2023 Convention

Open Forum Discussion on Preparing for Active Killers in Christian Schools

This session will review a study which identified the perceived barriers of college athletes to becoming high school sports officials. There will also be a time of discussion/sharing on ways we can honor and respect officials, promote the profession, and encourage more young people to start officiating.

How do you keep learning alive when children shrink away from participating? Oddly, a silent bunch can unnerve a teacher as quickly as a crew that doesn’t sit still. In this session, we will unravel some of the mysteries beneath learner aloofness and explore remedies for soothing the reluctance.

Creating a culture of safety and positivity in the classroom is important for every teacher. But when pop-culture’s notions about sex worm their way into classroom dynamics, how can educators curb the impact? Frank conversations risk overstepping safe boundaries, whereas ignoring the problem shows tolerance for the rubbish. Thankfully, Christian schools today retain a unique opportunity to partner with families in redirecting patterns of unwholesomeness in learning environments. In this session, you'll hear about our recent counter efforts against coarse joking in the classroom and brainstorm additional ways to promote an honorable classroom atmosphere by using delicate, but necessary, conversations.

Your Brand is who you are. Your Mission is what you do. Your Vision is where you're going. Your Core Values are how you're going to get there. Is every decision you make wrapped up in your Brand, Mission, Vision, and Core Values (B, M,V, CV), and how mighty are these statements in your organization? This session will walk through an inclusive process that you can use to develop and implement your Brand, Mission, Vision, and your Core Values and Core Value statements in every aspect of your school.

Do people give to your school because of a compelling mission, values alignment, spirituality, their experience at your school, community involvement, family tradition, or are there other reasons? Christian Education cannot exist without the support and financial contributions of its invested donors and families. If we knew "why" people give to our school, we can maximize the giving relationship. This session will dig into who is donating, when they are donating, and why they are donating: or why they are not donating! This session is based on my doctoral research and is focused on K-12 Christian Education.

There has been a lot of buzz about the pyramid model and MTSS in our classrooms. During this session, we will unpack the TPOT - Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool - and give you some ideas of what should be in our classrooms and what things you are already doing and can possibly "beef up"! Come ready to learn and discuss the teaching pyramid! Specific things we will discuss are schedules, rules, challenging behavior, and collaboration.

Music teachers give a lot of energy during class, trying to meet the needs of all students while teaching fundamentals and teamwork. And let's not forget the stress of preparing them for public performances! It's your turn to enjoy singing quality middle school literature with no behavior issues, everyone singing with solid fundamentals, and zero pressure. Let's lighten our hearts and feed our souls while making a joyful noise! Please come prepared to share your top five favorite pieces of middle school literature to be compiled and distributed to all!

Even after 30+ years in the classroom, I have a desire to become a better teacher every year--I want to flourish! My love for God deepens every year. I really do love the kids I get to work with. I believe in Christian education with my whole heart. (And, yes, there are occasional days when I consider a career in managing Sheldon’s Dollar General.) Attendees will hear (and hopefully share!) insights on personal faith growth, classroom management, restorative discipline techniques, integrating faith into the entire school experience, seeing our students (and ourselves) for who we really are--works in progress of our Creator God! Come to listen, share, learn, and laugh together! All ages and areas of experience welcome--the more diverse our gathering, the better!

Teaching TAG is not a cookie-cutter job description. What we learn about being a TAG teacher compared to the actual teaching experience can sometime throw us for a loop. And if you work with multiple grade levels it can be daunting. This session will include my story and a few out-of-the-box strategies that I developed to better meet the needs of my Talendted and Gifted students.

Every teacher can benefit from practical application and experience with Total Participation Techniques. This workshop provides insight into the philosophy behind engaged learning and significant practice experiencing TPTs from the student point of view.

How does a teacher teach history from a Biblical worldview perspective? This workshop experience will equip teachers with a comprehensive paradigm for studying history that is consistent with a Biblical worldview.

More than their backpacks and laptops, today's students are bringing new and challenging experiences into the classroom. Together, we'll examine trends that are impacting students and how we can respond Biblically to the difficulties that arise from those trends.

Parents choose Christian education because they want to partner with the school in the faith development of their children. While we collect trophies and awards for sports, theater, and other academic accomplishments, we do not often capture moments of our most prized goal - our kids’ faith formation.

