We know that our spiritual heritage and teachings and life come first. (Seek ye first…) My purpose in writing is not to address our spiritual/church/congregational walk directly—I leave that to our church leaders. My thoughts are directed to us educators: What/how must we teachers be thinking about our responsibilities in these precedented times? What are the heritage seeds we must preserve? What fruit did they bear for our fathers and us? How might we go about preserving them? Such considerations are foundational to any educational methodology that fit the times. This requires hard work. A few thoughts to help us consider…

In the midst of the sudden TMI nuclear accident in 1979, I (along with many others in our area) evacuated my young family to the shelter of church friends 80 miles west. In just a few hours, we decided what to take and what to leave. Because we might never return. What could not be replaced? We quickly chose a few essentials and some heirlooms (some storied dishes, photographs, wedding clock, a small piece of furniture). The other material goods could be replaced over time since the accident did not portend the introduction of a new economy or way of life. The items we chose, by their nature, were irreplaceable by either purchase or handicraft. Today, different elements of our heritage are at stake.

When Russian Mennonite immigrants moved from Ukraine to Kansas in the 1870’s, they brought precious seed grain with them. Their children (according to the stories) helped pick out the best grains from their home supply to be carefully carried on the long trip and used to grow a new crop in the new land—a land in which they would need to grow their own food. Turkey Red wheat as a staple food thrived and became a legend in Kansas.

Heirloom furniture; heirloom seed; heirloom traditions; heirloom knowledge; heirloom skills; heirloom _____________… What heirlooms shall we carefully bring out, keep—and cultivate—as we anticipate life in a new normal whose parameters are still unknown? What practical precedents can we carry forward that are biblical, viable, universal, timeless—and achievable?

The new normal on today’s horizon hints at the opposite of refugee flight or refugee camps. Rather, it introduces “sheltering” at home, limited travel, limited close personal interaction, limited opportunity for business as we’ve known it for the last generations, limited options/choices, limited anything. Life with limits.

We must ask ourselves, “What is that in your hand?” What have we had in our possession for generations that may now need to be brought out and used again within the new limits? Or re-purposed? I’ll suggest a few to help us start thinking…

1. Heirloom of Contentment

A primary heirloom treasure to bring out, dust off, and revive is the ability to be content with food, raiment, and shelter. Contentment frees us from “extra weights.” The Apostle Paul learned to be content in whatever state he was—with abundance or privation. (See Phil. 4:11-12.) We’ve known abundance. We face a steep learning curve.

Paul admonishes us to be truly content with the basics.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. -I Tim. 6:7-9

Contentment truly frees us to live on the manna of the day, free to adorn the world as do the birds and the lilies (which do, along with us, suffer from the ravages of this world, but live as fully as they can while they live).

2. Heirloom of Brotherhood

The heirloom of working together. Body life. The whole tenor of Scripture and especially the implications of the Gospel as applied to the life of the church call us to “bear one another’s burdens—and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Body life is the antithesis of atomistic individualism. We are not “in this together” as discrete elements in a herd, but as participating, interactive, interdependent members of a body. In addition to the spiritual applications of this teaching, many opportunities for daily, practical, real-life practices of interaction with others abound. We need to discover how the principle that was put into practical application through the once-upon-a-time sharing of farm machinery and labor (think threshing crews), or the frolic (work-socials) can be re-purposed. What can we do together? Group gardening? Learning how to butcher? Food preservation? Teaching one another? Storytelling? Learning from/with one another?

3. Heirloom of Neighborhood

“Love thy neighbor as thyself.” I’m old enough to recall the term neighbor used as a verb. Our people once knew how to neighbor. My father’s generation enjoyed a personal acquaintance with scores of people living within a five mile radius, had a working relationship with dozens, and frequent interaction with adjacent neighbors.

Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.” -Pro. 27:1

In everyday life, interaction with literal neighbors, whoever they are, is more fundamental for everyday living in ways that more distant brothers cannot provide. Experiencing genuine interactive “neighboring” relationships can expose the limitations of the merely virtual relationships available through social media, with its insulating buffering and distancing.

4. Heirloom of Resourcefulness

Paul, although quite learned in the tradition of the Pharisees, pursued a marketable skill to support himself (tent making). What skills are basic for survival?

• Food: seeds, gardening, food harvesting and preservation, food preparation, animal husbandry, meat dressing and preservation…
• Shelter: All types of property and building maintenance and construction
• Entrepreneurship: Recognizing marketable services, skills, and products. Working to that end.

5. Heirloom of Home Economics

See Proverbs 31:13-27. Although this passage describes the role of a housewife in the endeavor, study it as an example of what activities characterize a thriving household. (It goes without saying that husband and children would be involved.) Note its balance of practical skills (weaving both practical and beautiful items) and non-tangible elements (strength, honor, wisdom, kindness, ways).

We scarcely have even a cultural memory of what home economics is. We’ve been trained to think of “the economy” as an idol that can somehow provide for us if we carefully offer it our purchases and hold one of its jobs. While a few schools still have a semblance of a “home ec” class, often we think of little more than some cooking and sewing, which are “skills” that one can “take or leave” as extras, since in our days it’s been easier to buy processed foods and ready-made clothing. Can we have a renaissance of genuine home economics? The world desperately needs the light—and salt—of Godly households of families that thrive interactively in simple ways that can involve neighbors and be spread among neighbors.

