New Year's Resolutions

By Dan Beerens

Originally posted on Nurturing Faith ~ the blog of Christian Schools International

The best time of the year for resolutions is January 1. True? Not really in education! Many of you are wrapping up the school year and some of you are already “childless” and roaming around in a mostly empty building. While you wrap up the year, many of you are already in planning mode for next year. Given our agricultural/cultural schedule of summer months without students, let me encourage you to take some time to reflect and resolve.

• What went well and not so well this year that I hope to change in the fall?
• What did I want to work on but could not take the time for or get to in the crush of the year?
• What could I do proactively so that I will feel calmer when I get into the busyness of the fall schedule?
• How will I strengthen the weakest aspects of my work? For teachers it may be finding better learning activities for a less than stellar unit, for principals it may be putting together a classroom visitation schedule that is more realistic and committing to it.
• How will I pursue professional passions that allow me to bring unique benefits to my school or system?
• How will I recharge my spiritual tank? Will I take more time to refresh my interior life?
• Maybe summer is a good time for you to take a minute and reassess what you are doing in terms of your chosen work. Do you still feel called? Are you still passionate about what you are doing? Are you still eager to learn more about your discipline and life?

Is it a perfect time to catch up on reading the Nurturing Faith blogs you have missed this year? (Actually principals tell me they read the blog more in the summer than the school year!)

Have a great summer! I will see some of you at the CSI convention and others at your school for staff development. Nurturing Faith will take a summer hiatus now and begin again in the fall.

Click here to see the original post and to search the blog archives for some good summer reading!

Summer Break at the Philadelphia Zoo

Did you know . . . the Philadelphia Zoo offers a FREE Summer Break pass to CLASSROOM TEACHERS (public and private)?

Get Your Summer Break Pass!

Register online before June 30, 2009.

This pass, along with a teacher ID, union card, or school district pay stub, entitles teachers to receive FREE Zoo admission anytime from June 1 through August 31, 2009, Monday - Friday only. Come as many times as you’d like all summer long!

Click here to register. Registration is online only, and ends on June 30, 2009. (Please allow 2-3 weeks to receive your pass.)

Teacher Passes are available for classroom teachers only, and are not transferable.

Please note: In order to receive free admission, you must show your Teacher Pass, along with your teacher ID, union card, or school district pay stub, every time you visit the Zoo.

Your Summer 2009 Teacher Pass is valid for your Zoo admission only. There are no discounts or parking privileges associated with this program.

Your Summer Break Teacher Pass can help you plan your fall field trips and see all the new animals and adventures your students will encounter. As America’s first zoo, and one of the region’s foremost conservation education organizations, we are sure that your students will enjoy an enriching and fun-filled experience that they will remember for years to come. Thank you for your support of the Philadelphia Zoo. Enjoy your visit!

Don't Take the Whole Summer Off - Remember to Pray!

Summer has arrived!

We have heard the final bell – watched our graduates triumphantly “recess” from their graduation ceremony – said the last goodbye to fellow teachers who will be moving on to new areas of ministry.

The school year that just a few short months ago held such promise and anticipation is over – and now the desks are empty, the chalkboard is clean and washed- the promise of the 2007-2008 school has been realized and the many events of the school year are now a memory.

While the “responsibilities” of being a teacher might be over for the summer (you did turn in your grade book and plan book, didn’t you) – you are never really “done” being their teacher! Your influence goes beyond the walls of your classroom and beyond the calendar! If you haven’t had the experience yet – you will (if you teach long enough) to have adults point in your direction and whisper to their children “That’s Mrs. Smith – she was MY third grade teacher.” Those who are bold enough will approach you wearing their best “you remember me” smile and will be able to recall with vivid clarity something that you said and/or did during that 3rd grade year – and expect that you will, too!

As we are still in the “early stages” of summer, please take a few minutes to remember your class – recall them one by one – say each name aloud and thank God for the privilege of being “their” teacher and for the opportunity you had to be part of their lives for just a moment in time!

Pray for them throughout the summer and as the summer winds down, begin praying for the students who will be in your class for the upcoming school year. You don’t have to wait for your class roster to begin praying – pray for the students, their parents and for the transition of new students/families into your school.

But above all – remember to pray for yourself – that God will prepare you for a new year of ministry and that you will be looking forward to the new school year – one that will be filled with promise and anticipation!