As we consider educational flourishing, the question arises of not just how flourishing can be nurtured in schools, but also who gets to flourish. Jesus’s invitation to “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10b) is intended for all in our schools and communities, just as Christians are called to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). This vision of “flourishing for all” requires three key efforts: first, fostering cultural humility as educators, by examining our biases and adopting a posture of learning; second, developing culturally responsive pedagogy and practices; and third, extending ourselves beyond the school walls to engage our communities in authentic and collaborative ways. Through discussion, reflection, and action planning, participants will develop practical strategies in these areas—with the goal of shaping our schools to become places where students and educators alike are equipped and empowered to navigate our diverse world with love and truth.

Hands on an experiential learning brings great benefits to our classrooms. Teachers don't need a fancy classroom to integrate STEM activities that build rich learning into course content. Application across content areas and age levels.

COVID-19 spurred schools to adopt virtual learning for students, just as hospitals adopted virtual health for patients. With schools facing shortages of school health professionals - such as nurses and therapists – they can apply a virtual model to school health as well. This session examines how telehealth has been making a difference for small school districts without a nurse as well as larger districts who need to optimize the nurses and counselors they have onsite.

Taking your coaching to a deeper level that engages student athletes in faith formational practices.

Come and join us for a fun and interactive session about why Bible League International is committed to producing easy to understand Scriptures and how you can use them too, so that “We can all understand what they are saying about the great things God has done.” (Acts 2:11, ERV)

The purpose of this session is to provide K-12 educators with a practical set of tools that can help them evaluate whether a gaming club is a good fit for their unique contexts and how to integrate gaming clubs in a way that can support school objectives, contribute to educator objectives and respects educators' time and resources restraints. To accomplish this, this session will be roughly divided into two sections: the first half includes an overview of Dordt's gaming club with an examination of key elements and processes The second half will examine some recent ideas on gaming integration in modern educational settings and end with a discussion on tools and best practices.

Moving from one lifestyle to another can be full of stress and anxiety. Whether it’s moving from one country to another, going from homeschooling to classroom schooling, or even making the transition from middle school to high school, a complete world change can be disconcerting, to say the least. One particular label given to this situation is “culture shock.” Today we have two objectives: 1) to provide each other with lesson plans and ideas on how to discuss culture shock in our classrooms as a way to introduce empathy and understanding in our students, and 2) to provide each other with resources in how to recognize culture shock in our students and what we might be able to do about it. The results might … shock you.

Assessment is perhaps the most mystical part of our work as educators. How can we get inside a student's head to know what they know? To understand how they understand? In this session we will examine our beliefs about our students, about our role as teacher, and about what assessment is "for." We'll examine both what we say we believe as well as what our practices might reveal about what we *actually* believe. Further, we'll explore ways that we might work towards shrinking the gap between belief and practice with an eye toward bringing about flourishing in students and teachers alike.

Do you wish you had time to think through a unit you teach(or hope to) through the lens of the Teaching for Transformation* (TfT) framework? Join Natalia Jankowski and reflect on integrating faith into your existing curriculum with our interactive workshop. This session will provide space for TfT educators through practical strategies and work time to infuse the TfT framework and spiritual principles into an existing unit. We aim to be a session that provides support and work time to apply TfT in your classroom. Join us as we embark on a transformative journey that unites academic excellence with spiritual growth, inspiring a generation of compassionate and purpose-driven learners. Please make a note to bring your curriculum map for an existing unit of study you teach, your Deep Hope, any related materials (FLEx projects etc.) and your school's Throughlines . This is not an intro to TfT course, and not designed for educators without a base knowledge of TfT or these materials. *Not affiliated with Teaching for Transformation or CACE (Center for the Advancement of Christian Education).

What is the end goal of practice? In this session, you will be informed about playing assessments and practice projects. These projects and assessments are an alternative way to document student growth in the band or orchestra classroom.

Knowledge, Exploration, and the Visual Arts (KEVA) come into focus when students get to work with KEVA Planks. These simple wooden planks offer a multitude of opportunities in problem solving, critical thinking, engineering, designing, and creating for students (and teachers) of all ages. You will get hands-on experience through “guided creativity” during this session as I share examples, activities, and challenges that you can do with your own students. This session is open to teachers of all grade levels (and all creativity levels 🙂

Public speaking can be a scary thing for a lot of people. In fact, it’s often listed as primary fear for many Americans, often above other fears like spiders, heights, or even death. But it doesn’t have to be scary. Today we’ll be looking at reasons why developing public speaking skills is so important for people of all ages, but especially for middle school and high school students. In addition, we’ll have access to a wide variety of specific games and activities that foster the learning of this crucial life skill. Come prepared to learn, to practice, and to share effective techniques for this fascinating area.