6. Heirloom of Service

“By love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). While embedded in the above heirlooms, service deserves its own mention. Two major forms of service are:

1. Mutual aid. The able, supplied, talented, healthy, etc., helping “their own (people)” who are less able, in want, incapable, or ill. This can be done on multiple levels.
2. Caring for “others” however we can, near and far. Relief work. Disaster aid and development work wherever possible.

7. Heirloom of Resident Alien

Over the years, our people have often exhorted each other to remember Paul’s and Peter’s admonition to live as pilgrims, strangers, and ambassadors who shine as lights in an alien world (see 1 Cor. 5:20; Phil. 2:15; 1 Pet. 2:11). Those living words bear fresh meaning today. Unfolding events remind us that to identify with our brethren in Hebrews 11 is to anticipate a share in similar experiences. We need to consider anew the implications of being fully present and engaged in kingdom work in the temporal activities of the time and place in which we live while holding citizenship/allegiance elsewhere. Let your light so shine…

8. Heirloom of Humility

Just as Jesus humbled Himself to live as a man in a broken world, so His followers, His children, are called to accommodate themselves to the realities of their circumstances. If the new normal requires citizens to become subjects and serfs, history is simply repeating itself.

Servants, in everything obey those who are your masters on earth, not only with external service, as those who merely please people, but with sincerity of heart because of your fear of the Lord. Whatever you do , work from the soul , as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance which is your reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will be punished for his wrongdoing, and there is no partiality . -Col. 3:22-25, Amplified Version

Christians around the world have been and are living (and dying) in all types of circumstances.

Denigrating heirlooms, disregarding precedents both good and bad, and willful amnesia have plagued our day. The burden of teaching “what mean these stones?” and “How shall we live?” is upon the teachers, not the learners. Many things are known only in the doing. It’s often in the “breaking of the bread,” not in the mere “opening of conversations” that life is known. As we ponder how to educate our children faithfully in the new normal, let us carefully consider the precedents. Precedents of all types: those that warn; those that enlighten; those that encourage; those that serve as models. May a plethora of precedents inform our methods.

Note: This post follows an earlier article in which Jonas reflects on the precedents that should guide us through times like these:

https://thedockforlearning.org/contributions/unprecedented-times-learning-from-precedents/

Meetings wear us out. They do, they wear me out. Meetings are hard work; they should be hard work.

Different people have different views on meetings. For myself, I actually enjoy meetings. I just do. For me, personally, in the business world, I spend about 30% of my working day sitting in meetings. There's something that's thrilling, or even rewarding, about being able to come together with a group. A group of minds that has the ability to take even a contentious subject, and difficult questions difficult content, discuss it, turn it inside out, dump it upside down, recount history, draw from parallels.

We bring all this together into a more united and positive action plan that will bless others. In the business world, it's about progress and growth. In the school it's not much different: it blesses others. The outcome of meetings should bless others.

Meetings are biblical: When we read verses like Proverbs 11:14, let's say, �Where no counsel is the people fall. In the multitude of counselors there is safety.� That's a meeting. That's a meeting right there. �In the multitude of counselors, there is safety.�

There's been times when I have been preparing for a meeting. I saw the agenda. I saw the agenda item. I had a strong opinion on a particular item on the agenda. I was going to the meeting to basically help the other board members see it my way. I went to the meeting and as the discussion progressed, what happened to me was something like this: I became less and less sure of my stance. I listen to others, the discussion progresses, and I become less sure of my stance. In the end, I actually vote against my own idea. I vote against my own stance. This has happened to me. The verse in Proverbs comes back: �In the multitude of counselors there is safety� and this is what meetings are all about.

This is the premise and the reason why we have meetings, it's to gel together as a group, and there's safety in that.

No action, activity or process is more central to healthy organization than the meeting. If someone were to offer me one single piece of evidence to evaluate the health of an organization, I would not ask to see its financial statements, review its product line, or even talk to its employees or customers. I would want to observe its senior leadership team during a meeting. This is where values are established, discussed, and lived. This is where decisions around strategy and tactics are vetted, made, and reviewed.

Bad meetings are the birthplace of an unhealthy organization. Good meetings are the origin of cohesion, clarity, and communication. -Patrick Lencioni

When I read that, I immediately thought of school board meetings, because in a sense, the school board meetings are the senior leadership team of the organization. We do well to look at it that way. When you sit at a school board meeting, you are the senior leadership team of this organization. I have come to truly believe that that statement is not only true in business, but also true in schools. Our school culture, and organizational health is birthed right here in our meetings, in our board meetings, if you will. The next time you head to a board meeting, pause and say to yourself, maybe ask a little prayer for God to guide you during the meeting, because we know that the outcome of this meeting will establish the health of the organization. This is where school culture starts, right here at the board meetings.

Meetings of any kind in the business world, anywhere, there's really two reasons that meetings are called: they're either tactical or problem-solving meetings or they're strategic and forward-planning meetings. Now a lot of meetings actually have a mix of both. That's just the nature of meetings. We tend to mix this stuff up, I would comment that that's not always the best way, but that's how it is, especially in the school setting. We tend to mix the tactical problem-solving subjects in along with the strategic and forward-planning content.

In regards to technology and how we use technology to run efficient meetings: In the setting that I'm in, currently, we do a lot of web conferencing, where we have multiple people join from all over the place, and that adds a dynamic that we don't have at board meetings. We do meetings on the screen in that case, and it's great, it works very, very well.

Even though I'm a tech guy by nature, and I enjoy technology, (I believe that) technology's an accelerator of healthy meetings, of effective and efficient meetings; it's not a driver. Technology should be on the sidelines.

I've used simple things like cloud storage. I use cloud storage. I use Dropbox, personally, (but it) could be anything: could be Google Drive, could be OneNote, could be Box, to store your communication around meetings. If you have a board, the secretary does meeting notes, drops them into cloud storage, everyone can see them. You can interact with them. You can pull them up at any time. That's effective because it allows everyone to see everything. As a chairman, I tend not to put some of my notes in there because my notes are messy as I build up to a meeting, but the official documents should be filed where everyone can see them. That should be a clean central repository.

I've tried using things like OneNote. Those are very effective tools. I personally have never got on to that.

Laptops in meetings: different people have different opinions on that. I'm a tech guy and I do, I like to have my laptop there. I feel like something's missing if I don't.

Technology should not be a distraction in a meeting, phones should be silenced. There's a number of things like that. Technology should take a backseat role, an active, but a backseat role in a meeting.

There's a couple good books that I've enjoyed. Patrick, I mentioned Patrick Lencioni, he has another book called Death by Meeting. It's a fable. It's a great read. Everyone that does meetings should read that book.

Meetings have got a bad rap over the years, in the sense of, �Aw, do I need to go to another meeting?" Throughout my career, I've heard this numerous times: disgruntled and, "Man I need to sit through another meeting.� �That was a boring meeting." If meetings are boring, do something to make them that they're not boring! Have some more conflict. You should enjoy meetings.

Meetings should wear you out, meetings should not be a social huddle. There's times to have social interaction, but meetings should be hard work, but they should be fun, they should be engaging.

No one should be ever tempted to fall asleep in a meeting. If that happens, you either have the wrong team at the meeting, or you have the wrong chairman or you have the wrong setting or� there's a number of things.

Or you should never have the meeting. I will absolutely not get myself involved in a situation where I know the decisions are going to get made outside of the meeting and the meeting is simply a guise or a facade of group decision, and yet the decisions are being made by key individuals that may or may not be at the meeting. I'm not going to involve myself in that setting. I want to own the decisions as a group, as a board. Never ever make puppets out of anyone.

Meetings should be engaging, meetings should be fun, but they should be hard work.

I suppose I’ve heard the term unprecedented used more often in the last six weeks than I have in the last sixty years. I’ve used it myself. Until I realized how often it’s being misused.

"This is unprecedented!" What many people mean to say is “I’m not aware that such has ever happened before in my lifetime.” Which testifies either to the youthfulness of the speaker or the limits of his awareness.

"This is unprecedented!" Others mean “I’m not aware that any such thing has ever happened.” Which testifies to either not knowing the stories of history or not comprehending their meaning. Or not understanding Solomon’s insight:

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. Ecc. 3:9-11

Amnesia is as common to man “as the sparks fly upward.” We do well to ponder precedents as we encounter circumstances unlike any we have experienced.

A Plethora of Precedents

Pondering the cascading events of Spring 2020, noting their trajectory, experiencing their acceleration, and witnessing their cumulative effects reminds me of more historical precedents than I can list here. It’s increasingly common to see news headlines use the term biblical as they seek for an adjective to capture the enormity of unfolding tragedies. A grasshopper plague, famine, or pestilence that seems to have no precedent in modern history is labeled biblical. Which reveals tacitly that while the tragedy may seem new to us, it has precedents which are actually more solidly documented than is any modern historical record—they are noted in Scripture. They are not unprecedented.

Several categories of precedents along with sample illustrations of each include…

A. Precedented New Normals

We are being conditioned to anticipate what is euphemistically termed a new normal. One of the most common precedents in history is for people to be subjected to a new normal, ushered in by plague, famine, war, revolution, inventions, or decay—or a combination. A new normal is a radical change in the way daily life is lived. A new normal is required for survival under radically changed circumstances. Changes so radical that someone from a previous generation or so before, were he to step into the current way of life, may feel totally disoriented by what is going on around him. Or unable to survive.

It’s often claimed that one of the few constants in history is change. New normals are not new. What would be unprecedented is the passage of a century or more without a new normal.

The first new normal accompanied the expulsion from Eden: thorns, sorrow, sweat—and death.

A short sampling of new normals from Old Testament records:

• Post Flood restart.
• Post-Babel scattering, with ensuing tribalism.
• Israelite migration to Egypt.
• Needing to hide the firstborn from Pharaoh’s death decree.
• Rigors of slavery/bricks without straw.
• Wilderness wanderings.
• Conquering for possession of a Promised Land. Rest.
• Idolatry. Suffering marauding bands. Copying neighboring paganism. Oppression.
• Dispersion and captivity.
• Multiple OT kingdoms, as they conquered/reconquered each other.

Many of the radical, far-reaching new normals we read about in history draw hardly more than a yawn from us, insulated as we are from them in time and geographical distance, and also by our unawareness of how the same could befall us. A few candidates for such yawns are to ponder the new normal experienced by:

• Peoples subjugated by the Mongolian horde
• Europeans under the threat of Vandals, Huns, & Norsemen
• Peoples subjugated by Alexander the Great
• Serfs living under feudalism as it developed in its various forms in Europe, Russia, Japan, China
• Europeans adjusting to Post-Black Death or Post 30-Years’ War life as Europe reorganized with a great re-start.

