Education for Love and Wisdom

Joni Eereckson Tada broke her neck and was paralyzed when she was just 17 years old. In the years that followed, she became an artist, author, minister, and one of the world's most effective advocates for people with disabilities. In this two-part episode of the Education for Love and Wisdom Podcast, Jeff Hittenberger and Joanne Van Boxtel interview Joni and learn about the extraordinary work of J...

In this episode, Dr. Ludmila Praslova, author of the award-winning book The Canary Code, joins us to explore the vital role of neurodiversity in workplaces and faith communities. Dr. Praslova shares her personal origin story and professional expertise in defining the nuances of neurodivergent experiences and intersectional belonging. The discussion offers practical strategies for designing inclusi...

Dr. Stefan Bean, Orange County Superintendent sits down with Dr. Jeff Hittenberger to discuss how educators and leaders can make a difference in the lives of those with disabilities. Hear Dr. Bean's incredible story and how it has impacted his work as an educational leader. The Education for Love & Wisdom Podcast is sponsored by Vanguard University of Southern California. For more information abou...

Listen in to Part 1 of an excellent talk about how schools and church organizations can meet the needs of families and individuals with disabilities. The Education for Love & Wisdom Podcast is sponsored by Vanguard University of Southern California. For more information about the Vanguard School of Education or this podcast, please email loveandwisdom@vanguard.edu   Thanks for listening!

Listen in to the plenary session featuring a panel of educational leaders and church community leaders from our recent Disability Symposium event. This is Part 1 of the panel discussion. Stay tuned next week for Part 2! Please also save the date for Wednesday, June 24th -- our 2nd Annual Disability Symposium is coming soon! The Education for Love & Wisdom Podcast is sponsored by Vanguard Universit...

Welcome to the Education for Love and Wisdom podcast, Season 5! This first episode of the new season asks the question: "How does God see disability?" Our host, Dr. Jeff Hittenberger, Dean of Vanguard University's School of Education, interviews Dr. Rodney Hume-Dawson, professor at Cal Poly Pomona, and Dr. Joanne Van Boxtel, faculty director of the Special Education program at Vanguard. Together,...

Dr. Jeff Kim serves in many diverse roles from teacher, to coach, to school board member. His extensive experience provides a unique perspective on leadership at all levels. Dr. Kim shows that you be an effective leader in any job and in any context through the power of love and wisdom. The Education for Love & Wisdom Podcast is sponsored by Vanguard University of Southern California. For more inf...

How do you build a world-class team grounded in love and wisdom? Dr. Ryan Hartwig serves as Vanguard University's Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. He's a seasoned leader and expert in team dynamics. Dr. Hartwig's book, Teams That Thrive, offers valuable insights into healthy team leadership, which we'll explore in this episode of Education for Love and Wisdom. The Education for Love...

Superintendent Michael Matsuda is a nationally recognized leader in 21st-century education. He's transformed Anaheim Union High School District with innovations like the 5Cs, the 'Career Preparedness Systems Framework,' and fostering student voice and purpose. Hear how a leader can combine innovation with love and wisdom to bring transformative change to schools and communities. The Education for...

How do ethics and integrity shape your leadership? And how do love and wisdom create a strong foundation for long-term contribution in leadership? This week’s guest is Dr. Renea Brathwaite, who serves as Dean of Vanguard University's School of Theology and Ministry and Chief Community Care Officer. His journey has taken him from Barbados to a Ph. D. in Theology. Join us in a deep and life-changing...

Norma E. Martinez is Superintendent of Centralia Elementary School District. With 30 years in education, she's risen from bilingual instructional assistant to superintendent. Under her leadership, Centralia schools have garnered numerous accolades, but her message is that the superintendency is never about the superintendent. Instead, leadership is about empowering ALL students! Find out how on th...

Dr. Wesley Smith, Superintendent of Newport-Mesa Unified, is a respected leader with over 25 years experience in California public education. He’s well-known for narrowing achievement gaps and fostering strong family engagement. His extensive experience spans site, district, state, and federal levels. Recently, he inspired Vanguard University's Teacher Education Advisory Council with his impactful...

