Category Archives: Healthy Schools

A COVID-19 Response: Why We Should Be Teaching Evolution

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Written by Professor Dan Fenske

It was mid-March 2020 at Martin Luther College. I’m sure that the time frame needs no elaboration. Students had just left for Spring Break, and the campus was not yet locked down. Two student workers approached me with a simple question: “Professor, if we Christians don’t accept Evolution (when referring to the Theory of Evolution, I will indicate that by capitalizing Evolution), then where did this virus come from?” Many thoughts flooded through my head, but my priority was to address the honest question held by two troubled students.

After 30 minutes of discussion with these two students, I better understood their thought process. They were (mistakenly) thinking that since Christians reject Evolution, we must also reject data or observations that are used to support Evolution. Therefore, Christians reject the concept of genetic mutations.  So, how can a novel virus emerge if there is no genetic mutation? Continue reading →

Should Students Be Allowed to Listen to Music While Studying?

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Written by Cori Humann

It’s a debate that seems to have no end. My students say they should be allowed to listen to music on their headphones while they are studying. With the backup of our handbook, I say they should not. Both sides claim to have scientific research backing up their position. What is the answer? Continue reading →

Is School Choice the Right Choice for Your LES?

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Written by Dan Johnson

The model of parish education is changing in our synod. A greater number of schools are looking outside the church walls to continue their ministry, and that brings up questions of funding. How does a church continue to carry out the Great Commission and fund a well-rounded education? The student tuition could be raised, but higher tuition means that many families will be unable to consider the school because of their financial situation. The answer for many schools and congregations is to turn to school choice programs, using public money to pay for private school education. Continue reading →

Homework: A Parent/Teacher Partnership

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Written by Philip Gustafson

As a 7th-8th grade teacher, I’m often asked by parents what their role should be at home when it comes to homework. This is not always an easy question to answer since all children are unique. So what do you say to parents who are looking for advice on homework support at home? Continue reading →

Advancing Your Students Through Online Learning

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Written by Angela Hanson

How are you, your students, and their families doing now that COVID-19 has completely up-ended your lives, taken you out of the classroom, and suddenly thrown you into the world of distance learning?

While this educational arrangement may not be your normal, it has been my normal for the past seven years. I teach middle school and, previously, high school Spanish online for the Association of Lutheran High Schools Online. I also homeschool my children, ages 3, 6, 8, and 10.

Given that experience, I want to encourage you as you transition into teaching online to students who are learning from home. It is possible to advance your students in their learning! I also want you to mentally prepare (if you haven’t already) for the possibility that distance learning will be your new normal for the rest of the school year. Continue reading →

Things I’ve Learned About Teaching Online

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The perspective of a current online grade 7-8 Algebra 1 teacher and former high school math teacher

Written by Emily Grunwald

The coronavirus has created new challenges for teachers and students. With little time and training, teachers are moving lessons online. I’ve been teaching math online for the Association of Lutheran High Schools Online (ALHSO) program for several years. Here are some things I’ve learned. Continue reading →

Administrative Release Time: A Paradigm That Requires Change

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Written by Harmon Krause

In the last two years, 60 principals walked away from their positions in a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) school, affecting 19% of the schools (J. Rademan, personal communication, October 9, 2019). These principals either resigned, retired, or took non-principal positions. The WELS school system cannot sustain these losses.

I was one of those casualties. In particular, I struggled to maximize my Administrative Release Time (ART). ART is the time that schools release principals from teaching to focus on administrative tasks. I wasn’t open and transparent about how I used my ART, and that caused friction and trust issues between my staff and me.

For me and many other principals who teach and serve as principal, issues of administrative release time (ART) are critical. My master’s thesis sought to expand on previous research about ART conducted by Schmill (2009) and Meyer et al (2015). Here’s what I learned. Continue reading →

Are WELS Schools Truly Multicultural Underneath the Surface?

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Written by Grey Davis

The student body in some Lutheran schools has changed in the last 20 years. As the world globalizes, Lutheran schools see an opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission (Hoover, 2013). Increasingly, schools use access to education as a means to share the gospel of Jesus with young souls of all races and ethnicities. While such schools have physically added students with diverse backgrounds, they sometimes fail to meet the hidden needs of a changed school population.

A main challenge for multicultural schools is meeting the needs of students from minority cultures. Enrolling a diverse student body is only part of the challenge. While it may be intuitive that schools need to offer an education that meets the needs of all their students, schools may not recognize the need to reduce bias toward those cultures (Shannon-Baker 2018). Before accepting students of new races or cultures, school administrators should first prepare the school to welcome them and teach them well (Akcaoğlu & Arsal, 2017). Schools will want to slow the roll on accepting students until they grasp what it takes to operate a multicultural program. Continue reading →

Poverty and Education: What Being Poor Does to the Brain

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Written by Dan Johnson

What does poverty look like? Can you tell by looking at the students who walk into your room? Are they hungry? Dirty? Sleepy? Does poverty only affect those in large cities and urban areas, or can you see poverty in rural and suburban schools as well? It may be possible to see some of the signs of poverty in students as they come into your classroom, but what can a teacher do?

What is poverty?
The federal poverty line for a family of four is $25,750 in 2019. Poverty is defined as not having sufficient income to meet basic needs. Many families struggle to meet these basic needs. Even those families above the poverty line, at 130-200%, earning up to $51,500, will continue to exhibit signs of poverty. Continue reading →