To avoid yawns, we might consider a few more recent new normals such as…

• Life of pre-colonial-era Africans→colonial-era Africans→post-colonial-era Africans
• The Cherokee people pre-white contact→in the time of Sequoyah→post Trail of Tears
• Native American life pre-white contact→during “Manifest Destiny” era→current reservation life
• Irish life before the enclosure movement→famine years→post-enclosure movement years
• Pre-industrial agrarian life→industrial era city life→post-industrial/service “solutions.com” life
• Chinese peasant life before Mao→Great Leap Forward famine→mushrooming industrial cities
• African-Americans as slaves→under Jim Crow→current conditions
• Russian Mennonite life in Prussia→wealth in Ukraine→devastation in Ukraine→life in Canada and other places of dispersion (Mexico, U.S., Bolivia, Belize…)

  The experience of the colony Mennonites of Russia just 100 years ago is particularly instructive for us to consider. If you’ve never listened to the account of their story recorded in Mysteries of Grace and Judgment, you will find it instructive. You can find it posted on The Dock.

• Swiss Anabaptists under persecution & oppression in Europe→free to worship, own land, and develop prosperous agrarian economy in Pennsylvania→recent shift to business economy
• Formerly well-established residents from Africa and the Middle East overflowing refugee camps

Some new normals grow imperceptibly, perhaps noticed only by the older generation. Or by historians. Or by nobody. Others happen suddenly. But what they share is common is a great shift (change) in one or more elements:

• Location: group migrations, or mass refugee movements, or moves for better opportunities
• Opportunity: (without moving): economic opportunity and/or religious freedom—or the opposite
• Language: by choice, acculturation, or government edict
• Livelihood: type of work, role as worker, source of income or food—or lack thereof
• Housing and home life: serf/slave quarters, cottage, house, tenement, apartment, refugee camp
• Education: From freedom to teach your own children (at home or school) to required state-controlled schooling (or vice versa)
• Land ownership: From peasant/serf way of life to land ownership/self-sustaining yeoman. From land ownership to worker status via land confiscation/communal farms. From family farm to agribusiness.

Precedented Ruins

Numerous ruins across the earth leave mute testimony to the fall of great civilizations that probably assumed they would last indefinitely (many did in fact last much longer than any modern era civilization). Consider Angkor Wat, the Incas and Macchu Picchu, Mali under Mansa Musa, Norte Chico of Peru, the Harappans, Nubians, Guptans, Mayans, Mughals… Many of these endured for centuries, developed writing systems, engaged in commerce, built huge cities with elaborate temples and infrastructure—and left only ruins.

Like a tombstone, a civilization has three parts: date of birth, the life of the dash, and date of demise. Ozymandias (by Shelley) captures the irony well: Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Isaac Watts states the same theme: “…all nations rose from earth at first, and turn to earth again.” Bible prophets named specific empires that would fall to ruin. One, the mighty Hittite empire, disappeared so completely that only the Bible testified to its existence. Skeptical historians in modern times questioned its existence until they found supporting archaeological discoveries in the late 19^th century. A common precedent is for a highly developed empire to disappear.

Precedented Plagues and Pestilences

These decimated populations worldwide. In the wake of the Black Death, Europe’s economic system underwent a complete makeover, with feudalism fading out, ushering in the Modern Age.

Unprecedented?

Because our historical knowledge is finite, we can’t prove from history that any given event is unprecedented. Nevertheless, I’ll suggest a few recently unfolding events or situations that might actually be unprecedented. Judge for yourself.

1. Unprecedented Quantity? The scale of unfolding events today is greater in its magnitude due to a much greater world population now than in former centuries. As noted above, war, famine, plague or new political/economic systems have often ushered in radical changes. However, the same changes occurring in a world population numbering in the billions rather than hundreds of millions are greater in scale and quantity. So while the quality or degree of change in the “new normal” may not be greater today, the quantity or scope is.
2. Unprecedented Material Prosperity? It’s likely that the ease of life and the material wealth enjoyed by so much of the West from the end of World War II to 2020 in the West is an anomaly in the history of the world. We’ve probably just lived through an “unprecedented” era with little awareness of it. If the West now needs to shift to a survival mode, that would be precedented.
3. Unprecedented Expectations? It’s probably unprecedented that so many people blithely assumed that the prosperity of their times would continue unabated. Again, this is probably based on quantity. Have there ever been so many people who assumed ease and prosperity was here to stay?
4. Unprecedented Unawareness? It may be unprecedented that so many people, with unprecedented access to unprecedented amounts of information available at unprecedented speed and ease ever witnessed the speed and scope of disintegration around them, yet seem unaware of its enormity.
5. Unprecedented Speed? The ungoverned speed to which we have become conditioned in the last several decades was typified by fast foods, same day deliveries, and instant digital downloads. Now we witness a correspondingly (and exponentially) fast unraveling towards a new normal.

Consider

In the day of adversity, consider. Consider the precedents. Hebrews 11 reminds us of God’s faithfulness to His people as they join their forebears by sharing current (precedented) experiences with them.

