Drop us a question for the special, upcoming Q & R episode with Gerald Miller.

Sometimes problems come to us disguised as great opportunities. This episode with Stephen Gingerich addresses the challenge of working with high needs students. We’re not exploring specific learning disabilities here. That is sometimes part of the picture and deserves attention. This is more general and establishes a baseline for how we engage a high needs student.

Drawing on his years of experience in education, much of it gained through his work in Guatemala, Stephen develops his approach around the three great virtues: faith, hope, and love. He reminds us that our goal is to prepare children for life. And for that they need well-formed skills but they need well-formed character more. And this character they absorb from their role models. This means they will take a part of us with them through their life.

Stephen’s talk is generously sprinkled with stories of what relating to needy students looks like.

Links

• This episode was first published as "Working with High Needs Students" on The Dock: https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/working-with-high-needs-students-(stephan-gingerich)
• Questions for the Q & R episode: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/KQnYsYgPAq
• Contact us: https://thedockforlearning.org/contact-us/
• 3-minute feedback: https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn
• [book] The Five Love Languages: https://a.co/d/03ROxKG0

Drop us a question for our special, upcoming Q & R

We have different strengths and emphases as educators but probably none of us would deny the critical importance of having strong relationships with our students. Glendon Strickler brings a wealth of experience to this topic and conveys the mindset, some of the methods, and a illuminating stories of how he approaches student relationships. Glendon has taught and administrated at several schools including Ephrata Mennonite School and Faith Builders Christian School.

A key word here is rapport. Building a positive rapport is one of the most important things a teacher can do. Glendon argues that it looks like putting excellence and competence over likableness, leveraging the fact that students unconsciously imitate people that they like, ensure safety for all students, and patiently angling for loving influence. How do you earn rapport? Breaking the ice, wielding the rubber sword of humor, opening the door to connecting with students—hear Glendon reflect on how these and more have enabled powerful relationships with students.

Glendon also works to develop our understanding our generation of students by considering the impact of individualism, the generation of “me,” the priority of feelings over truth. He reminds us that: “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” But Glendon argues that in this climate Jesus doesn’t need to be modernized. Instead, what modern people need is spiritual mentors that bring Jesus to life. Living, breathing examples that put flesh on cold concepts and life into ideas.

There’s no replacement for experience, making a bunch of mistakes, and humbly learning from them. Next time you bump into a teacher you admire, ask them how they connect with student or how they wield humor in their teaching. Bring this up with your staff. Talk about mistakes you’ve made. Think together about how to build rapport. Keep listening for a bit of bonus content on a few more tools in Glendon’s toolbox.

Links

• Contact us: https://thedockforlearning.org/contact-us/
• 3-minute feedback: https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn
• [book] The Last Christian Generation by Josh McDowell: https://a.co/d/bdYEiZe
• [book] Already Gone by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer with Todd Hillard: https://a.co/d/2BDJwgs
• Airzooka: https://www.flinnsci.com/airzooka/ap6657/#variantDetails

You can say it in different ways, but a Christian school isn’t worth the time and effort it takes unless it’s helping form disciples of Jesus. That doesn’t mean you’re practicing child evangelism or replacing the essential work of the church. It does mean that we are partnering with our churches and families and that we as school leaders and teachers are fully devoted to following Jesus ourselves. Like Stephen says, we should think of ourselves as wearing signs that say, “Follow me.” This is a call to evaluate and refocus our personal vision and witness in our relationships around schools that most definitely shape our teaching and our students.

Stephan Gingerich has been on this show before and brings a range of experience in teaching and school leadership, some of which he gained while growing up and teaching in Central America. He brings refreshing perspective and challenges us in this talk to be concerned with what’s beyond our school fences.

Stephen invites us to ponder with him.

• Great opportunities are often disguised as problems.
• Perhaps we witness the most when we don’t know that people are watching us.
• How can our schools bring light to the world?
• What does the Sermon on the Mount have to say about Christ-like community relations?
• What are practical ways you can connect with your community?

Links

• Contact us: https://thedockforlearning.org/contact-us/
• 3-minute feedback: https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn