A Helping Hand

I am constantly looking for ways to help myself and other educators in the classroom. Specifically, I strive to find relevant Lutheran tools to use in my classroom. Finding good resources tied to the Lutheran faith is often difficult. However, when you find those diamonds in the rough you just gotta share! Here are some little helpful places/sites that I have visited to enhance my classroom and my faith. 

1. This site is an online dictionary that has a LCMS/Christian limit. It is great for online researching for students in the Lutheran setting.

http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/ 

2. This inspirational site is a great source for uplifting material. Videos, articles, and many other resources that are faith based can be found on this site. Teachers could use this in their classroom as a source of technology based learning in a religion class or during any instructional time. 

 http://www.faithit.com/

Can you find/think of any other faith/inspirational site?

Just Some Verses...

There are many times where a teacher can get worn down. It is easy to let this happen because this profession is not a nine to five job. It is a beautiful career that is rewarding but sometimes it is necessary to have a little pick-me-up.

 Here are some biblical pick-me-ups:

When you are uncertain about the future: 

Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

When you are feeling down/weak:

Isaiah 40:31-"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

When you are challenged and pushed: 

Romans 8:31-"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

When you need strength:

1 Corinthians 16:13-"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong"

Options: Good or Bad?

Philippians 4:6

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Easier said then done, right?

It is human nature to be anxious and worried about the unknown. For seasoned Christians  it often is familiar to find a good amount of peace through prayer or reading of the scriptures. We put our faith into Him and He gives us a measure of His own confidence. It is fantastic. However, where is the peace found in "stressful blessings"? 

This week I have personally felt overly blessed by God. I feel almost that His blessings are becoming too much for just one person. I know that He never gives us more then we can handle, but where do we find a peaceful heart in great blessings? How do  we start? 

Personally, I am on a journey to find peace in blessings. I started by discovering peace in the Bible. I have made a small, aka a large, Post-It chain on my mirror. I keep adding to this chain so that I can  be  in constant conversation with God. I'm talking it out. When I am reading His replies I start I follow up with prayer. This prayer is of thanks, thanks, and more thanks. I feel that it would be wrong of me not to acknowledge that He is amazing has blessed me, even if my sinful nature says it is too much. 

Once I keep this conversation  open, I try to open my heart. I remind myself of my intended vocation or purpose  that is given/blessed by God.  This is a skill that I am still working on improving and strengthening. This is my basic procedure of peace. How do we improve upon it and how to we keep this peace everyday/every blessing? 

Torn

The Lutheran school setting is very different in regards to the education norm of modern day society. There are good differences and sometimes there are bad differences, but the fact still remains that these differences can challenge the staff within the Lutheran setting. 

Yesterday, all Lutheran elementary education students were responsible for attending a meeting where questions about the vocation were addressed. Lots were very helpful. Some questions and answers left me thinking. One question/answer that really boggled my brain was considering Lutheran schools as a business that must highly value customer service. The Lutheran schools have to serve those families who are paying a great deal of money to attend these institutions. The speakers discussed how they are to serve these families, but also protect their reputation when they are tainting the institution. Tainting the institution? 

Personally, the jury is still out on this topic for me. However, I am actively going to play around with these concepts. 

Are the Lutheran schools being hypocritical by accepting those who are in need and then leaving as soon as there is trouble? Are we truly fostering the values of the Lutheran faith if we are concerned with our "face value"?  I feel that I understand that reputation is a lot regarding customer service. Is it possible to have both of these personal/professional standards in the Lutheran setting?

I can see and understand both sides of this debate, but I am wondering which one can be the closest to theological intentions of the Lutheran Church.  

A Vocal Vocation

Teaching is a tricky thing. It is a profession that tends to run instructors down and eventually this causes negative affects on the student's education. Lutheran education is especially hard because of the 'high commitment with little pay' reality. As an instructor, why would you ever choose Lutheran Education?

I have been in a public school for my first student teaching  placement and it really has been an affirmation of my call to Lutheran education. I see the benefits of being in a public institution. Better pay, more assistance, and better resources are all a great aspect to the public setting. However, I have found it extremely difficult to not integrate my faith. That in itself is enough to keep me at the Lutheran setting.