Bursting Balloons

Watching someone blow up a balloon produces a degree of suspense: we know it will burst if he keeps blowing, but we don’t know when. Some balloons are so resilient that it seems their stretching can go on forever. But they will burst.

My generation has been watching balloon blowing from our youth. I’ve been shaking my head since the turn of the century at the seemingly unprecedented inflation of balloons on several fronts, including economic and ethical. At the multitude of truly “unsustainable”–even by the world’s standards—trends and practices. Wondering when and how the burst would come.

We know that the law of sowing and reaping is built into God’s order: it’s just a matter of time until the “seed” bears its fruit. And while we don’t what form the fruit (new normal) will take, we know what its nature will be: after its kind. Every seed bears fruit of its own kind. Virtual reality bears virtual fruit. Man cannot live by virtual fruit. A great re-ordering is upon us. To prepare to adapt, we do well to utilize the remnants of heirloom fruits in our hand. In the next post, let’s examine our storehouses and bring out our treasures new and old:

https://thedockforlearning.org/contributions/seeds-to-carry-with-us-anabaptist-values-in-the-new-normal/

This scenario is one way, though not the most effective way, of holding an oral reading class. I would like to suggest that a class that follows the above pattern is a waste of time. How else then, can teachers implement oral reading class so that students enjoy and learn from it and the experience is effective?

Oral reading class serves several purposes. It gives the student practice in reading. It gives the teacher a means of assessing the reading abilities of students. It gives students practice in delivery and fluency. It can deepen the understanding of the story and provide an enjoyable capstone to the reading lesson.

I prefer to think of an oral reading session as a presentation rather than a means of just reading the story aloud. It is most effective if students are already familiar with the text and know what part they may be called upon to read. The student�s first encounter with the written text should not be the oral reading session. Ideally, the student has read whole the story to himself, knows the part of the story he will be reading aloud, and has practiced the part enough times that he knows the words and knows the proper expression to take in the reading. The class is then ready to present the story to each other.

The following tips will help your oral reading class be an enjoyable experience.

• Assign specific parts for each student. I prefer to assign each student one section, such as a page or several consecutive paragraphs. This allows efficiency for practice and presentation. A larger section also aids comprehension.
• Practice beforehand is essential to smooth reading. Many teachers and ministers like to have an idea of what they are reading before launching into a complicated text, and these are people who do a lot of reading. Providing time for practice before the oral reading session helps the student see the piece in its entirety and realize that Mom whispered or that Sarah was happy in her words in the story. Practice beforehand will also help the student who dreads to read aloud, giving them more confidence in their ability. The teacher may want to practice with the struggling reader, especially in first grade.
• Model good oral reading whenever you read orally�the noon story and the morning Bible lesson and all other lessons. And, then sometimes model poor oral reading. Read a story with exaggerated mumbling and monotone. Race through the punctuation. Read in a singsong, one-word-at-a-time style. Read as quickly as you can. Skip the inconsequential words. Read poorly until the students beg you stop. Then read the story again. This time, model excellent oral reading skills. Let the students enjoy the difference.
• Teach good oral reading skills. Demonstrate how to stop at periods and slow down at commas. Teach students to read at speaking pace. Many readers tend to read too quickly. A good oral reader reads no faster than he normally speaks. Some students read at a halting pace. Teach them to become more fluid. Demonstrate proper phrasing.
• Teach students to use good expression. Model how a piece should be read. Have students read it with you, mimicking your expression. For proper expression in conversation, have students imagine themselves in the character�s shoes. How would they say it if it were them? This can also help students understand good expression if you demonstrate right and wrong ways to say a piece and have the students choose the correct expression.
• Require correct volume. Stand in an opposite corner and have the students read loud enough that you can hear them well.
• Use this tip with caution: mimic the words and method the student used. Ask them if that really sounds like they want it to. Many times, they aren�t really hearing how they sound when they read but they hear it when you copy them. Have them try it again. (Know your students and do not embarrass them.)
• Make oral reading a safe time of reading. Do not allow sniggering at mistakes or eye-rolling and sighing at the slow reader. As the teacher, make sure you also have the correct attitude.
• It can be tempting to let the good reader read the greater part of the story, but the poor reader is the one who needs the practice. My goal is to have approximately the same amount of oral time required for each student. Therefore, some students cover more text but each one reads for the same length of time.
• Don�t always require the students to follow along in their reader. They should have a good idea of when it may be their turn to read but allow them to enjoy just listening to the story. However, be alert for the wandering mind. Students should be �making a movie in their head of the story being read� as they listen to other students read.

Good oral reading skills do not happen overnight. It takes practice and practice and more practice, but every student can attain good oral reading skills. Some will be better oral readers than others, but given the right atmosphere, good modeling, practice, and corrective teaching every child can have a measure of success.� Happy reading!

These questions, comments and suggested activities can stimulate deep engagement with the story of Amos Fortune’s life in a way that cultivates insight and wisdom. The questions follow the story page by page.

The body of Christ has been given the mandate to preach the gospel to every creature. Our very job description is to be fishers of men. But how does a person fill this mandate when he can�t go fishing? How can the body of Christ preach the gospel when we can�t get close to anyone? These are the questions that we are all grappling with. But in every generation, faithful Christians have lived out the commandments of Christ under every circumstance. The truths in the Word of God are timeless! God�s principles can and should be applied to every circumstance.

