Looking In, Reaching Out
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Tag: Community
More Than a Pious Wish: Living into the Story
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Becoming Peculiar Teachers
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December 2017
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Editorial I found out at a Monday morning prayer meeting that Josh had died in a motorcycle accident. I first met Josh when he was a student in my sophomore English class. Before then, I had known him as the kid who wore his Boy Scout uniform on the first day of school (a habit […]
Authentic Community Panel
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I had the privilege of “sitting down” (via video conference) with our three panelists—Rebecca DeSmith, Gayle Monsma, and Justin Cook—to talk about authentic community. John: The focus of our conversation is the idea of authentic community in our schools and classrooms. To begin, then, let’s just start from our perspectives. How do you define authentic […]
Milk and Honey: Cultivating Community in the Christian School
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Several years ago I came across a fascinating study of childhood development that has significantly affected how I understand human life. In this study, one group of children was born in prison and raised in harsh, even unhygienic conditions, but they were raised by their mothers. The other group of children was raised without their […]
Coming Together in Times of Loss
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The year of 2016–2017 was a year like no other at Holland Christian Schools. It was full of events, programs, new initiatives, and a site visit for accreditation; but despite all those happenings, in many people’s minds 2016–2017 will be forever marked as a year of pain and loss. As a school community, we were […]
Learning to Walk in the Dark
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Life quickly becomes the curriculum in our classrooms. Week after week Christina, your second-grade student, misses school; her headaches turn out to be a brain tumor. One of your colleagues arrives home after school to find her sixty-year-old husband dead on the floor from a heart attack. When you ask José why he has been […]
Developing a Successful Team Culture: Authentic Community in Athletics
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Each new school year begins with a set of goals. Administrators, teachers, athletic directors, coaches, and support staff work diligently to set their objectives and plans for how to meet those goals. As this new year begins, I want to challenge us to think about specific goals for athletics in our Christian schools. Objectives such […]
Building Authentic Community: Design Matters
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As an architect, design matters. The design of a building or a place shapes how people experience the environment in which they reside. Conversely, space that is poorly designed for its intended use negatively affects a person’s experience. As a follower of Christ, design matters. It is evident in Scripture that design mattered to the […]