The StoriED Blog
Join us as we share our observations and reflections on an ever-changing educational landscape.
One STORY at a time.
Integrating a Biblical Worldview
Teachers are the backbone and the front line of every school. The job is difficult but the reward is great. No person can compel spiritual transformation but teaching students how to look down at themselves and out at the world and up at God through Biblical lenses is something that can and must be done.
The Magic of Stories
Stories are as unique as the storytellers who share them. This allows for something beautiful and magical that only you can bring. You have a story worth sharing. You are a story worth sharing. Moments of encouragement, inspiration, and connection may be as simple as saying, “Once upon a time.”
7 School Lessons from my Garden
As educators, we garden. Following His rules for growth and development, we cultivate delicate lives. Lives we have been entrusted to steward and treasure. Our wise and steady presence is desperately needed in the lives of young people. May the lessons of my garden encourage you to see your work in a softer afternoon light. A light that breathes greater purpose and trust.
Winterize Your Classroom Ecosystems
The “cold months” of teaching are at our doorstep. Anyone who has taught in education long enough knows that the winter months of January and February can be bitterly tough. Less vitamin D from sunlight, looming indoor recess, relaxed student relationships, rigorous academic standards, and spring break too far on the horizon contribute to a challenging third quarter. However, if we winterize our classroom ecosystems properly, we just might weather the cold and delight in the spring growth to come.
Manure Happens: Embracing the Mess
My “aha” moment came when I realized that my students were messy people, with messy lives, who make messy choices…and that is good!
Pruning: The Importance of Meaningful Feedback
The Lord’s feedback is inquisitive, clear, and kind. As a gardener prunes his plants, God prunes us. Educators are called to do the same within our school ecosystems. We gently prune hearts and minds for human flourishing.
The Beauty of a Beneficial Burn
Take the time to have students reflect and respond to gauge which practices you need to increase, and which you need to burn.
Water Levels & Student Emotions
I wonder how many of our students have looked up toward a bright future filled with hopes and dreams, only to find the emotional surface they are standing on simply doesn’t provide the stability to push their way up and out of their own heads, let alone through their academic challenges. We, as teachers, must learn how to gauge the emotional water level of our students before we can stretch their minds.
Creating a Safe Classroom Ecosystem
In essence, we need to create an emotional greenhouse within our four walls; a setting that provides a stable trellis to support their learning as they grow. This trellis must be built on student conviction that you see huge value in them as a unique individual. Here are just a few of the ways I do this in my own classroom.