So how can we be a light to the world in this situation? Consider how light can be seen from a distance. �A city on a hill,� as Jesus put it, �cannot be hid� let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." I�d like to suggest that we can continue to let our lights shine.

I�ve heard a variety of ways that Christians are reaching out during this time. My goal was to take the combined creativity of various communities and compile a list of ideas that we can all use. Please remember that everyone�s situation is different and some of the suggestions may not be suitable for your current situation. It is crucial to be respectful of government guidelines and to be sensitive to the feelings of those we are trying to reach. We don�t want to ruin the reputation of our Saviour while trying to promote it. But maybe just seeing these ideas will inspire you with one of your own.

I�d like to suggest that there are three powerful ideas that come straight from Scripture.

Most of us have more time than ever on our hands. I challenge us to increase our prayer time. Do not underestimate the power of prayer. History is full of examples of its power especially when there was intensity, and persistence. Nothing is stopping you from praying and nothing ever can as long as you have a sound mind. Have you considered calling up a brother or sister and having a prayer meeting between the two of you? Conference calls and other platforms can permit us to pray in even larger numbers.

The Bible says that Elijah was man who had passions just like us. Had he lived in 2020, it�s quite possible that he would have struggled with spending too much time on social media just like we do. But he chose to pray fervently! Soon, he had the entire nation�s attention (James 5: 17-18). So pray! Pray for weary health workers. Pray for our government. Pray for opportunities to witness. Pray for revival! Pray alone! Pray together! Pray!

It is tempting to be discouraged because we can�t sing together with other believers, but let�s remember that this doesn�t mean that we can�t sing. Music speaks to the deep places of the soul, and it is a wonderful way to share light.

Whistle while you rake the grass and don�t be afraid to have the window open or even congregate on the deck when you sing as a family. Those who live in town have an advantage here. But you can also call an elderly person and sing or play an instrument over the phone to them. They will love it! The virus seems to be bringing a spirit of heaviness. Let�s replace it with the garment of praise and sing praise unto God among the nations!

Here is the list I�ve compiled so far. It doesn�t cover many of the digital options that are available to us. Feel free to add to it and pass it on to others who are interested in being a light for Christ. May God receive glory as we let our lights shine!

We can be light and salt by:

• Displaying Gods peace, praying faithfully, and proclaiming His praise in song.
• Obeying what the government is asking of us during this time and speaking about them respectfully.
• Partnering with Christian Aid Ministries in their Covid-19 response to help local food banks and soup kitchens. For anyone interested in sewing, check CAM�s website for specifications and instructions to sew hospital gowns and face masks and donate them directly to CAM.
• Sewing face masks for donation to local hospitals or people in the community.
• Blessing grocery store employees by buying gift cards or coupons for local take out, a thank you note, etc. This could be personal or a larger gift for all employees, given to manager.
• Donating resources (money, food) to, and/or partnering with organizations who are supporting frontline workers with meals. Give accommodation for people who need to shelter in place.
• Encouraging healthcare workers through thank you cards, a sign in your window, or gift cards.
• Recognizing the efforts of those with less noticeable jobs, such as garbage collectors and postal workers. Give a thank you note, baking (use discretion), gift card, etc.
• Helping those who are in need (such those that can�t work) through a gift card or food box.
• Reaching out to the elderly, or those who live alone, by calling them on the phone, sending cards, or offering grocery runs. (Make a extra effort to sanitize!)
• Offering to lend magazines, puzzles or audio books to help pass the time because many elderly folk are bored.
• Taking/making opportunities for conversations with neighbors and people you meet. People seem to be more open and willing to talk now.
• If you live in town, do outside/yard work at a strategic time and place that will allow you to chat with neighbours who are walking by.
• Volunteering at the local soup kitchen. These places are receiving new clientele�even whole families right now as people lose their jobs and can�t afford food.
• Telephone witnessing � calling people (especially those with whom you already have a relationship) to see how they are doing and then sharing words of hope and truth.
• Write out your personal testimony and mail it those whom you know, but you have never witnessed to. Writing it out, allows you to say exactly what you want to say, and they can read it over and over.
• Ordering flowers for someone who needs encouragement.
• Write an encouraging poem about hope found in Jesus and hang it up on the bulletin board of your local grocery store. (Include your phone number or email at the bottom.)
• Send encouragement to friends and neighbors through a text, or a card, or letter.
• Paint a small rock with an encouraging message and leave it in an appropriate place like a local park.
• Tell the grocery store clerks that you are praying for them.
• Personal growth efforts:
  • Bible reading plan�more Bible knowledge will allow you to be more effective in witnessing.
  • Bible memorization�you could memorize as a family focusing on verses about witnessing.
  • Type out your own personalized gospel tract including your testimony and contact info.
  • Research potential needs and make plans for ways to reach out when things start to open up again.
  • Researching a false religion like the Jehovah�s Witness�s beliefs so that you can witness to the witnesses more effectively.

Social media and news outlets seem intent on convincing us that COVID-19 is either a) an overblown, politically saturated, economy ruining bad joke or b) an unprecedented, deadly health threat that way too many ignorant people are not taking seriously. Increasing efforts are being made to prove the validity of one side or the other. Speculation runs rampant. Even stats have diminished value as both camps use them as proof of their position. Where do we, as followers of Jesus, fit in this swirling fog?

