A resurrected Christian school

“How deep the Father’s love for us, 
how vast beyond all measure,
that He should give his only Son, 
to make a wretch his treasure.”

No doubt that many of our families and our churches have already begun reflection and observance
of the narratives and faith rituals of Easter. The above words sung this morning by the staff and
students pulled us out of our Monday morning rhythm of routine and challenged us to think deeply
about the events of this Holy Week. Walking out I was left with this question in my mind: What does
the resurrection mean for the Christian School?

The gift of grace in our educational setting means that all of our students need not be defined by their
weakness, shortcomings, or failures. God promises that “he who began a good work in you will carry
it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6) which for us and our students is a source of great encouragement to remain steadfast in our pursuit of faithful living and learning – even when success is not immediately apparent. We are dearly loved people, all of us, and even in our brokenness God promises to do great things with us. He is our God, we are His people.

Riding a donkey, washing feet, and serving the Last Supper to his disciples – these are images for us
today that ought to cause us to reflect. For us and our students, Jesus’ death and resurrection plants
a vision in our minds and hearts of a radically different kingdom where power is not equated with
wealth, power, or prestige – but rather a place of power derived in service, humility, and love as
Christ modeled it for us.

The Christian school is a place where we look to help plant and ignite that longing to follow Christ in all areas of life, capturing the “first love” of our students and orienting it toward their creator.

In the hope of the resurrection, SJ

The words we speak...

“I’m not sure what job I am going to do. God has to choose that and he hasn’t told me yet.”

So said a young child recently, obviously absorbing a lot of conversation around him and making him see his future through a particular worldview: God is in charge and he will wait. 

Children are known to quickly copy the words of parents, teachers, and others they listen to intently. I can clearly recall one of the first times that I heard one of my students using phrases and expressions that I had used earlier in various lessons about truth and grace at the auspicious occasion of a grade eight valedictorian speech. While in part it was quite honoring and satisfying to hear that they had grasped the essential understanding of the lesson, the immensity of the responsibility of a person of influence was very clear: children watch and listen to those around them constantly. As they are deciphering how life works, they take in every word, every action, and often mull it over internally, only for it to come out in a comment hours, days, or even weeks later. We should never discount the pow-er of our words with children, since they are seeds sown in the ripe field of childhood that create either fruit or lingering struggle in the future. Paired with actions, they become the first road map our children follow as they learn to walk in faith. 

While children generally listen passively to those around them talk about the walk of faith, we know 

they are listening when they speak up and comment about how faith and practice, in their minds, are 

not in sync. Or when a parent has not done what they ask a child to do. These conversations, although they often come during the hardest or most inconvenient times, present us with the opportunity to meet our children’s hopes and fears straight on. They can also challenge us to reflect, and think. How many times have we been challenged by the simplest of questions by a child that has left us speechless as to how to respond?

I heard it said once that we don’t know the kind of fruit we are producing until we are squeezed. The 

gospel of Luke speaks of the same: “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45). 

Words chosen carefully are a blessing to our children who are taking this world on, one challenge at 

a time.

  SJ

The teacher and the parent: one goal, two different roles…

Two evenings this week will have our teachers talking with parents. The goal of that communication during parent-teacher interviews is to strengthen the link between what you, our parents, are doing at home with students and what we do here at LCES. We wish to celebrate the growth and success of your child and to outline other potential areas of growth, change, and further development.

Here is a quick summary of what might be considered the essentials of a very productive parent-teacher relationship that supports learning well. Consider:

Uplift your children’s teacher in prayer on a regular basis.  It is a tremendous blessing to be prayed for by the parents of the students you teach as an educator. Pray for wisdom, energy, patience, and clarity for them as they respond to individual students and the learning environment as whole.

Share your priorities and hopes for your child’s development. At the end of the day, what is it that you want for your child? To know clearly that the parents and teacher are of one mind is incredibly affirming for the day-to-day learning moments that arise in classroom.

Commit to starting with trust, and to directly engage the teacher with concerns. Trust that the teacher’s choices have intended goals and specific reasons based on experience, training, and the desire to bless your child and the class. Your parent voice of concern or support is most welcome; respect and bless the teacher with the first opportunity to explain why they do what they do when you are unsure.  

Allow your child to see that you support the goals and objectives of the teacher and the school as whole. Powerful and formative things start to happen when your child sees their parent and the teacher as part of a supportive, success-oriented team consistently working for their welfare. 

Support the extensions of learning that reach to the home environment.  There is significant evidence in research that shows children who have parents that take an active role in their child’s learning gain much more from their education than those who do not.  Allow your children to practice, re-tell, and explain their most recent learning, read to you, and follow up with their “I wonder” extensions of learning. Love given is often the investment of time spent well – sometimes on the simplest of things that don’t initially feel very important.

Grace and peace,  SJ

For the birds

With ladder in hand, I was asked to join in on the latest learning going on in JK recently. It was a highlight of my week.

Before the snow started to fly in earnest last fall, our JK class had been driven by curiosity to ask “Where do birds go in winter?” That became a driving question that set direction for their learning as they started with various theories. “They go to Florida, or Mexico” and “not all leave” were suggested as possible explanations. “Where is Mexico?” soon followed as did other related extensions of their high interest in understanding these creatures as part of God’s creation.

The late February continuation of this learning was wondering if they could somehow take care of
God’s creation and give food to the birds to take care of those that were still here or had already
returned. Out came the bagels, “WOW” butter, and bird feed. These became the raw materials for
hand-made bird feeders made with love and care and ready to be hung up on the tree outside their
classroom. I was happy to string them in the tree outside the JK class as the students were wading
waist-deep in the snow below. We have together watched to see if the birds have started to enjoy
the food.

Learning like this which feeds off of student’s curiosity, is enhanced by group learning, and is
framed by a clear understanding that, indeed “This is My Father’s World” is a delightful example of
quality, Christian education. Patterns of learning and a clear sense of perspective become a way of
viewing their world for these young children, made in God’s image.

LCES - a place for student’s to grow in wisdom, discernment, and to practice care for God’s world.
Sometimes it’s for the birds. SJ