During this session we will discuss the elementary music class experience including the Musicplay Online curriculum. Please bring questions and ideas to share with the group.

What makes art an investment? This session will explore some of the 'best practices' and standards held by art collectors, museums, and fine art galleries. We will overview what makes artwork "display-ready" and consider how to package and crate your work for safe storage and transit.

We'll explore five lessons we can learn as Christian teachers and leaders to help us position ourselves as lifeguards on duty so that our students and parents know that there is someone standing watch.

Have you heard of soft skills? How about 21st-century skills? In this session, you will learn about the need for your learners to develop Durable Skills. Durable Skills were developed from an America Succeeds study of over 80 million job postings. It is what employers need from their employees and we will explore how we can help prepare our learners to have the Durable Skills needed to be successful.

Inclusive schools start by knowing students most excellently, rather than starting with a program. This leads to a culture where individuals are celebrated for their unique contributions to the school community and are more likely to experience authentic belonging. In this session, Janelle Sievert explores how our beliefs guide our planning for students with disabilities, shares how to know students most excellently, and provides examples to aid the planning processes. Join us as we dive deeper into person-guided planning based on individual strengths, leading to faith-based and research-based support for individual students.

“Prompt engineering” is the process of thoughtfully developing queries and instructions for AI websites and tools. Educators and students can learn to write prompts that help the AI tools generate creative, informative, and accurate content. This workshop will introduce educators to the basics of prompt engineering and show them how to use it to enhance their teaching and to improve the learning experience for their students.

Teachers are on the front lines of identifying and assisting stressed and anxious students. In this session, you will learn about the strategies to help students with stress and anxiety. Interventions will be shared to help inside and outside of the classroom as well as how to collaborate with school counselors. Advice for how to work with families and outside providers will also be discussed.

Professional musicians observe and respond to the conductor's every move. But how often do students watch the conductor in rehearsals and concerts? In this session, you'll encounter ensemble classroom activities and conducting strategies that train students of all ages and instrumentation to watch and respond to professional-level conducting gestures.

This simulation is designed to help people gain a better understanding of and empathy for those children and adults who struggle with dyslexia. All educators, especially those in middle and high school, are encouraged to participate in this simulation to get a sense of the challenges dyslexics face, particularly in an academic setting. Spoiler alert: challenges are not limited to learning to read and are not limited to early elementary settings!

This session will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education and will provide educators with an understanding of the current and potential applications of AI in the classroom. Participants will learn about AI technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing, and explore how they can be used to enhance teaching and learning experiences. Through hands-on activities and discussions, attendees will examine best practices and ethical considerations for implementing AI in education.

With unprecedented enrollment growth, expanding school choice programs nationwide, and a rekindled parental desire for Christ-centered education for their children, the current moment in Christian education looks bright. But how can Christian schools capitalize on this moment to grow in ways that are healthy, sustainable, and mission-aligned? This session will draw on "Future Ready: Innovative Models for Mission-Aligned Growth"—co-published by ACSI and Cardus and featuring a diverse range of school types, including CSI schools—to examine smart growth strategies like microschools, online and hybrid academies, mergers and acquisitions, school choice networks, and third-source income streams (micro-business hubs, facilities leasing, and entrepreneurship programs). Leaders will collaborate with colleagues to identify new opportunities to ensure their schools are not only future-ready, but also positioned to fulfill their missions with broader impact and relevance.

In this session participants will learn about the Iowa STEM Council's Programs and Resources as well as the NW STEM Checkout System. They will have hands-on experience with NW STEM checkout STEM kits and materials. Participants will also be given some take away STEM challenges that they can use in their classrooms.

We are wired to wonder—it’s how God created human beings to be! But school doesn’t always feel like a “wonder” oriented space…for students, and even for teachers. With so many standards to teach and overstuffed curriculum guides, how can we make space for students to play around with ideas, to create, to wonder? In this session we’ll explore a handful of strategies you can use next week to start shifting towards tapping students’ natural curiosity and developing creative thinking.

We will have a 75 minute practice that will involve all aspects of the game of basketball.