An obvious initial solution to this far left and far right polarization may be to define our own conclusion. Perhaps Option C goes something like this: COVID-19 is a new virus strain that is forcing political and medical leaders to make difficult judgment calls based on limited data and scattered professional consensus. Option C at least recognizes the incredible difficulty those in leadership are currently facing. Perhaps you can write a better Option D.

But even an exercise like that holds danger. Again, in feeling the need to determine exactly what is going on, we often quickly drown in our own bias and devote unhealthy amounts of time and energy in speculation. In times of great uncertainty and question, whether from fear or frustration, I have found it helpful to saturate myself in what I know for sure to be true. From the platform of the known, the unknowns either become easier to endure or accept, or they begin to fade into a new and surprising clarity.

God remains in control. We can trust Him. None of this has caught Him off guard. He’s not reeling. He knows our fears or our frustrations. He knows our current limitations, our job situations, our finances, our ruined plans. He says “Please don’t worry. I am your Father. I’ve got you just like I have the birds and the lilies” (Matt. 6:25-34). “Stop trying to figure it out and come rest. Bind yourself to Me and you will find that my yoke is easy, and my burden is light!” (Matt. 11:28-30).

Has He ever said, “Be still” (Psalm 46:10) in a louder voice? And yet, it is hard for us to see enforced slowing down as opportunity, and the quiet spaces quickly get filled with the noise of our desperate attempts to restart the treadmill of our busy lives. “I don’t want what you can do; I want you. I yearn jealously for the spirit that I created within you,” Jesus whispers (James 4:5).

“Come under your authorities. They are placed there by God and exist for your good,” (Rom. 13:1) the Apostle Paul says, without qualification, while living under the cruel and bloody hand of Emperor Nero. “My Kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus says (John 18:36).  “Yet I want My people to live in this world, (John 17:15) to be My hands and feet, (1 Cor. 12:27-31) and to live in such a way that people know that I am in them and they are in Me” (John 17:23).

These words of Jesus are still true, and His call to us hasn’t changed.

Perhaps this virus is a gigantic political scheme. Or maybe it is worse than even the most liberal estimations and millions more will die from it. Is it necessary for God’s people to figure that out in order to do what is required of us today?

If Jesus still walked this earth in physical form, how might He engage with the present circumstances? What would He be about? Perhaps He would be finding creative ways to proclaim Good News to the poor and liberty to the oppressed (Luke 4:18). Perhaps He would have withdrawn to a desolate place to pray (Luke 5:16). Perhaps He would be giving food to the hungry and clothes to the naked (Matt. 25:35-40). Surely, He would be finding ways to encourage and build others up (1 Thess. 5:11). Very likely He would instruct His puzzled disciples, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is His” (Mark 12:17). Almost certainly, to those caught in the emotional and political crossfire He would offer, “My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives it; let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:27).

His promises, embedded with personal direction, offer hope, joy, and confidence! “If my people will live righteously, if they will love demonstrating mercy, if they will walk humbly with Me.” (Micah 6:8) “If they will love Me first and their neighbor second” (Matt. 22:37-40) then “I will lead them. I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16)

Amidst the cloudiness of the present, His aims have not wavered, and therefore, neither have ours. “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

When you look into your students’ eyes, perhaps you sometimes imagine who they’ll be in 10 or 20 years.

Will that sparkling face be a teacher or preacher someday, with their own audience? Will those thoughtful, sensitive eyes look into their own children’s eyes and tell them who Jesus is? When he’s a dad, what will he say when his child asks why Jesus had to die or where grandpa is when they buried him? What will the future homemaker say when a stranger stops her in the grocery store and asks her why bad things happen to good people?

As an educator, you have the creative position of a sculptor who shapes people who learn, ask questions, and grow skills in studying and talking about the most important text of their lives: the Bible. This is not a skill only for men to use when they’re speaking or preaching in church. In God’s Kingdom, both men and women who love God commit themselves to studying His word because they long to hear what He says and want to understand His character.

Faithful Bible reading and teaching is not only for adults with the spiritual gift of teaching. It is for everyone! As a teacher, you can give all your students basic study tools to equip them to serve their homes and churches. You can help to normalize the process of reading, studying, and teaching the Bible so that it becomes part of the fabric of their life.

First, you can model these skills in your classroom. Then you can give opportunities for your students to follow your lead, practice, and improve in the skills themselves. Listed below are categories of skills and ways students can practice them. Following that are ideas for how you as their teacher can model the skills.

Study and Discussion Skills to Cultivate: Grades 1-6

Consider preparing your Bible or reading lesson with supplements such as picture posters like these, flannelgraph, or illustrated book. Mount the pictures/figures on the board as you read the story. You can read the Scripture and explain/broaden/expand interchangeably.

1. Read several verses or a paragraph while showing the corresponding picture.
2. Explain/narrate/interpret.
3. Read the next section of verses while holding up its illustration.
4. Mount picture on board.
5. When you finish the story, you’ll have a series (5-6) of pictures on the board. Or you can draw simple figures on the board to show characters, action, and story progression.
6. Use this line up of pictures to review key vocabulary and plot points. Ask them the questions listed above in the “Interact with text” section. Themes and important points will come out of this exchange of questions and observations.
7. Students can refer to the pictures and your review when they summarize the story to their conversation partners.

