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Sessions & Descriptions
What sets you apart and Writing Your Faith Story: Parents are seeking an alternative to public school education. What sets you apart and are you leaning into your Christ centered roots enough? In this session we’ll help your organization put that front and center. We’ll also refresh our own faith stories and learn a strategy for teachers and students to share their faith with others.
BLESS: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World: Based on the book by the same title by Dave and Jon Ferguson, Lisa Ferguson will walk us through how a school community can come together to create a BLESS culture to share the love of Jesus with each other, family, friends and neighbors.
Work Smarter, Not Harder Part 1: Leveraging AI to use with your staff and in turn helping them use it to develop activities and lessons for their students.
Presenter: Dr. Brad Mitchell, HS Principal from Timothy Christian School
Work Smarter, Not Harder Part 2: How to teach your staff to gather great data through the use of high and low tech procedures. Learn how to gather formative data in a variety of ways including Plickers, “My favorite no”, Socrative, and more.
God’s design through “Agape Sticks” with guest facilitator Pastor David Seabaugh, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Elmhurst. Pastor Seabaugh has written discipleship curricula and presented at other Best Practices Conferences using a method that is perfect for educators to share God’s design for our world and how selfishness breaks it apart. The best thing is it’s done through arrows and stick figures!
Going From Good to Great: Learn a protocol and methods to move your staff from good to great, proficient to distinguished, or whatever the “next” level is for your staff’s instructional practice.
Reaching ALL Learners through Math Intervention: Learn several researched based approaches to math instruction and intervention. These broad approaches will fit any school with any amount of staff support.
Co-lead by: Laura Groenewold, Director of Educational Support Pk-8 at Timothy Christian
Justin Horne is the PS-8th grade principal at Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst, Illinois. He has been an educator for 20 years. First as a 4th and 5th grade teacher and then an elementary principal. By God’s grace he’s been part of schools that have all won US Department of Education Blue Ribbons. Justin has Elementary Education and Psychology degrees from University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters of Education from Loyola University Chicago. He earned his National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification in 2009 and has spoken at various conferences.
For over 25 years, Lisa has dedicated herself to early childhood education with expertise in language and literacy, math development and play. Throughout her career, Lisa has held various roles, including classroom teacher, university instructor, professional development facilitator, instructional coach, and conference presenter. Lisa currently works at the Erikson Institute where she is a professional development content creator and facilitator, supporting early childhood administrators and teachers across the country. She is an author of Bringing Baby Home in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Chicago Mayor’s Office, as well as The B.L.E.S.S. Family Resource. She serves on the board of Reach Out and Read Illinois and is a member of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree from Moody Bible Institute and a Master of Arts in Teaching from National-Louis University. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Jon Ferguson, an author and co-founding pastor of Community Christian Church and the New Thing Network.
Dr. Brad Mitchell is an experienced educator with over 25 years of experience in the field. He began his career as a mathematics teacher at Naperville North High School, before moving into roles as an Instructional Coordinator, Instructional Support Coach, and Department Chair at various schools. For the past 12 years, he has served as the Principal of Timothy Christian High School, where he has led the school’s transformation to a more student-centered, technology-rich environment with innovative programs like a one-to-one iPad initiative and an Innovation and Design Lab. Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Calvin College, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Kent State University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from Concordia University Chicago.
Wheaton Academy Institute leverages the 170 year history of Wheaton Academy's challenges and successes to advance Christian schooling globally for the glory of God.