We all hope for things. We wake up every morning with some hope or expectation for the day. We give little attention to our dreams until things stop going the way we want. What do we do with ruptured expectations? What do students do?

“Now, friends, is that how we want to act?” I cringed when I heard a teacher say this to her misbehaving students recently in the local public library. A current trend in education has relaxed the respectful line between teachers and students, placing them on the same level.

Nottawa Christian School in Sturgis, Michigan is seeking a teacher/principal for the 2027–2028 school year. NCS is a small conservative Anabaptist school operated in connection with the Amish-Mennonite Pilgrim Church. We serve families from the local congregation and area churches.

We who work in Christian education—whether teachers, counselors, coaches, aides, or leaders—are engaged in “God-work.” I hadn’t previously thought of my teaching and work in education as being sacred, but I think this is a worthy consideration.

In this talk, Kevin Sensenig shows, from personal experience, how children from difficult backgrounds can thrive. He grounds his talk in Biblical principles like compassion and understanding, and offers practical resources for teachers and parents, including Kathryn Purvis' IDEAL framework.

Murrey Wideman challenges that if they want to have career teachers, they must pay them what they are worth. He considers practical ways to do this, including making it easy for teachers to turn in expenses, and stresses that teaching is not voluntary service and should not be seen in that way.

In this panel discussion, three men (Peter Claussen, Matt Fry, and Brian Warner) discuss the complexities and questions of college education in Anabaptist circles. They speak to issues of degree seeking, learning and pride, and cultivating talents.

Micah Stauffer and Nathaniel Gingrich give listeners a rationale and preview for a new software program (Candle) designed to lighten teachers' workloads. This program provides record keeping and report card generation, among other things, to help teachers have more energy to spend on students instead of administrative tasks.

Kenneth Hostetter describes the church school as an arm of the church and shows how each part of the school community plays a different role. He gives church leaders eight practical ways to work alongside the school, including participation in hiring, visiting, and policy setting.

Brian Warner address the history and fallout of the modern parenting method known as gentle parenting. He provides four ways churches, schools, and families can work to overcome this, including practicing Biblical disciple, creating boudaries, and choosing to trust truth over feelings.

Kendra Klassen encourages mothers to help with special events at school--whether hot lunch, birthday parties, field trips, or homework. Contributing to school events is a way to be hospitable, bless teachers, build community, and show children that school is important.

Laverne Martin urges church and school leaders to lead schools with the end in mind by having clear mission, vision, and values to keep them on track. Ultimately, a school’s identity must be grounded in Jesus, and boards should intentionally shape their schools so that graduates emerge ready to advance God’s purposes.

Brian Warner evaluates ten threats to Anabaptist schools, including the need for qualified teachers, technology, and apathy. He warns against being "at ease in Zion" and calls leaders to faithfully invest in Kingdom work.

Joel Sensenig outlines the essential roles, practices, and principles for effective Anabaptist school boards. These include having board roles (with specific responsibilities) as well as clear guiding documents and healthy meeting habits.

When we’re in the grind of teaching day after day, it can be easy to get stuck in ruts. Here are a few ways you could consider adding variety to the ways you check for student understanding.

Passionate educators wanted! Discover meaningful career opportunities in personalized academic support. Make a difference while growing professionally with Family Focused Tutors. If you have the desire to serve families and help students thrive academically, we would love to have you on the team! We require that our tutors have a background in education or experience teaching children. We are looking for educators who can teach elementary, middle school, or high school students! We are a Christian company and value hiring individuals who are able to teach through a Christian worldview.

Thrive Online Academy is dedicated to providing personalized, high-quality educational experiences for students. As online Christian teachers, we empower learners to grow academically and in faith through tailored learning pathways, engaging lessons, and meaningful support. We believe every student has unique strengths and learning needs, and our mission is to help them reach their full potential.

I am always on the lookout for teacher tips and tools that help to make a challenging job a little easier. Sometimes these are somewhat unconventional things that even make me chuckle a little at the fact that I use them.

August is here and with it comes a wonderful sense of anticipation, and perhaps a touch or two of fear and dread. All of these feelings are completely normal and can be used constructively if they are channeled and directed to profit our preparations.

The orbits of celestial objects point us to the great wisdom and understanding of our Creator. This document shows how algebra, geometry, and trigonometry can help us to see beautiful patterns in orbits. The patterns seen in orbits around the sun also apply to orbits of satellites around the earth.