Category Archives: New Teachers

Academic and Career Planning: The School Mission Implementation Plan

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Part 2

Written by Grey Davis

Putting ACP into Practice

Post-secondary readiness has undergone significant changes over the past decade. The traditional model of providing a college preparatory education is no longer sufficient. This outdated approach limits the potential of young adults and does not align with the modern-day need to prepare students comprehensively for life beyond high school.

While preparing students for college remains important, there is a growing recognition that a holistic approach is necessary to equip students for various aspects of adult life. Schools across the United States are adapting to this trend by focusing on broader life skills and readiness (Redefining Ready, 2017). Continue reading →

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 →

Sustaining Compassion in Education, Part 2

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Written by Kelli L. Green

In part 1 of this series, we discussed the stress that teachers are under during these difficult times and how important it is to show compassion to those they serve.

Masks. Quarantine. Isolation. Distance learning. Discrimination. Riots. Political divides. We live in a challenging time. Education and everything we have known about it has changed over the past year. Reaching our students through a mask, a computer screen, or even through alarmed brain states have been our new reality. When faced with adversity, we need to step back and understand our own behavior. When we understand ourselves, it makes us more capable of understanding our students’ behavior. Continue reading →

Sustaining Compassion in Education, Part 1

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A Lutheran Educator’s Reflection on 2020

Written by Kelli L. Green

Why has teaching become so stressful? Am I trusting God enough? These are questions you may be asking yourself. Here’s my reflection.

Remembering Why.
Last month, as I opened a Special Education Task Force meeting, we took a moment to share how God called us into the teaching ministry. Over Zoom we took turns sharing our “Why.”

Some mentioned external factors, and others mentioned internal factors used by the Holy Spirit to guide them into education and to Martin Luther College, formerly known as Dr. Martin Luther College, as preparation. Thinking back on the original reasons for entering the teaching ministry, I became overwhelmingly aware that the purpose had evolved over time. Continue reading →

Six Top Anxiety Management Strategies

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Written by Dr. Jennifer Londgren

Lutheran teachers, you have a lot on your plates right now. Whether it is managing the educational needs of your own children or the stress and anxiety of students, parents, and congregation members in your care, dealing with those things along with your own personal emotional reactions can feel like too much. Developing outlets and ways to cope is essential. I believe that Christians who develop strategies to take care of themselves are better able to serve others.

Taking care of ourselves is not something we should “get around to doing at some point.” It is necessary for our health and wellbeing. As a Christian, university professor, mental health clinician, wife, and mother of three, I understand how important it is to create harmony between my roles. I have a set of self-care strategies and tools that I apply to myself and teach to my students, clients, interns, and even my friends. Continue reading →

How Educators Can Help Children Build Resilience

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Written by Dr. Ashley Schoof

We hear a lot today about resilience and its importance in coping with the prolonged stress of COVID-19. What exactly is resilience? And how can educators help encourage its development in children?

Resilience is the determination, grit, and perseverance to tackle problems and cope with the challenges of school and life. That’s the psychological and emotional definition. Spiritually speaking, we can think of resilience the way the apostle Paul described it in Philippians 4:6-9:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 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 →

What Do Congregations Expect of Their Teachers?

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Written by Greg Schmill

Clear expectations are always helpful. If we know what is expected, we then can do all we are capable of to meet those expectations. This definitely applies to what is expected of us as called workers. A quick check of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 helps us understand God’s clear expectations of us—above reproach, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, and more. But what are the specific expectations of our calling bodies? What do congregations expect to be true of the teachers who serve in our schools? Continue reading →

What Does Effective Classroom Management Look Like?

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Written by Amanda Weinrich

What is meant by classroom management? It involves how students should behave in the classroom. A common misconception is that classroom management is a set of rules to address discipline problems. Rather, classroom management involves a well-planned set of procedures and routines for avoiding problems and having a plan for when misbehavior does occur (Lester, Allanson, & Notar, 2017). Continue reading →

Classroom Procedures Take You Where You Want to Go

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Written by Benjamin Clemons

Procedures in our classrooms provide the framework for operating our schools. Procedures answer a vital question of “How?” in our buildings. We may be more familiar with the questions of “Why?” (to provide high-quality Christian education) and “What?” (our curriculum) because they are highly visible. Procedures, on the other hand, can fade into the background, especially when they run well. Continue reading →