The Dock School Leader Podcast

What sets our schools apart from any other kind of education? We all have access to the same books and information. We all have access to the same array of mechanisms for delivering that information from classrooms to the internet. Why the extra cost and sacrifice to operate and participate in a school? What makes the school? Jonas Sauder’s labor in education spans many decades. Probably most of u...

We’re hearing from Darrell Hershberger this week on time management. As you’ll hear him say in the talk, these ideas and examples are drawn from his experience of making repeated efforts to address weaknesses in this arena. Few of us find a time management trick that takes care of all our problems. More often, success with time management is the fruit of deliberate and regular renewal. Darrell has...

It’s easy to forget that the Christian school movement is not all that old. Some of the founders still live among us. On the other hand, when we stop to count it up, we’re somewhere close to the transition to the third or fourth generation of school leaders. The point is, we’re far enough along to be in the range when it’s common to forget and lose. Ken Kauffman cares deeply about stewarding what...

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about shepherding in relation to staff care. It’s a powerful metaphor. In this slightly shorter episode, Daniel Horst focuses on what this kind of care and leadership looks like in working with new teachers. He speaks with a deep concern for helping bring new teachers through the dangers and snares of the first years in the classroom and make it a journey of j...

Jonathan Erb, the speaker in today’s episode has 16 years of teaching experience, half in Anabaptists schools and half in a Russian Baptist school. His work with the Russian Baptists involved helping them to establish a school similar to that of North American Anabaptists. This required Jonathan to translate his knowledge and experience into a new context. He’s now working as a school rep for Chri...

Perhaps one of the greatest needs in our schools is godly, competent, and visionary administrators. Administrators have a great gift to offer to their schools, their families, their churches, etc., is if they are willing to pay the price of developing into godly men and women. Drawing from Ezekiel, Steven develops a biblical basis for the work of an administrator. Administrators are called to buil...

Along with our last episode on school structure, this week focus on curriculum are well-suited to planning for the upcoming school year. From working on your school’s scope and sequence to helping teachers focus their energy, Linford Horst offers a valuable mix of perspective and advice. Linford has many years of teaching experience at Horizon Mennonite School where he has also served as principle...

Summer is a great time to think about something like school structure. Anthony Hurst is our speaker on this week’s episode. Anthony taught for many years and more recently has been interacting with dozens of schools as a rep for Christian Light and as a speaker at educational events. He brings a wealth of experience to the subject of structure in a school.   Anthony begins by distinguishing betwee...

Carson Baer lives in British Columbia and approaches his talk about new teachers as an ordained church leader and as a board member. He cares deeply about school and the tremendous significance of teachers. Carson offers inspiration and direction for school leaders in the sometime overwhelming work of staffing a school. There are many good teachers who have never taught because no one has done the...

One generation starts it, the next enjoys it, the third loses it. There’s some truth to this. We’re over three generations into the Christian school movement in North America. Of course, at the level of individual communities this is very uneven. Maybe you’ve just started a school. Regardless of where you are, it’s important that you ask yourself: am I content with a 3 generation Christian school...

In the last episode, we heard from Gerald Miller about the central role of the family. For this special question and response feature, I sat down with Gerald Miller, administrator at FBCS for a related conversation about the role school leaders have in growing healthy families in their communities. We talked about the current parenting scene, tried to paint a picture of what could be, and thought...

What if we understood school as part of the heart of the church rather than a useful arm? Would this change the way we did school? What if we saw teachers as working in close collaboration with the ordained leaders of a church, as extensions of that ministry? The New Testament points to the church established by Christ as the essential basis of the kingdom of God. In this episode, Gerald Miller sa...

Description Drop us a question for the special, upcoming Q & R episode with Gerald Miller. What does it take to cultivate love in our students? As teachers, we don’t just want to transfer important information to our students. We want to change their lives. We want them to love God with their heart, soul, mind, and strength. In Steven’s words, “Stories are one of the most powerful tools availa...

Drop us a question for the special, upcoming Q & R episode with Gerald Miller. As principals and administrators, it’s your responsibility to guide your teachers in effectively disciplining students and to get involved in handling the toughest cases. Many of you also teach and are on the first line of discipline yourselves. In this episode with Glendon Strickler, you will hear an overview of ho...

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...

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. G...

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....

“Genuinely Christian schools will not always fit what everyone else is doing in education. We need to give ourselves permission to go against the flow.” But it’s not sufficient to seek difficulty and resistance. We need a goal. A mission. A burning love. A beautiful vision. As Steven emphasizes in today’s episode, “Nonconformity is not enough. We need something to be conformed to. And for us, that...

It’s Christmas season and here on the Dock School Leader Podcast we’re running a special episode featuring a collection of stories chosen and read by two experienced educators that have appeared before on this show—Jonas Sauder and Ken Kauffman. Their selections range from fables to short stories to poems and all convey a timeless truth through the penetrating power of story. Take a break from the...

Why teach Math? John Swartz is ambitious here. Hear him connect the question of why he teaches math with the question of why he exists along with stories of Almanzo Wilder and his own experience. He brings teaching experience as well as specific training in mathematics. He’s worked in curriculum at Christian Light and also served as a minister for many years. In this episode, John quotes Larry Zim...

What images or models are your teachers taking into their classrooms? How do they see themselves and their students? What is really driving them? Distorted images and motives can be difficult to identify but express themselves in all manner of persistent issues that do deep damage. Welcome to this episode where Anthony Hurst names a number of potential mindset problems, or areas of possible proble...

Description How and why do we teach science in a time when for years we’ve been battling in the world of science trying to prove God’s existence? With what mindset do we approach the natural world? How are we seeing creation, and how does this shape the way we see the Creator? Rob Layne is quite interested in exploring some of what’s going on deep under the hood in science. In this episode, you’ll...

3 minutes of your time to answer 5 questions will help us to serve you better. https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn Description Does supporting your teachers look overwhelming to you? You’re not alone. Caring for and nurturing teachers is not easy. Each teacher represents many relationships and responsibilities. Your teacher’s jobs matter. And they matter every day. That’s why teaching is hard. A...

3 minutes of your time will help us improve this podcast https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn Take the survey! Most people can readily see the importance of English. Why do so few enjoy it in school or find it fulfilling? In this inspiring session, Kendall Myers reminds us of why language arts classes rightly take a significant slice of our energies at school. Kendall brings a wealth of experienc...

3 minutes of your time will help us improve this podcast https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn Take the survey! You’ve heard it before; your school will develop a culture, a spirit. The question is: what kind of a spirit will it be and what can you do to form it? Richie Lauer brings helpful insight and proactive ideas for you to consider as you get into your school year. Richie has taught and admi...