Category Archives: Healthy Schools

Academic and Career Planning: The New Post-Secondary Plan

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Part 1

Written by Grey Davis

The Paradigm Shift

There is a change happening in the way young people and their parents in the United States view the purpose of education. Previous generations saw bachelor’s degrees as a means to economic achievement and a way to secure a better future than their parents. In that climate, a college prep focus in high school was coveted. From 1950 to 2010, the percentage of people in their twenties with a bachelor’s degree grew from 7.7% to 31.7% in the U.S. (Horowitz, 2018).

More recently, the proliferation of college degrees and the lack of practical application for many majors results in college graduates filling low-paying, unskilled positions or retraining for useful trades. At the same time, salaries in skilled trades are rising due to a shortage of workers in these fields. Critical skilled job hiring in the U.S. could be more than 20 times the projected annual increase in net new jobs from 2022-2032 (McKinsey and Company, 2024). Continue reading →

Empowering Parents as Family Spiritual Leaders

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A Role of Growing Importance for WELS Teachers

Written by Brad Gurgel

The number of Americans who don’t practice any form of religion in their homes is growing rapidly. Today, a staggering one-third of all U.S. adults under age 30 consider themselves religiously unaffiliated (Pew Research, 2020). Premier Christianity magazine reported that only 13% of adults ages 18-35 who identify as Christian read Scripture individually or with their families at least a few days per week (Hailes, 2019).

An ever-increasing number of children from these biblically disconnected homes are showing up in Lutheran school classrooms. Many parents today fully outsource any religious instruction for their children to church leaders or Christian teachers.

It’s tempting to react to this societal shift by offering more programs where children can hear the Word of God and to find solace in such thoughts as, “Well, at least they are getting the gospel message when they are with us at school.” Continue reading →

Foundations for a Strong Staff Culture

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Written by Charles Galecki

A positive, strong staff culture requires ongoing meaningful investment from school leaders and staff members.

The devil works tremendously hard to create and tear open cracks in our schools that distract us from our mission. We need hard work and God’s blessings to keep our strong foundation. The goal of this blog is to equip the reader with practical tools to invest in their staff culture to better serve the Kingdom. Staff culture is divided into three areas:

  1. Spiritual Foundation
  2. Fellowship Foundation
  3. Professional Foundation

Continue reading →

Cracks and All, We Stand in His Strength-Part 2

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Written By Dan Nommensen, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH, CEAP
Christian Family Solutions

This is the second of two blog posts written by Dan Nommensen. The first blog post reminds us that we are all fragile jars of clay and that we need to focus on what is inside the jars.

Support for Your Fragile Jar
A few years ago, after Christmas was over, I was packing away the decorations, and I broke one of our favorite glass stars. It slipped right out of my hand and onto the hard floor and it shattered into many pieces. It was one of a set of six stars that stood on the fireplace mantel. My wife was able to find all the pieces and through a long process of restoration and a bottle of glue, she was able to get it back together—but it is extremely fragile. Now, when we set it out on the mantel, we carefully prop it up alongside the other stars to give it some extra strength.

It reminded me that in our fragileness, God places us together with other jars.

Isn’t it common to withdraw from others during times of challenge? Withdrawal is actually one of the most common signs of depression. Maybe we try really hard to give the appearance that our jar is as solid as others, or maybe we struggle with perfection and endlessly try to hide the cracks in our jar. Whatever the reason for that effort to hide our fragile condition, sometimes we just need that extra support from friends, family, coworkers, other called workers, or Christian counselors. If we all had impenetrable steel jars, I have a feeling we would all be quite lonely. We not only have the knowledge of salvation . . . we have others alongside us who are willing and able to be a support when those cracks feel deep.

As public ministers who face the reality of sin in these times, we see an opportunity to view challenges in ministry using this “jars of clay” analogy shared by the apostle Paul. God knows what we need. He is telling us it is better in the long run to be “only clay” than “lonely steel.” Continue reading →

Cracks and All, We Stand in His Strength-Part 1

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Written By Dan Nommensen, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH, CEAP
Christian Family Solutions

Called workers have one of the world’s best occupations! What an amazing opportunity to serve the Lord in a full- or part-time ministry and watch the Holy Spirit kindle or grow the faith of those you serve. You are devoted and faithful pastors, teachers, and staff ministers who also know you are fragile “jars of clay,” as the apostle Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 4:7.

Fragile Jars of Clay
The message of the gospel and the mission to be a light in the darkness is entrusted to all Christians. Whether we are called workers or lay workers, we are all fragile jars of clay. We humbly agree that even though God created and fashioned us for his purpose to hold and share a mighty message of salvation, we are fragile indeed! Sometimes we can’t even believe that God chose us to share this message! We’ve got cracks in our jars, and sometimes it seems we are ready to collapse.

Pastors, do you feel your fragileness more lately? Teachers and staff ministers, are those cracks in your emotional health feeling more difficult to handle?

Perhaps the events in our culture over the last couple of years have placed even more pressures on our fragile natures. Perhaps you have considered what life might be like apart from the public ministry. Maybe that thought crossed your mind after you got home from a tough meeting with a parent who took the opportunity to list every mistake and fault you have. Maybe that thought crossed your mind after you finished listening to the multiple voicemail messages from members with so many needs that you feel ill-equipped to handle the demands.

These feelings are the cracks in your jar. Some have described burnout in ministry as the final breaking of the jar—a complete feeling of brokenness. Continue reading →

Lutheran School Principals: A Changing Paradigm

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Written by Dr. John Meyer

Five years ago, I asked the question, “Can Lutheran schools reimagine the principal position” (Meyer, 2017)? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

At that time, the Wisconsin synod had just begun a system-wide effort to increase Lutheran principal time, training, and compensation. The goal was to increase principal effectiveness and retention so that Lutheran schools and students would thrive.

Five years later, new data reveals that those efforts are Continue reading →

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 →