It is sad to me that sometimes on a Lutheran school staff a husband and wife on that same staff, cannot provide for their family. These individuals are forced to go to the public setting to provide for their family. This is a disgusting reality to me. Yes, the call to teach in the Lutheran setting is a mission but these schools need to value their teachers. The call is real and the board need to continue to provide for these teachers. This is easier said then done, but instructors need to remember they are valuable. Instructors need to have a Christ driven voice regarding their vocation.

Teachers need to stay, pray, and discuss their comments and concerns that they are faced with in the Lutheran setting.

Crossed Connections

The other day I was diving into the bible for some inspirational reading. It is always refreshing and just a little builder-uper. However, this time that I cracked open the good book I was finding myself lulled into a melancholy state. I wanted to shake this feeling so I started to think. I wanted a stronger refresher. So, being the English study that I am, I turned to another version. The King James version.

I have experience this version before and it can be a real mind bender with the language usage. However, it was lyrical to me this time around. I love how the words flow like poetry and how they entice the reader. It was the refresher that I needed and since I was refreshed I got to thinking. Wouldn't this be fun to use in the English classroom?

I kept playing with the idea of poetry. Poetry is one of those tricky areas of content that students either love or hate. Besides using texts like "Where the Sidewalk Ends" which incorporate humor, why not use this version of the bible?

I took the book of Psalms and looked for poetic devices within the verses. As an instructor of the faith, this could make a real life connection to the bible. Students could pick out different poetic devices, illustrate the text (how they visualize the text), compare and contrast, and many more activities.

Since I revamped my faith again, I feel that it has yet again flourished and enhanced my classroom. I will continue to strive for a active faith and encourage others to do the same.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

-Hebrews 11:1

Here are resources for these ideas:

http://www.chaparralpoets.org/devices.pdf

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

Love and Logic

It is a struggle often to establish classroom management. This struggle is amplified by the ever looming presence of individuals who are constantly making sure every intervention is “fair”, “appropriate”, and “reasonable”. This is an age of “everything is right, but some things are better.” Since everything is “right”, how do we help develop values within our students?

In all other areas the Christian seeks the glory of God and the welfare of mankind. Values are determined by the extent to which they achieve on or the other of these aims. This is easier said than done. What can we do as educators to help our students think and strive to seek the glory of God? Well, along with constant biblical exposure in the classroom, one positive management system can make a world of difference.

The program that I intend on using in my classroom is Love and Logic. This program I will modify to fit my own personal instructional style and also the learning styles of my students. However, the core ideas presented in this program are very positive and show great results.” Love and Logic does a number of things for an educator. Love and Logic helps educators, administrators, and counselors:

-Set limits in the classroom without anger

-Provide underachievers hope and willingness when the going gets tough

-Raise the odds for kids to stay in school

-Build strong connections between home and school

-Improve attendance

-Manage disruptive students

-Make teaching and learning more fun and productive

-Immediately handle disruptive students

-Get and keep students' attention

-Build positive student-teacher relationships

-Help students own and solve their own problems

-Bully proof children, diffuse power struggles, and handle difficult people

 It works because:

-When adults take care of themselves, they hand the problem back to the student who created it.

-When the student has to solve the problem, they have to think.

-When students have to think, they learn that decisions have consequences.

-When students have to deal with consequences, they learn to think.

-When we allow the student to deal with the consequences, they learn to think before they cause a  problem.

-When the student learns to ask themselves, "How is my behavior going to affect me?" they have learned self control.

This is a program that I would pass on to any educator. It is a great resource to help develop positive behavior and accompany the development of positive values. 

Love and Logic Site

Communication for Christ

Over the past few years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to observe in a multitude of different classrooms. Every school has given me a different perspective into the world of education. Many of these schools have been Lutheran- Missouri Synod. Although all teachers are different and all of the classrooms are different, I have noticed one constant similarity. The word of God is often only expressed during "scheduled" times.

In my previous post I talked about what should be the goals (standards) of Lutheran Education. One that I really appreciated was the standard of communicating and establishing christian values in our ever darkening world. However, in my viewing experiences in many Lutheran classrooms I feel that this standard has been one that has almost been pushed aside. It appears to me that because there are scheduled religion times teachers don't feel the need to expand student exposure to Christ through out the day. As Christian educators this is unacceptable. The core standards that are specific to Lutheran Education should be as important as the Common Core. I know that there are not enough hours in the day to complete all that is required in education. However, integrating the faith into the curriculum should be second nature to Lutheran educators. Plus, making faith connections during a lesson is fun and engaging for students!

How do we do this? Well, the better question is, where can't we fit faith into the lesson? Thank about it. How many teachable moments do educators cope with a day? Hundreds! As Lutheran educators we should take those moments and integrate a "faith twist".

Lutheran Educators should not be afraid of taking these teachable moments. We should have confidence in these moments and embrace the faith opportunity in classes such as History, Art, Science, and Language Arts.  Let us have confidence!

2 Timothy 1:7
       " For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline."
.

Breaking it all Down.

Where has the simple gone? The water gets muddy on issues and a lot of times it is really difficult to sort through all the constant exposure. There is no "black or white" on issues. This is never more evident then in large institutions.

The institution of the Church in Lutheran schools have really tried to clear the waters for teachers in their current vocations. The current synodical leadership has not only given guidelines for their Lutheran schools, but they have backed them with biblical evidence. The current contemporary standards for Lutheran schools are an encouraging reminder of how Lutheran teachers should use these as a strong foundation for their educational practices.

Here are the main standards for Lutheran schooling, all with a strong biblical base:

1. To Nurture Faith- For those who have heard the Gospel news of Christ and believe already, there is a continued need to study it for growth and NURTURE. (Romans 1:16)

2. To Grow in Grace and Knowledge- The Lutheran school provides opportunities all day long to come to know him who is the "way, the truth, and the life" in a close and personal way. It is the Lutheran teacher who makes sure this occurs and sets the tone in the classroom. (John 17:3, 2 Peter 3:18)

3. To Saturate with the Word- God's people are direct to instruct children in the Word on an around-the-clock basis. This charge is not just given to the parents. Given the realities of modern parenting, the Lutheran school is extremely important in providing instruction in the word on a continual basis. (Deut. 6:7)

4. To Communicate and Establish Christian Values- Lutheran schools are the shining light in an ever darkening world. We are fellowship the promotes, discovers, communicates, and establishes the values that God has ultimately designed. (1 Thes. 5:11, Hebrews 10:7)

5. To Equip for Christian Service- Lutheran schools help students see how their whole lives can be used in the Lord's service. (Matt. 18:20)

6. To Reach Out- Mission refers to the sharing of the Gospel with those who have never heard it before , or who have heard it but have not come to faith. Lutheran schools share the love of Christ, expressing their commitment to reach out to others. (Matt. 28:19)

These few key standards should serve as a reminder for every Lutheran educator before planning any lesson. What a motivator!

Why?

It is a simple question. Why teach in a Lutheran School. There are plenty of perfectly adequate public schools that probably have better funding, resources, and reputation. Why would someone willingly go into an underpaid and immensely hard profession? Do we get a thrill of off the struggle? Do we want to be the hero? As a young Lutheran schools teacher I really had to step back and reflect on my decision. I couldn't just accept this position without giving my faith a "backbone" or a stronger base of faith.

So, what are the reasons for going into this vocation? Why teach in a Lutheran school? I guess I could first state, why not? I have a faith that has been acquired through study of the word and a continual need to expand that knowledge. I look at it as a grand blessing to be on a "co-mission" with Jesus Christ, assisting in the care of souls in a manner that is consistent with the word of Christ that I am familiar with. When on staff at a lutheran school there is a natural need for collaboration. Ideas and ideals are shared to better the learning process/experience for students. This collaboration should be considered when working with the Lord. He should be considered to be on staff in the school setting. We must collaborate with the Lord and this will better the learning experience for students. This is a natural idea for me but it is also one that needs to be constantly reflected upon. 

Why am I a lutheran schools teacher? I am a Lutheran school teacher because God has called me to be one.  What an amazing way to find your profession.