Crisis Schooling: Ask the Parents and Teachers
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Crisis Schooling: Ask the Parents and Teachers

I have two children doing “distance learning” at home right now. My eldest daughter, 11, is relatively self-sufficient. She’s old enough to follow instructions, turn in her work online and email her teacher questions. She loves to learn and values the peace and quiet of her bedroom, so “homeschooling” has actually been pretty enjoyable for her.

Crisis Schooling: Ask the Students
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Crisis Schooling: Ask the Students

“I like that we can play games, and the stories that the teachers read me, but I miss my teacher and my friends. Mom is a bad teacher. I would give her an F [laughing]. Mom is a good teacher!” – Levi, 5 “I like getting to spend lots of time with my parents! But I don’t like not seeing my friends, and I miss art class.” – Kira, 8

Crisis Schooling: More Thoughts from the Teachers
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Crisis Schooling: More Thoughts from the Teachers

“[One of the] challenges has been deciphering the contrasting and sometimes competing messages we’re given from above,” says a high school English teacher. “The ministry will announce something, the board will interpret it, administrators will chime in, then the union will tell us something different, and we all shrug our shoulders and do our best to institute a messy, poorly streamlined set of directions.”

Students Redress History
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Students Redress History

When students at Bulkley Valley Christian School (BVCS) in Smithers, B.C. learned about the history of discrimination against Indigenous people in their town, it didn’t take them long to move from shock to action.

Letter to a Young Professor

Letter to a Young Professor

DEAR PROF. VAN WIJS, I finally finished my PhD dissertation and have begun a new position as assistant professor at a Christian university. I’m feeling anxious about teaching.

Independent School Growth
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Independent School Growth

IF YOUR CHILDREN or grandchildren attend an independent Christian school, they are part of a growing trend. Independent school enrolments are increasing while public school enrolments are declining.

By The Way
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By The Way

In the previous issue of Christian Courier, fellow columnist Lloyd Rang wrote a piece entitled “Why ‘Back to the Basics’ is a Really Bad Idea” (Dec. 10, 2018). If I understood him correctly, his main argument is that that it’s foolish to provide our children with an education based on nostalgia for a by-gone era, before the advent of computers, artificial intelligence (AI) and other so-called smart technologies. He stated that, “if you learn a skill today, that skill is out of date within three years” and “basic math, or science, or language skills aren’t what we need” in the world of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

How to Love the Grad Student in Your Life
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How to Love the Grad Student in Your Life

Grad school, unlike most educational programs, does not have a defined end date. Completion is entirely dependent on the success of research, clarity of data, efficiency of writing, and the decisions of advisory committees. “You can have weeks where experiments fail and it feels like you’ve accomplished nothing,” explains one Chemistry PhD student. “It’s hard to not take that as a reflection of you as a person.” We need to lend extra understanding and patience to grad students as they experience the stops and starts of their academic paths.

Creating communities of belonging
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Creating communities of belonging

What is the difference between inclusion and belonging? What conversations do Christian schools need to have to make all children feel welcome?

Earlier this year, Sara Pot started working with Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools (OACS) members as a “Communities of Belonging Liaison.” The position, an 18-month project ending in July 2018, was formed out of conversations with leadership at Christian Horizons, the Christian School Foundation, the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools and the Niagara Association for Christian Education.

To my students: A reluctant farewell
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To my students: A reluctant farewell

When I began teaching 30 years ago, I had not anticipated how much I would grow to love the young people in my classes.

Building a bridge from Nicaragua to the DR
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Building a bridge from Nicaragua to the DR

My recent trip to the DR showed me another side of this picturesque country as I visited a number of fledgling Christian schools which are part of COCREF (Colegios Cristianos Reformados). This network of 15 Christian schools seeks to serve roughly 3,700 children, some of whom are among the most neglected children in the DR.

Leisurely learning
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Leisurely learning

I’ve been talking about sleep a lot lately. I’ve been getting plenty myself these days, but it seems a lot of my students haven’t. So when they come to my office feeling panicky, stressed and overwhelmed, one of the first things I ask them is “how are you sleeping?”