Everything is different, everything is the same

Christian Education Week 2017 at both CCS and JKCS is a 'wrap'. What an exciting time to be in our schools as students eagerly awaited and greeted visitors, as people experienced us for the first time, and still others who have watched us grow since before we had our own buildings. Many, many wonderful interactions took place over the past two weeks, but an underlying sentiment struck me, in the words of a few of our grandparents in discussion with me: "Wow, education has changed a lot in the past few decades.... and is that ever a good thing!"

The grandparents have changed a great deal as well! One image that will stick in my mind for a long time is that of a visiting grandparent couple taking a 'selfie' on their smartphone with their grandchild in the classroom. At the moment, it was a major mental shift for me, but also seemed so normal and natural. As they looked around, they noticed other things that are 'different': the desks and chairs aren't all in rows, there isn't necessarily a textbook and workbook for each subject, technology is present but not front and centre, the principal and teachers are not filling positions of authority over students but of relationship WITH students.

"Why is it a good thing that things have changed?", I asked.
"The kids are at the centre." was the answer.
Simple, yet equally profound. This will stick with me for a while.

Just as nearly every workplace in our society has changed (some dramatically) over the past decade, so has the education work/learning place. I've had a few visiting parents come in to see JKCS or CCS, hoping to give to their children "the same experience I had as a kid." It's an interesting conversation that ensues. "Everything is different, and everything is the same," is one of my answers. We do not 'do' education the same way I experienced it when I attended Christian School. Students engage in learning experiences very differently than the traditional teacher-directed format of the past. However, we still teach and weave through everything we do that God is the LORD of all, that Christ is the saviour of the world, and the Spirit is active in our lives and in our everyday. In fact, decades of experience and research has taught us new ways to make this relevant and alive for students.

What is so exciting for me? That fact that grandparents are encouraging us to forge forward. They have seen generations of change and perhaps aren't so afraid of it. They certainly are passionate and excited about our current growth at NACE and the ways in which they see their grandchildren thriving. To God be the glory in each new day, with each new change, and in the ways in which we continue to seek Him in all that we do.
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The Christian Courier, a Reformed Biweekly publication, released a special Christian Education Issue on April 24, 2017. The whole issue is a great discussion about Christian Schooling in Canada. One column, in particular, was a fantastic read. By Kathy Vandergrift entitled 'School bullying: Zero-tolerance to mutual respect'. I have included it at the end of today's print version of Journey/Connection. If you are reading a digital version, you can access it here: https://goo.gl/S9ApgG