School districts were seeking a convenient tool to engage community members in the activities and events within their district and student community. jmc's newest all-in-one community messenger enables community members to sign up for district updates and announcements, ensuring they're always informed and connected with the latest happenings in their local schools. Check out all that jmc's Community Message Center has to offer your school!

It can be uncomfortable or intimidating to talk about science & faith issues in the classroom, but our students have questions about how their faith engages with topics like evolution, climate change, gene editing, and artificial intelligence. At BioLogos, our hope is that students engage thoughtfully and faithfully with the hard questions of science and faith and ultimately find that they they don't have to choose between their love of God and of science. Come learn about how you can bring rigorous science, Christ-centered faith and gracious dialogue into your classroom with BioLogos' new faith & science curriculum supplement, Integrate. Middle school and high school science and Bible teachers will find this session particularly helpful!

With great power comes great responsibility. As educators, it is incumbent upon us to use AI responsibly and ethically. We must ensure that students understand the limitations of ChatGPT, promoting digital literacy as we open up new avenues for personalized learning, by fostering creativity and sparking curiosity. - According to ChatGPT

This workshop will focus on the foundations of restorative justice and restorative practices, and what it means to develop a restorative culture in our schools. We will reflect on what it means to be “Ministers of Reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5) as we work with students and educators each day. This session will serve as a foundation for other sessions on restorative practices throughout the conference. This workshop is open to all educators. School leaders are encouraged to attend this session as they consider how they might continue to shape the culture of their schools.

This workshop will examine the importance of voice in our schools, and how we can be intentional about ensuring the voices of both students and educators are prominent in our school cultures. We will look at restorative circles and discuss how we can effectively employ them in our schools to ensure every individual has a voice. Participants would benefit from attending Session #1 (What are restorative practices?), though it is not a prerequisite for attending this session.

Have you ever wondered: How can my students meet all the standards? What should I teach next? Where will I find the time to cover all of my content? Well, teachers, in this session you will explore mapping out the curriculum and standards for your students. As teachers, we have benefited from planning our school year by asking ourselves some simple questions and using tools that our future selves thank us for. You will take a glimpse of how this looks for an elementary and middle school teacher. Additionally, you will consider how this could align with your school wide curriculum map. Let’s jump start this task to cover all of the standards for your students, know what you will teach next, and allow you to have the time to cover all of your content.

Likely none of us ever took a class in our teacher preparation on how to grade. We simply learned how to do it based on how we were graded or based on the grading practices in place in our institutions or departments. But do our grading practices actually lead to authentic learning and the creation of learners? In this session we will explore and investigate some of the long standing beliefs about grading practices and how they do or don't support create a culture of growth in our schools and classrooms.

Principals and school leaders spend countless hours in planning, observation, and follow up meetings. In this session you will be introduced to a helpful supervision and evaluation technique involving mini observations coupled with short, frequent feedback for targeted improvement. Administrators will leave with materials and food for thought to bring back to their schools that will certainly lead to some rich conversations, if not direct tools for improving their own evaluation systems.

Participants will learn how they can blend the time-honored practice of studying whole-class novels with the research-backed approach of allowing students to choose books in middle school and high school English classrooms. The session will expose participants to the benefits of this hybrid approach as well as give them an opportunity to think about what this could look like in their own classrooms.

What does “fluent in mathematics” really mean? We’ll answer this question and engage in fluency-focused activities that build conceptual understanding.

In this session you will be exposed to mind boggling educational games and activities that cause you to think outside the box. This session will be fun, energetic, and might even be a little competitive. You will learn about a variety of relationship building activities that you can bring back to your classroom on a rainy day. ****Please note that this session will be a repeat from four years ago.

In this session, we will be talking about one of the hardest things in the classroom: Classroom Management. We will be discussing different tips and tricks that work for us in implementing a successful behavior management system.

All school leaders in nonpublic schools in Iowa are invited to attend this session to discuss education savings accounts (ESAs) and their implementation in our state. We'll discuss ways to promote program awareness, ideas for effective marketing and admissions practices, and how increase family participation in the program. Come with your tips, tricks, and ideas!

Individual responsibility to save adequately for retirement is more important than ever. Whether you are 3 years away from retirement—or 30 years--in this session we’ll discuss the amount of income needed in retirement. The sources of and the ways to achieve that income will also be presented.

How does a teacher teach science from a Biblical worldview perspective? This workshop experience will examine how a Christian teacher can help students to explore and experience God’s activity in all of our scientific endeavors.

Equipping for Biblical worldview formation should be the hallmark of every Christian school classroom. Teachers can practice four central teaching commitments to nurture Biblical worldview formation in their students. Practicing these commitments ensures that your pedagogy is aligned with how worldviews actually develop.

Play based learning helps to engage elementary students in their learning and has cognitive, physical, social, and emotional benefits.

Leaders rise to the challenge when they are faced with obstacles that become opportunities. This session will focus on how we can help teachers and students see the talents they have and how those talents can be used to maximize their impact in the world. Participants will identify their own talents and develop plans on how to help others grow as leaders in their own situations.

This session will deal with the process of setting up a youth sports program in the school setting including the highs and lows of establishing a feeder system to grow an athletic program in a small school.

You will experience some of the tools and tips that I have learned from teaching groups outdoors over my 25 years as a Naturalist; I will highlight a few of my favorite resources for natural science outdoor curriculum and do select programs from those guides with you; discuss some of the outdoor skills that many County Conservation Boards offer and can provide equipment for (including hunter safety); and more!

Grouping students becomes easy and successful when we look at the whole of reading and break it into its parts. In this session we will look at what makes a good reader, how to identify students' greatest area of need and pair student needs with simple research-based strategies that help all students read.

Theatre is one of the best ways to engage students creatively and socially while helping them build confidence and develop their authentic voice. But how can you utilize theatre in the general academic classroom? Join me in exploring various theatre activities that can enrich your academic experience through roleplaying, storytelling, and empathetic exercises--as well as some brain breaks that are just plain fun!

Unlock the potential of our youngest learners with Natalia Jankowski's captivating insights on brain research and it’s application to the Pk-2 classroom. Join us for an enlightening session as she unveils innovative ways to seamlessly integrate movement into classroom routines, catering to post-COVID learners who need to bridge developmental gaps. With Natalia's expertise, teachers will discover how simple yet powerful movements can enhance cognition, engagement, and emotional well-being. Let's enhance education together and unleash the boundless possibilities that lie within each child's mind!

Are you looking for exciting and effective ways to engage young learners in mathematics? Join Natalia Jankowski at "Play, Learn, and Thrive: K-2 Math Games Workshop" to discover a treasure trove of innovative math games/activities appropriate for kindergarten through second-grade students. This interactive workshop will explore a variety of fun, hands-on games designed to reinforce fundamental math concepts, promote critical thinking, and foster a love for mathematics among young learners. Natalia will share practical strategies for incorporating these activities into your daily lessons, making math learning an enjoyable experience for every student.

Even in Christian communities, tough situations arise and can lead to hard conversations. These conversations can be amplified when the party on the other side is defensive or agitated. How do we navigate these situations with grace so that information is shared, trust is sustained, and everyone feels heard and respected? In this session you will learn 7 key strategies to guide you through these conversations.

The world of collegiate forensics is often hidden to many people. Even its official name, “forensics,” causes confusion! However, thousands of students across the world participate in college-level speech and debate events every year, giving them opportunities to hone their speaking skills for their careers and their lives … not to mention winning shiny trophies. During this hour, you’ll learn more about the opportunities for college speech and debate, what effects being on a forensics team has on studies and career preparation, and strategies to help prepare students for success on the college level. (Designed for schools currently offering speech and debate opportunities.)

Luke 6:40 says that when a student is fully formed, he will be like his teacher. Today’s educators face the caregiver’s dilemma more than ever: will we give out of our essence or out of our overflow? In this workshop, we’ll look at the greatest factors impacting teacher wellness and practical steps schools can take in response.

In this workshop, we'll take a high-level view of the strategies for successful marketing and how to implement these at your Christian school: Audience, Message, & Tactics. We'll cover some of the primary reasons why Christian schools get marketing wrong and what to do to grow your school's enrollment.

How do we help learners at all levels be successful in and out of school? In this session, you will engage in discussions and learning opportunities about how to provide authentic learning opportunities. We will also explore how to develop a learning environment for authentic learning to help all learners to be successful while they are in school, as well as out of school.

Are you interested in what Work-Based Learning (WBL) is or how to create these types of learning opportunities for your learners? If so, you will want to join this session to dig into the why, the what, and the how behind work-based learning. You will explore different models of WBL that would be best for you and your learners.

Join this round table discussion surrounding artists and community. We want to identify shared ideas that aim to connect passionate, like minded, art loving people together so that art making can thrive. We will open the discussion on topics such as: opportunities for artist workshops, art camps, art excursions, travel, garnering feedback/critique, and discussing how social media is affecting your art community.