Study and Discussion Skills to Cultivate: Grades 7-12

You can model these skills in your own Bible, literature, and history classes. You can assign students to share devotions or lead discussions, focusing first on one skill, then gradually assigning more. If you have too many students for each to take a turn to speak to the whole group, divide them into smaller groups and appoint several presenters to share simultaneously.

While studying the text for one’s self is very important, we believe, as Anabaptists, that we hear from God and follow Jesus in community. This is why presentation and discussion skills are so important. Your classroom can be the place where students can see this modelled and begin to take formative steps toward studying, listening, and interacting with Scripture and their neighbors.

When a student is ready to share with his/her group, complete an evaluation sheet and discuss it with the student. It can be useful for several in the group to fill out evaluations, but it may be too much to ask of them to listen and evaluate simultaneously. At a minimum, you can ask students to reflect on their own presentation. The goal here is not perfection but learning to be comfortable with basic study and presentation skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Reflecting, evaluating together the elements of the presentation, and giving/receiving feedback is crucial because it offers perspective and interaction that the individual would have missed if reflecting only by him/herself.

Conclusion

If students have learned to approach the Bible only as a textbook that has the answers, they’ll miss the richness of entering a dynamic, living relationship with the God of the universe. As adults, all of them will walk into situations and conversations where they’ll talk with people and grapple with questions about God, His love, sovereignty, presence, and goodness. Knowing simple ways of approaching the text can open them to increasing their knowledge and comfort level in studying and telling others about the person of Jesus whom they’ve met in Scripture.

I dream of communities and churches that have waiting lists of people who want to teach Sunday schools and Bible studies. Where no one says, “I could never teach Sunday school—that’s too scary. I’ve never done anything like that.” Instead, they say “I remember when my teacher taught us to look at the context of John 4, and I’d like to explore another passage. Sure, I’ll lead the Bible study!” They will be humble in their sharing, because they see how much they don’t know. But they will also be excited and enthused about the truth, beauty, and goodness they find in the text.

The world needs people like this!

Resources:

Anna Zehr wrote “Cultivating Conversations.” She offers ways to equip students to engage in conversations that build and enhance relationships. She also gives sentence frames and pointers for teaching students listening and speaking skills.

Piper Burdge uses the “Swedish Bible Study Method” for her 7^th and 8^th graders. The document also includes links that further explain the method and rationale of this kind of simple, straight-forward approach to studying the Bible.

How do teachers maintain human contact with their students during the shutdown? How can relationships grow during enforced separation? What are some tips for using Zoom effectively? How can students maintain their drive to learn?

On April 23, a group of lower-elementary teachers met online to discuss teaching during the pandemic. Here are some of their comments.

More on Trennis' video teaching assistants:

https://thedockforlearning.org/audiovideo/little-video-teaching-assistants/

The following day, high school teachers and school administrators met. Below is the recording of that meeting:

https://thedockforlearning.org/audiovideo/faithful-to-the-end-a-web-meeting-for-administrators-and-high-school-students/

If you feel lonely in front of your camera, Trennis has an idea: Hire some small assistants. Trennis writes:At first I started really simple by using them as a little intro to my videos to break up the boredom. But as I progressed and became more comfortable, I found ways to make them relevant to the class I was teaching and started using them as "lesson hooks".

When report card time comes, are your teachers looking forward to the job? Have you, as a board, empowered them with the information that they need to handle this important aspect of their work with confidence? If not, listen to a discussion that could bring clarity to the situation.

Class trips are always a highlight for the students and teachers alike. We all enjoy planning them, participating in them as well as reminiscing on them. However, why do we go on class trips? Are class trips simply a reward for work well done? Maybe they are simply a break for the classroom boredom. How are we able to direct these off site trips in a meaningful manner that contributes to the work of a Christian school?

If our work is to succeed, it must be a channel for making God known. The purpose of learning is to enable us to follow Christ.

The scripture asks this question: If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? What foundations are found in Genesis that we build on to this day? While the world around us is ignoring and denying these fundamentals found in Genesis, will our Christian schools build on these foundations?

As we probe the need that is implied regarding pastoral support for boards, there are questions that face us. What is effective support? What are the ultimate goals in view? Can roles be crossed or minimized? How does the fruit of effective support look and how is this accomplished? Bring your questions, experience and observations along for discussion to develop greater effectiveness in the work of the Churches of God.

Have you ever wondered how to justify the following two statements? 1. Readers are leaders. 2. John has so much spare time he is always asking for a library book. Well, I have wondered too. But could we sometimes guide his avid thirst for reading? Could we nudge his overflowing interest to its greatest potential?

How can a wife enhance the work to which her husband is called? How might she hinder the work? Is there a different code of conduct assigned to a wife whose husband serves publicly? Or is her Christian character merely given opportunity to exercise itself in new ways?

If our schools are to be Christian, they must be grounded in the spiritual reality of the Christian life. Jake urges us to set our affections on what is above.

True education will always enhance a reverence for God and His Word, building conscience to walk in His Word. It is more than a preparation for life; it is a preparation for eternal life. Life in the Son. We think the way we do because of what we are, and we are what we are because of how we think.

We agonize over how to help teachers. We spend hours at board meetings discussing �slow� students. We wonder how to help the children from stressful home situations. We long to recover innocence in a classroom where impure influence has entered. In the early days of the Christian school movement, our churches spent hours praying for teachers, legal privileges, curriculum, and conviction. Are we now taking this for granted and forgetting that only God can make our schools work? Prayer is the key