher/administrator Doug Monsma as we celebrated the release of our Throughline characters created by Peter Reynolds and the team at FableVision Learning.
We are excited to share the remaining characters: you can find the electronic files in the resource section of our website. Please use them as you desire!
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A FLEx Experience for the Staff
Led by the high school principal Grace Voo (gvoo@vancouverchristian.org), the staff of Vancouver Christian School kicked off their year by participating in a project during their staff retreat. The staff were split into two teams with the task of creating furniture for their roof top learning space. By participating in a ‘real work, real needs, real people’ experience as learners themselves, the staff is empowered to design these formative experiences for their students this year. In the meantime, they have created furniture for a beautiful outdoor learning space for their students and themselves.
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