Author Archives: MLC

How to Serve Racially, Ethnically, Culturally Diverse Students-Part 3 Books

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This blog ends a three-article series on the importance of adopting a culturally responsive approach in Lutheran schools. As communities become more diverse, Lutheran schools will want to become more diverse as well. Crossing cultural lines with the gospel can be difficult, as the early church quickly learned (Acts 15). The series is written by Professor Tingting Schwartz, who has personally experienced and intellectually examined these challenges, providing valuable insights to anyone wishing to minister to new people groups.

  1. What’s in Your Student’s Lunch Box? Focusing on intercultural competence for educators.
  2. What Language Do the Parents of Your Student Speak? Discussing anti-bias education for young children.
  3. What Books Are on Your Classroom Bookshelf? Underscoring the importance of the Racial/Cultural Identity Development (R/CID) model for racially, ethnically, culturally (REC) diverse students.

What Books Are on Your Classroom Bookshelf?

Written by Professor Tingting Schwartz

My previous blogs discussed intercultural competence development for educators and anti-bias education for young children. For the third one, using the Racial/Cultural Identity Development (R/CID) model proposed by Derald Wing Sue and David Sue, I will shift the perspective to racially, ethnically, and culturally (REC) diverse students and focus on the nurturance of their racial and cultural identity.

What Do We See?
The demographics of the United States are increasingly diversified. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2020), the non-Hispanic white population decreased to 57.8%. The second-largest racial or ethnic group is the Hispanic or Latino population, comprising 18.7%. The third-largest group is the Black or African American population at 12.1%. The percentage of non-Hispanic white children under 18 is 49.8%, less than half of the total children population. About two in three children are projected to be a race other than non-Hispanic White by 2060 (The U.S. Census Bureau, p.8). Continue reading →

How to Serve Racially, Ethnically, Culturally Diverse Students-Part 2 Language

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This blog is the second in a three-article series on the importance of adopting a culturally responsive approach in Lutheran schools. As communities become more diverse, Lutheran schools will want to become more diverse as well. Crossing cultural lines with the gospel can be difficult, as the early church quickly learned (Acts 15). The series is written by Professor Tingting Schwartz, who has personally experienced and intellectually examined these challenges, providing valuable insights to anyone wishing to minister to new people groups.

  1. What’s in Your Student’s Lunch Box? Focusing on intercultural competence for educators.
  2. What Language Do the Parents of Your Student Speak? Discussing anti-bias education for young children.
  3. What Books Are on Your Classroom Bookshelf? Underscoring the importance of the Racial/Cultural Identity Development (R/CID) model for racially, ethnically, culturally (REC) diverse students.

What Language Do the Parents of Your Student Speak?

Written by Professor Tingting Schwartz

What Do We See?
It was a bright sunny afternoon when I picked up my son Elijah from his preschool room. I first talked with Elijah in Chinese and then a student teacher in English. A young girl from the other preschool room overheard our conversations, so she turned to her teacher and asked: “Why does she [referring to me] talk differently?” That young teacher was not prepared for such a question. She froze, and her face flushed. This curious young girl repeated her question: “Why does she talk differently?” Such a great question, yet the teacher seemed to be embarrassed by this question. What did this young girl mean by saying, “talk differently”? Was she curious what language I was using with Elijah? Did she detect my foreign accent when I spoke to the teacher? Why did the teacher not know how to answer this question? What social meaning did she attach to this word “different” when hearing it?

There was still no response as I was about to leave. I thought this was a great teachable moment, and I should not miss it. Hence, I went back and lowered myself to that young girl’s eye level: “You asked a great question! I bet you heard a difference between my English and yours! I grew up in China, so Chinese is my mother tongue. I learned English, your mother tongue, when I was an adult, so English isn’t my first language. This is why I only speak Chinese with Elijah. This is also why my English sounds a little different from yours.”

Did I know how to respond appropriately to this kind of situation years ago? No. I learned my lesson by encountering similar experiences in my daily life and reflecting on them.

Let me tell you another similar story. Continue reading →

Creating a School Culture That Celebrates Our Faith

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Written by Dr. Susan Decker

It’s the beginning of another school year, and as the students settle into their new routines, I find myself thinking about how much academic and emotional growth they will experience over the year. But what about their spiritual growth as children of God? A student’s walk of faith is the most important part of life’s journey, yet you won’t find a question about their spiritual growth in between the multiple choice and short-answer questions on an exam.

How can we foster a love for God’s Word in our school culture? How can we help our students develop an authentic, personal connection with their faith that goes beyond memorization of Bible verses and regurgitating the expected catechism answers? Continue reading →

Supporting the Social and Emotional Needs of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Written by Dr. Rachel Youngblom

It is likely that you know, have taught, or have interacted with a child who has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Furthermore, it is possible that you may not even have been aware of the child’s diagnosis, based on the severity of his or her symptoms, let alone the social and emotional challenges that a child with autism experiences daily. While teachers should not attempt to make a diagnosis, they will likely encounter students, whether diagnosed or not, who have difficulty making friends due to their social, emotional, and communicative challenges.