What’s on Your Bookshelf

Suggested Summer Reading
The following books have submitted by MACSA teachers and administrators as suggestions for your Summer Reading List. The "editorial" descriptions are from www.ChristianBook.com and/or www.Amazon.com and are provided to give you an overview of the contents of the book.

The books are not specifically being endorsed or recommended by MACSA.

Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in our Schools - National Writing Project and Carl Nagin (Jossey-Bass)
Timely and persuasive, “Because Writing Matters” offers classroom teachers, administrators, and those who work with pre-service teachers more than encouragement; it provides a ‘so what’ plus the ‘how to’ necessary to make real changes in the ways writing is taught and assessed. One of the book’s greatest strengths is the way relevant information is succinctly presented. —English Journal

Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry: Promoting Deep Understandings in Language Arts and the Content Areas With Guiding Questions (Theory and Practice) - Jeffery D. Wilhelm (Scholastic)
What makes a good relationship? How does flight influence behavior for humans and birds? Is it ever permissible to lie? Reframing our units and lessons with questions such as these makes learning more exciting for students. Wilhelm debunks the myth that teaching through inquiry is hard. He shares practical, easy ideas for turning state standards into engaging authentic questions that propel students toward deep understandings. Includes sample lessons, discussion techniques, and questioning schemes for all the content areas. For use with Grades 4 & Up.

Excused Absence: Should Christian Kids Leave Public Schools? - Douglas Wilson (Canon Press)
Should Christians send their kids to public schools as "salt" and "light," or to home and private institutions shaped by a distinctively biblical worldview? Founder of the acclaimed Logos School, Wilson argues that because our children belong to God, we mustn't "render them unto Caesar" but instead surround them with divine truth.

Reclaiming the Culture of Christian Education - Albert Greene (Purposeful Design)
This rich work is a walk through the philosophical and cultural history of education, emphasizing the unique goal of Christian education--to prepare young people for a fulfilling life under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Set Apart - Kent Hughes (Crossway Books)
R. Kent Hughes builds a case for godliness in the church—a case that echoes the biblical call to holiness. The church can reach the world only if it keeps itself from being ensnared by the world. Hughes is not simply urging Christians to say no to worldliness—he is calling the church to say yes to Christ and to his call to reach our lost world.

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp (Shepherd Press)
Many parenting books are based on hit-or-miss theories steeped in secular thinking. This one draws from Pastor Tripp's seasoned experience as a father-and from God's Holy Word. Grounded in the Bible's divine plan for parenting, this guide defines your goals as a parent and provides the Scriptural methods for accomplishing them.

The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life - Parker J. Palmer (Jossey-Bass)
This book builds on a simple premise: good teaching cannot be reduced to technique but is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms but good teachers share one trait: they are authentically present in the classroom, in community with their students and their subject. They possess "a capacity for connectedness" and are able to weave a complex web of connections between themselves, their subjects, and their students, helping their students weave a world for themselves. The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts — the place where intellect, emotion, spirit, and will converge in the human self — supported by the community that emerges among us when we choose to live authentic lives.

The God Who Smokes: Scandalous Meditation on Faith – Timothy Stoner (Deliberate)
“The God Who Smokes” is an unwavering answer to the postmodern cry for an authentic, knowable truth that is compassionate and courageous, demonstrated in sacrificial commitment to a life of righteousness and justice.

The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools - Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Judy H. Mullet (Good Books)
Can an overworked teacher possibly turn an unruly incident with students into an "opportunity for learning, growth, and community-building"? If restorative justice has been able to salvage lives within the world of criminal behavior, why shouldn't its principles be applied in school classrooms and cafeterias? And if our children learn restorative practices early and daily, won't we be building a healthier, more just society? Two educators answer yes, yes, and yes in this new addition to The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series. They urge a focus on consequences rather than punishment. They insist that relationships-far more than rules-are central to building community, and that community fosters caring and belonging. They put up with no hypocrisy: teachers and administrators must live restorative practices, too. So how does it all work? Stutzman and Amstutz offer applications and models. Among them are class meetings for 5th graders; reintegration of 7th- and 8th- graders who were suspended; circle processes, which offer space for all voices to be heard, and also quiet tensions that are building; and community conferencing when trouble shapes up between students and neighbors. "Discipline that restores is a process to make things as right as possible." This Little Book shows how to get there.

Worldly Amusements: Restoring the Lordship of Christ to Our Entertainment Choices - Wayne Wilson (Winepress Publications)
Do we love movies more than God? Have we compromised God's standard by letting Hollywood assault our minds and hearts with sensuality? "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8