Helping Students with Disabilities Thrive in Classical Christian Schools, Part II

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

How disability benefits the classical Christian school. Distinguishing between stumbling blocks and caving to culture. Myths and mysteries of student support. Staying in charge of your program. Understanding Language Development—With a Speech Therapist if possible. Understanding Physical Development– With a PT or OT if possible. Understanding Dyslexia intervention – With A Reading Specialist if possible. Improving Reading Instruction for Everyone. Nurturing Emotional Development. Observations on How Adoption Impacts Learning

Leslie Collins

Leslie and her husband, Dave have been working in classical and Christian education since 1995. Leslie was the founding headmistress of Rockbridge Academy in Millersville, Maryland and was privileged to briefly serve in Kailua, Hawaii as Trinity Christian School transitioned to a classical model. She is currently the Head of School at Covenant Academy in northwest Houston. Leslie and Dave have four children and one adorable granddaughter. Leslie holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from The Master’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Maryland.

Helping Students with Disabilities Thrive in Classical Christian Schools, Part I

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

How disability benefits the classical Christian school. Distinguishing between stumbling blocks and caving to culture. Myths and mysteries of student support. Staying in charge of your program. Understanding Language Development—With a Speech Therapist if possible. Understanding Physical Development– With a PT or OT if possible. Understanding Dyslexia intervention – With A Reading Specialist if possible. Improving Reading Instruction for Everyone. Nurturing Emotional Development. Observations on How Adoption Impacts Learning

Leslie Collins

Leslie and her husband, Dave have been working in classical and Christian education since 1995. Leslie was the founding headmistress of Rockbridge Academy in Millersville, Maryland and was privileged to briefly serve in Kailua, Hawaii as Trinity Christian School transitioned to a classical model. She is currently the Head of School at Covenant Academy in northwest Houston. Leslie and Dave have four children and one adorable granddaughter. Leslie holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from The Master’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Maryland.

What in the World Is Classical Christian Education?

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

“Classical Christian Education” is one of the most difficult products to market. A simple and memorable definition eludes most people. We give an elaborate answer that includes Latin, uniforms, old books and the Trivium. The response back is often a look of curiosity… like being told that the best form of transportation is a covered wagon. Knowing who is asking the questions – parents, teachers, students, donors or college advisors – and how to tailor your response makes a difference, too. In this session, we will examine various definitions and how to explain it clearly, winsomely and accurately in the areas of marketing, parent education and retention.

W. Davies Owens

W. Davies Owens is the Head of Vision and Advancement at the Ambrose School in Boise, Idaho, where he also served as the Dean of the Upper School. Prior to moving west ve years ago, he served for 10 years as a board member, and later, as Head of School at Heritage Preparatory School, an ACCS member school in Atlanta, Georgia. Five years prior, he was the Executive Director of BlueSky Ministries, an innovation lab and consulting organization launched after his work for Christianity.com during the dot-com days of Silicon Valley. He is also an ordained Presbyterian minister who served as a local church pastor for 12 years in both suburban and urban congregations. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Furman University, a master’s degree in divinity from Duke Divinity School and a doctorate from Gordon Conwell Seminary in Boston. He has studied on a number of occasions at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland and England. He has a heart for international missions and has been leading teams from Ambrose to work with schools in Rwanda for the past four years. He is the host of the BaseCamp Live podcast, which is dedicated to helping promote classical Christian education nationally and equip parents and leaders involved in raising up the next generation. He and his wife, Holly, see the consistent fruit of classical Christian education in the lives of their three children, Hannah, 19, Liam, 16, and Bennett, 14.

Ancient Hinges: How the Classical Virtues Inform Transformational Leadership

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

The cardinal virtues of temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice were espoused by Plato, Cicero and Marcus Aurelius long before Christianity formally adopted them. Through the classical influence on the scholastics, Christian scholars like Thomas Aquinas and poets like Dante Alighieri came to understand the immense value of these virtues. If 2,000 years of scholarship has defended these virtues, we would be wise to take note. Drawing from his own research, D. Michael Lindsay argues for a renewed understanding of everything the cardinal virtues have to offer us in fulfilling our own callings and in shaping the lives of the next generation of leaders.