With recent Refugee Resettlement efforts along with increasing immigration of culturally and lingually diverse families, the student demographic in many Christian schools is changing. Do you have a student(s) in your class(es) for whom English is not their first language? Are you looking for new strategies to better serve these students? If so, let's talk. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (S.I.O.P.) is a researched best practice that will provide a structure for the pedagogical choices we make in our lesson plans and units. This sectional will include an introduction to the S.I.O.P. framework, ideas you can apply directly to your lessons, and resources to grow from there.

Are you a new(ish) teacher drowning from the chaos in your classroom? I've been there, and it wasn't fun. Join me as I recount the evolution of my classroom management applications and philosophy in my first 5 years. Leave with practical tips that you can apply in your classroom this year.

Preparing yourself to avoid conflict and providing tools for individuals that promote peace before, during, after conflict occurs.

In this session we will be sharing some of our favorite children's books that we use in both the music and preschool classrooms. Liz will be sharing how she uses these books to teach music concepts and Heidi will be sharing how she uses the same book to extend it into classroom learning activities. Some of the books have also been adapted to offer ideas for students with special needs.

This will be an engaging session in which two highly-seasoned counselors will share their compassion, general awareness, and valuable mental health information for teachers and staff of all age levels. It will largely be an informal Q & A. Questions may be sent in to the Heartland email ahead of time and forwarded to them, as well as asking them on-site. They welcome input, thoughts, and suggestions from all the participants, believing everyone has valuable ideas to share.

In this session, we will talk about strategies for restoratively responding to conflict. Our discussion will focus on conflict as a break in a relationship, and how restorative practices enable us to restore relationships while honoring the dignity and worth of each of those involved in a conflict. Participants would benefit from attending Session #1 (What are Restorative Practices?) and/or Session #2 (Restorative Circles), though neither is a prerequisite for joining us in this session.

This session will help you engage your choirs of any age in focused, fun warm-ups that educate, inspire, and improve the sound of your ensemble.

This session is open to ALL TfT teachers of every grade and experience level as a time to design and collaborate on any of the core TfT practices. Whether you are interested in deepening your classroom storyline, want help reframing a new unit, or seek assistance in planning a new FLEx, TfT instructional coaches will be available to help you meet your goals. Come ready to collaborate, and leave with some concrete plans in hand!

Do you want to motivate your students to read? Do you want to learn about some new books? Come to this session to see what research tells us to do to motivate reading in our students. Followed by a time to share books. Bring along new books that you love to share with the group.

Looking for engaging evidence-based reading interventions for your students that get results? This session will share reading interventions that will motivate and engage K-4 students.

In this session, teachers will learn a variety of useful AI tools for teaching and learning, we will spend time looking at and working with the tools so it would be wise to have a device to work from! We will also spend time discussing ways that teachers can develop assignments to reduce the concerns of using AI to do student work. Lastly, teachers will learn about ways to approach this issue with their students in a way encourages proper use.

This session will take many of the concepts discussed in the previous three restorative sessions and integrate them into our classroom learning. Our classrooms are the primary place in our schools where culture is developed. This session will focus on how using restorative approaches in our pedagogy can support us in developing a flourishing culture both in our daily learning and beyond our classroom walls.

We never want students to graduate without having the tough questions answered! I believe we have a responsibility to create environments where they can hear biblical truth that relates to the hard topics of today. We need to create an environment that addresses what the world is saying and hold that up against what the Bible says! When this is done correctly it sets our students up to face the tough things of this world! This doesn’t have to feel outdated and boring, we can create engaging service without wavering on biblical truth! Creating these type of environments leverages tension in a way that will bring energy and life to your school!

Teaching in a longer block of time, at any level, can be a challenging experience for teachers to design for. In this session, you will be introduced to a variety of highly engaging techniques, strategies, and lesson planning structures you can begin to use right away in your classroom.

This will be a session in sharing practical practices in a High School and maybe even Middle School Social Studies classroom. This will be a discussion so if you could please bring something you do or something your student's love to do from your class to share with other teachers, that would be appreciated.

During this session you will learn about a small group community model that Sioux Falls Christian recently developed in middle school. The focus is on implementing Biblical values while incorporating a Biblical worldview. These small group communities help to create a healthy school culture and are built on relationships, mentorship, safety, competitions, and FLEx opportunities.