When the editors of CEJ decided to produce an issue on “The Changing Christian School,” it seemed important to start by describing that change with a snapshot of what’s happening in constituent schools. It wasn’t possible to do a comprehensive survey of Christian schools in the Reformed tradition, so we contacted over a dozen school […]
Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges— Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go! —Rudyard Kipling With this Kipling quote, Donald De Graaf begins what is not so much a “how-to” as a “how-to-be” concerning traveling and studying abroad for college students and their mentors. De […]
by Debra Paxton-Buursma with Becca Brasser, Shanna Pargellis, Mark Ponstine, and Gary Warners This final article explores tensions experienced living with one foot headed toward heaven and the other firmly stuck in earthly educational muck. By sharing professional tensions, we acknowledge our earthly location while simultaneously stepping into the sacred, holy space where Christ enters […]
In 2001 I taught American literature at a university in Central Asia. It was my first year living overseas, and the experience of teaching cross-culturally caused many instances of culture shock. I enjoyed the friendships with students, but I resented their ongoing attempts to honor me as a teacher—they always stood when I entered the […]
Abeles, Vicki, with Grace Rubenstein. Beyond Measure: Rescuing An Overscheduled, Overtested, Underestimated Generation. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2015. The best things in life can’t be measured. At least that is what I have heard repeatedly and what I think the title of this book is trying to say. Our recent federally mandated attempts in […]
It was third period and Bedlam Christian High School guidance counselor Maxwell Prentiss-Hall and math teacher Jane VanderAsch were working on the crossword puzzle. Jane always felt a little guilty for not grading papers during her free period, but she found the race to complete the puzzle gave her mind a chance to reset itself […]
My experience in education has been colorful. My formation as an educator began as a North American transplanted to and growing up in Brazil. I developed a love for soccer, along with a romantic view of family, friendships, and leisure. Now I serve as principal of a PreK–8 school in Colorado. Not a day goes […]
There are some things that Tim Wise would like to put on the table right now. Our success is not determined solely by our individual will and determination. When we are born, we all inherit the past. And for most people in this country, the past alone can dictate whether you rise to the top […]
In 2010, Dr. Harro Van Brummelen and I conducted a research study to discover the ways in which Christian high schools involve their students in (or shield them from) cultural awareness and engagement. Does cultural engagement take place within the curriculum, or does it happen primarily in extracurricular fashion outside of the classroom? Is […]