D. Michael LIndsay

Award-winning sociologist and educator D. Michael Lindsay is the eighth president of Gordon College, and an expert on religion, culture and leadership. In his book, View from the Top, Dr. Lindsay reports the findings of his 10-year Platinum Study, the largest-ever, interview-based study of organizational leaders – including former presidents and CEOs. Since his appointment to President of Gordon College in 2011, the school has experienced banner years in terms of enrollment, fundraising, financial strength, campus diversity, sponsored research, athletic success and faith expression. He regards these gains as evidence of a winning team. He also serves on the boards of Christianity Today and the Veritas Forum.

Institutional Excellence: Best Practices for Conducting a Legal Audit of Your School

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Classical Christian schools rightly focus on academic and programmatic excellence. But institutional excellence must likewise be a priority for a school to flourish. Operating a classical Christian school is full of legal risk. A legal audit focuses on legal compliance and best practices. A school that takes the time to assess its compliance with applicable law may prevent a potentially costly, even catastrophic crisis from arising. Legal audits require solid legal counsel. It should be a collaborative and thorough review of the school’s policies and practices and should be designed to detect areas of risk and exposure, as well as to provide the school with important information about its legal obligations and best practices. Areas often covered in a legal audit include corporate governance, federal tax-exemption compliance, contracts and leases, human resources, fundraising, intellectual property, document retention and destruction, insurance, religious liberty and state and local law requirements. This session will help you understand the questions to ask and the documents to review to promote your school’s institutional flourishing.

Andrew D. Graham

Andrew D. Graham, Esq. is Deputy General Counsel at First Liberty Institute, the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to protecting religious freedom for all Americans. He is a former Partner at Jackson Walker LLP and has extensive experience in handling complex litigation in trial and appellate courts. He is also a National Review Institute (NRI) Regional Fellow and coordinates the NRI’s Dallas Fellowship Program. Andrew graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Southern Methodist University, where he had the distinct privilege to study the Middle Ages with Dr. Jeremy duQuesnay Adams and Dr. Bonnie Wheeler. He then earned graduate degrees in history from Oxford University and the University of Chicago before earning a law degree from The University of Texas School of Law. Andrew is married to his college sweetheart, Molly, who teaches 4th Grade at The Covenant School in Dallas, Texas. Andrew serves as pro bono counsel to both The Covenant School and to Annapolis Christian Academy in Corpus Christi, Texas. For both, he provides an array of legal expertise on issues ranging from corporate governance to religious liberty. Andrew and Molly have three children, all of whom attend The Covenant School. Andrew and his family are members of Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA).

Churches: For or Against Us?

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Success for classical Christian schools is highly dependent on the engagement and health of the local Church. But despite many school’s efforts to require church attendance from families, all too often the students who show up on Monday morning lack basic Biblical and theological knowledge and are often struggling to find the practical role of their faith in daily life. Yet schools are not called to be surrogate churches, despite the expectations of many parents. Today’s pastors range from being highly supportive to passively critical about the presence of classical Christian schools in their community. Many have a host of misunderstandings, assumptions and fears about
the agenda of their local private Christian schools. Are there steps schools can take to encourage local pastors and move them toward becoming con dent advocates for your school? This workshop will explore current research from Barna on the state of the Church today, as well as surveys of pastors in communities with classical Christian schools. Practical and proven strategies will be presented about several initiatives that have brought the Church and schools into closer understanding and partnership.

W. Davies Owens

W. Davies Owens is the Head of Vision and Advancement at the Ambrose School in Boise, Idaho, where he also served as the Dean of the Upper School. Prior to moving west ve years ago, he served for 10 years as a board member, and later, as Head of School at Heritage Preparatory School, an ACCS member school in Atlanta, Georgia. Five years prior, he was the Executive Director of BlueSky Ministries, an innovation lab and consulting organization launched after his work for Christianity.com during the dot-com days of Silicon Valley. He is also an ordained Presbyterian minister who served as a local church pastor for 12 years in both suburban and urban congregations. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Furman University, a master’s degree in divinity from Duke Divinity School and a doctorate from Gordon Conwell Seminary in Boston. He has studied on a number of occasions at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland and England. He has a heart for international missions and has been leading teams from Ambrose to work with schools in Rwanda for the past four years. He is the host of the BaseCamp Live podcast, which is dedicated to helping promote classical Christian education nationally and equip parents and leaders involved in raising up the next generation. He and his wife, Holly, see the consistent fruit of classical Christian education in the lives of their three children, Hannah, 19, Liam, 16, and Bennett, 14.

Classical Christian Education as a Mission Strategy in Africa

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Africa may be reached by the gospel, but Africans say that Christianity “is 2000 miles wide and a centimeter deep.” In the next 30 years, one out of every two human beings will be born in Africa. Should we not be concerned? That explosive growth — combined with extensive poverty and great educational challenges — places the African continent in the unique position to benefit significantly from classical Christian education. This may be the singular tool to help the poor, evangelize the unreached, strengthen the church and disciple the next generation of believers. Participants will learn about Africa’s poverty, the continent’s educational challenges and the need for a response from the Church. Come learn about what’s being done in 10 African schools, as well as strategies for training up and sending out well-equipped educators to expand and indigenize the vision of classical Christian education.

Karen Elliott

Karen has served with Rafiki since 1990. Her service has included 12 years on the mission field, most of which was spent in Jos, Nigeria. Upon returning to the United States, she became the Director of Africa Operations for the Rafiki Home Office and was responsible for managing their ChildCare and education programs, as well as their curriculum development. She served in that role for 10 years before being named Rafiki’s Executive Director in January of 2012. Karen travels to Africa several times a year to oversee operations at each Rafiki Village, and considers herself to be an “American-African.” She’s comfortable talking to presidents of African countries, national church leaders and local tribal chieftains, but she especially loves caring for the children and students at Rafiki Villages. Karen is originally from Houston, Texas, and previously worked in commercial banking. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Southern Methodist University and earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Arlington. Karen is a member of St. Andrews Chapel in Sanford, Florida, and was a teaching leader for Bible Study Fellowship in Texas and Africa for many years. She views herself as a servant of Christ who desires to help others come to know God, become lifelong disciples of Him and become learners of all He has created.

Why We Have Issues: Why Classical Christian Schools Should Have Strong Journalism Departments

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

We teach a lot of Rhetoric in classical schools, and put it to good use through writing and thesis presentations. However, there is an argument to be made for using those same skills to produce a Rhetoric School publication for and by the student body. These publications benefit the school and the student. In this session, the basics of starting a Journalism program are presented to help a school get on the way to producing a publication of its own. Whether you are exhibiting art and writing in a literary magazine, or jumping into the fray of modern journalism, this class can teach students how to lead, work on a team and produce something for which they and their school can be proud.

Becky Ryden

I graduated from Baylor University with a degree in English and Journalism. A erward, I traveled the runway circuit working for Neiman Marcus as a shoe buyer for many years while producing o spring and raising them. I started a Journalism program at the Covenant School in Dallas and then again at Geneva School of Boerne. I have taught Language Arts at Geneva for the past seven years emphasizing great literature, poetry, and Shakespeare. For the past eight years, I have also formed a Journalism program that produced a quarterly news magazine and an annual literary magazine. Our publications have won top awards from the Texas University Interscholastic League, National Scholastic Press Association, and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. We were the recipients of the Crown Award this year with CSPA; a notable award. I am also the mother of four children: Alex, who is a ending medical school in San Antonio (UTHSC); Ethan, who is a sophomore at UT Austin studying Architecture; Audrey, who is a junior at Geneva; and our youngest daughter Eliot, who is in sixth grade at Geneva.

Beauty Will Save the School

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

What role does beauty play in a school’s development? In what ways does attention to beauty help a school fulfill its mission and vision? This seminar will consider the nature of beauty in a school setting, as well as practical means for incorporating beauty at every level of school life.

Jaimie Cain

Following a career in higher education and publishing, James Cain became Dominion Classical Christian Academy’s first headmaster in 2007. He and his wife, Kristi, who teaches upper school science at Dominion, have made education and discipleship their life’s work. They live in Buford, Georgia, with their three children.

Singapore Math in the Classical School

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

This session will focus on four topics: the basics of the Singapore math philosophy, how the Singapore math philosophy aligns with classical model of education, teaching Singapore math with fidelity, and how parents can support the children at home.

Patti Chesney

Patti Chesney has been instructing children, teachers, administrators and parents across the United States in the pedagogy and instructional strategies of the highly successful Singapore Math philosophy since 2008. Patti is a frequently requested Math in Focus professional development facilitator because of her extensive experience with a variety of grade levels as well as her experience teaching and training teachers in the Singapore Math philosophy.Patti has eleven years of teaching experience, nine of which have been at Regents School of Austin. While serving as the K-8 Math Coordinator, she led the initial transition from Saxon Math to the Singapore Math Primary Math Series, then later to Math in Focus. Patti will begin serving as a Grammar School Director at Regents in the 2015-2016 school year.