Let’s talk about leadership! This season, we’ll hear stories from educational leaders who share about how to become a leader and not lose your soul in the process. The Education for Love & Wisdom Podcast is sponsored by Vanguard University of Southern California. For more information about the Vanguard School of Education or this podcast, please email loveandwisdom@vanguard.edu   Thanks for listen...

Educators are tired. The demands of life weigh heavy as we seek to meet the needs of and create opportunities for all our students, many of whom are experiencing distress. How can we care for ourselves and stay healthy and well in the midst of it all? On this episode, Dr. Rebecca Spady and Dr. Joanne Van Boxtel on “Love, Wisdom, and Self-Care.” Join us and feel better! The Education for Love & Wis...

Much of the basic wiring of a human brain happens in the first five years of a child’s life, as a child’s brain grows from 25% of the size of an adult brain at birth to 90% of an adult brain at age five. The foundational architecture of the brain is dependent on positive interaction with parents and other adults in the earliest years of life, opportunities to interact, learn, and grow, care and nu...

In my house, teachers are heroes. Teachers have been irreplaceable partners in the education of our children. And yet, we often hear stories of how that partnership breaks down. In this episode, I’m joined by my wife Christine Corbin Hittenberger for a discussion of how teachers can and do partner with families to ensure that students maximize their learning and growth. The Education for Love & Wi...

Do you thrill to the possibilities represented by new technologies that offer students access to the vast library of all human learning to help them build new understandings and new creations? Or do you flashback to awkward lectures on zoom with blank screens? And are our technology tools opening doors to a bright future for our students, or are our technologies rewiring our children’s brains and...

We’re not meant to do teaching alone. We need friends and colleagues who share the work and the sense of mission. Renee Rose and Becky Spady, our guests on this episode of Education for Love and Wisdom, exemplify that kind of friendship. And so do their topics, which depend on each other like friends do. Instructional strategies and assessments, if they support each other, can bring learning to li...

Celebration! Do you remember a classroom where learning was celebrated? Not so much because you got an A, but because you tried something really hard, because you took on a challenge and made progress, because you learned something even though your experiment “failed.” There’s always something to celebrate. And celebration is one of the keys to creating a classroom environment that helps students...

What if the people we consider most vulnerable are the strongest among us? What if the people who historically have been considered least likely to contribute actually have the most to contribute? What if the highest calling is not to be rich or famous or powerful, but rather to serve with love and wisdom even when no one is looking? This week on Education for Love and Wisdom, Dr. Joanne Van Boxte...

The Education for Love & Wisdom Podcast is sponsored by Vanguard University of Southern California. For more information about the Vanguard School of Education or this podcast, please email loveandwisdom@vanguard.edu   Thanks for listening!

How can we make sure that each one of our children and young people gets the support and opportunities he or she needs to flourish in their learning? This is the focus of this week’s episode based on the chapter entitled “Love, Wisdom, and Support Strategies for Students.” Author Pam Tupy is an outstanding educator, a consultant with Katie Novak, and was my colleague at the Orange County Departmen...

Jeff recently asked his students which Olympic sport they enjoyed most this summer. What was yours? His students chose women's gymnastics--especially because of their impressive success during the games. One striking thing about the US Olympic team, exemplified by the women’s gymnastics team, was its extraordinary diversity and unity: “E pluribus unum.” On this week’s episode we explore the chapte...

This episode features audio that was produced by the Orange County Department of Education. View further information and hear more about this extraodrinary story here:  https://newsroom.ocde.us/the-deeper-learning-podcast/ For more information about the Mendez v. Westminster court case, visit this site: https://newsroom.ocde.us/the-final-ruling-in-mendez-v-westminster-which-ended-sanctioned-school...

How does our brain work? How do we create the optimum conditions for learning? What do love and wisdom have to do with learning theories and brain science? These are the questions we explore in this episode of Education for Love and Wisdom! The Education for Love & Wisdom Podcast is sponsored by Vanguard University of Southern California. For more information about the Vanguard School of Education...