Teaching Children Social Skills
A child with Autism Spectrum Disorder demonstrates social difficulties in various ways, such as deficits in social and emotional reciprocity (e.g., conversational turn-taking, sharing of interests and emotions), and difficulties understanding and using nonverbal communicative behavior (e.g., eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, body language) and developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships (e.g., understanding of friendships, “stranger danger”) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Continue reading →

Voice, Choice, Pace, and Place: Tools to Support Blended Learning

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Written by Jason Schmidt

The last two years have seen a dramatic increase in our familiarity and comfort with the tools of online learning. As schools return to face-to-face learning, educators would do well to use this as an opportunity to take the good things we learned during the pandemic and apply them to our current situations. We’re especially interested in ways we can empower students with voice, choice, pace, and place.

Station-Rotation Model: Perhaps one of the simplest ways to incorporate blended learning into a classroom is using the Station-Rotation Model. In this model, the instructor creates blocks of instructional time with a variety of tasks to complete. Continue reading →

Putting on Our Own Oxygen Masks First

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Strengthening the Foundations of Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Health

Written by Greg Schmill

The Plane
I imagine most of us have been there. We are sitting on a plane waiting for take-off and half-listening to the flight attendant’s speech. Then we hear the familiar statement, “In case of an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask first before you try to help others.”

We understand that makes sense. It will be impossible to help others if we have blacked out due to oxygen starvation. But we’ve heard that speech before and it barely registers, and who knows how we would respond in a true emergency. In the midst of the turbulence, would we remember to put on our masks first, despite the clear reminder? Continue reading →

Teaching Students with Challenges: The Importance of Parents’ Perspectives

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Written by Jane Mose

Ten years before I became a parent, I was a teacher. With my master’s degree in special education and considerable experience working with children and adults with disabilities, I saw myself primarily as the person to whom parents of children with special needs could turn for information. I would share my knowledge and expertise with parents and guide them.

Then my husband and I became the parents of six children.

Three of our children were born into the family, and three entered through adoption. Suddenly I was a mom to children with a variety of trauma backgrounds, physical disabilities, and learning differences. And I learned just how much I had not understood about the lives of my students and their parents! Continue reading →

How to Serve Racially, Ethnically, Culturally Diverse Students-Part 1 Lunch Box

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This blog begins a three-article series on the importance of adopting a culturally responsive approach in Lutheran schools. As communities become more diverse, Lutheran schools will want to become more diverse as well. Crossing cultural lines with the gospel can be difficult, as the early church quickly learned (Acts 15). The series is written by Professor Tingting Schwartz, who has personally experienced and intellectually examined these challenges, providing valuable insights to anyone wishing to minister to new people groups.

  1. What’s in Your Student’s Lunch Box? Focusing on intercultural competence for educators.
  2. What Language Do the Parents of Your Student Speak? Discussing anti-bias education for young children.
  3. What Books Are on Your Classroom Bookshelf? Underscoring the importance of the Racial/Cultural Identity Development (R/CID) model for racially, ethnically, culturally (REC) diverse students.

What’s in Your Student’s Lunch Box?

Written by Professor Tingting Schwartz

What Do We See?
One cold, late night in early January, I led my last online workshop, Raising Bilingual Kids at Home. The topic was Biracial and Bicultural Identity Development for Bilingual Kids. Almost all attendees were first-generation Chinese American immigrants who believe raising Chinese and English bilingual children is their family priority.

During the Q & A session, parents had a heated discussion on what they should pack for their children’s lunch boxes when their children go to school. Some parents argued that it was more important to help their children fit in at school; hence, typical American food such as peanut butter sandwiches, string cheese, and Lunchables should be in their children’s lunch boxes. Another group of parents insisted that rice, stir-fries, and jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) are better choices because, as one mother said, “I want my child to be proud of their Chinese heritage.” Continue reading →

Rethinking Leadership:

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What’s Missing, and How Does it Impact Our Leadership and Our Students?

Written by Dr. Donald R. Kudek

It is estimated that $166 billion is spent annually on leadership development in the U.S. (Westfall, 2019). That is nearly $1,000 for every person between the ages of 18 and 65 (60% of 332 million people). Books, seminars, coaching sessions, and even degrees are offered as ways to enhance one’s ability to lead. Has anyone spent that amount on you? Did you or they get their money’s worth? What impact has all of this training had on those we are entrusted to teach? In some cases, it is having a negative impact.

What Makes a Good Leader?
Like all areas of study, the study of leaders and leadership has evolved over time. In the late 1800s, it was believed that certain individuals were born leaders, and either you had it or you didn’t. Continue reading →

Creating Powerful, Memorable Lessons in Your Classroom

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Warning: This post contains description of a violent scene.

Written by Andy Van Weele

According to Socrates, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” My hope is that every educator finds that fire within them—to find the passion to create powerful and memorable lessons that will, in turn, light the fire inside their students—engage them and inspire them to want more. Continue reading →