For our newer readers: “Slouching toward Bedlam” is a fictional column written by an imaginary columnist, Jan Karsvlaam. Bedlam Christian School is a lot like the school where you teach. The teachers you will find here are much like your own colleagues (and perhaps like you, too). To join in the fun, just read along. […]
May 14, 2010 Al Boerema raises the issue: As Christian schools continue to explore ways to become places of shalom and to find means for having a larger impact on how their students live, the idea of restorative justice is moving into greater prominence. Restorative justice can be seen as an approach to discipline that […]
World Cup soccer has highlighted the nation of South Africa. Less well known is how South Africa’s turbulent racial history and its transition, beginning in 1994, from a racially segregated state to one built on equality and inclusion has influenced other countries. We know Nelson Mandela played a huge role in South Africa’s change, but […]
Question 1 What do you do with a student in your class who is a disorganized mess, constantly distracted in class, and refuses to listen? Should you use class time to try to get the student on task? How can you get a distracted student to start paying attention in class? As I read your […]
I am ready to interview a new student. The child is five, tall for her age, but the parents have requested an interview for preschool. Carla enters the room, saying nothing and clinging to her father like a toddler wanting to be carried. We sit on the rug where there are blocks and puzzles and […]
The Bible is filled with stories of transgressions and a Creator who longs to give opportunities to restore what has gone wrong. As such, I believe that God has called me into my corner of the world to help restore the brokenness that we encounter daily in the lives of staff, students, and parents at […]
For years I have been intrigued by the concept of restorative justice. My first encounter with this concept came from the movie Dead Man Walking, in which a convicted murderer on death row (Sean Penn) approaches his final days and a nun (Susan Sarandon) leads him to recognize the brutality in his actions and the […]
Prior to coming to Covenant College in 2004, my wife and I worked in a Christian school for twenty-three years. For the last twelve or thirteen years of my time there, I served as the upper school principal, and in that role I had many opportunities to see God’s grace at work, particularly in and […]
I am sure we can all remember playing “school” when we were younger. At a very young age, children act out what they think school looks like. Have you ever watched this happen? The kids find chairs, line them up, put their dolls into the chairs, and proceed to teach the students. I am sure […]
What is it about the gospel that can bring a healing voice to what is called “discipline” in schools? Part of the DNA of Christian schools is the belief that the gospel provides alternative perspectives to the priorities of contemporary culture. These are explored in every area of the curriculum: math, science, literature, history, business, […]