Christian Educators Journal October 2021 Vol. 61 No. 1
Lessons from COVID Chapel in the Time of COVID Using Pre-recorded Lectures during the COVID Pandemic Technology Tools We’re Keeping Panndemic Principal COVID-19 Lessons from a Mother’s Perspective
Future Issues December 2021—Speak Up A look at most elementary, middle, or high school curriculums or standards will reveal that “speaking and listening” is a skill we hope students will learn before heading out into the adult world, but it’s a skill so basic that we may not always think intentionally about how to teach it best. In this issue, we’ll investigate some of those methods, as well as other issues around speech. We’d love to hear from you! English teachers: Tell us about the poetry recitation lessons you teach. Math and science teachers: How do you teach story problems? Theater directors: What are your favorite exercises for projection and enunciation? Speech pathologists: What can classroom teachers do to support your work? Chaplains: Do you train students to read Scripture or share their testimonies in chapel? Debate and forensics coaches: Send us your resources for argumentation and civil discourse. Counselors and social workers: What sort of social-emotional language are you teaching students these days? And everyone: How do you convince timid students to speak loudly enough for everyone to hear their great answers? February 2022—School Staff: A Precious Resource Because the quality of teaching makes the most significant difference in the success of any school, the culture of a school faculty and the training and support given to teachers and staff plays a vital role in achieving a school’s goals. In a Christian school, this has implications for the spiritual development of students, as well as their educational success. How do Christian schools develop cultures of learning and growth among their faculty? What types of leadership best help teachers succeed in their work with students? What kind of mentorship and support helps young teachers succeed, and what opportunities and experiences promote longevity and satisfaction in careers of experienced teachers? What are the elements of successful professional development? And beyond a free pizza lunch, how can we make faculty and staff feel appreciated and supported? Submissions are open—contact Steve and Abby (cejeditor@gmail.com) to propose an article. Articles are due November 15, 2021. April 2022—Resource Review Each year we highlight the best books, films, websites, teaching tools, and other resources for Christian school teachers. We publish reviews of student-facing material (like which books to stock in your classroom library), as well as materials relevant to school staff (like curriculums or books about teaching). Submissions are open—contact Steve and Abby (cejeditor@gmail.com) to propose an article. Articles are due January 31, 2022.
Contents
3 Editorial STEVE TUIT AND ABBY ZWART
5 The People-Centered School:
How COVID Helped Us Find Our Focus LON L. SCHWARTZENTRUBER
9 Chapel in the Time of COVID ANTHONY BIGORNIA
16 Using Pre-recorded Lectures during the COVID Pandemic
TIMOTHY D. VEENSTRA AND ELISHA INJETI
20 Technology Tools We’re Keeping JENNY SUE FLANNAGAN
25 Three Lessons I Can’t Unlearn from 2020 JOEL R. GAINES
29 Pandemic Principal MICHELLE TUINSTRA
32 COVID-19 Lessons from a Mother’s Perspective KELLY SAKZENIAN CAGLE
Christian Educators Journal October 2021 1
Christian Educators Journal Vol. 61 No. 1, October 2021 cejonline.com Co-editors Steve Tuit and Abby Zwart cejeditor@gmail.com The Christian Educators Journal (CEJ) encourages letters to the editor in response to articles presented in the CEJ. Letters must be accompanied by the author’s name and email address. The CEJ reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Where a letter addresses issues raised by the author of an article, the CEJ reserves the right to invite the article author to respond to the letter. Subscriptions Bill Vriesema 3075 Kissing Rock Lane Lowell, MI 49331 616-460-2926 business@cejonline.com Subscription Price (US dollars) US: $20.00 (one year) $55.00 (three years) Canada: $25.00 (one year) $70.00 (three years) Foreign: $50.00 (one year) $150.00 (three years) US Postal Information Nonprofit Organization Postage paid in Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 657 Return postage guaranteed to: Christian Educators Journal 3075 Kissing Rock Lane Lowell, MI 49331 Address Correction Requested Canadian Postal Information Registered under Publications Mail Agreement: No. 40022165 at Norwich, ON Return postage guaranteed to: Christian Educators Journal PO Box 39 Norwich, ON N0J 1P0 Indexed in Christian Periodicals Index Copyrighted 2000 CEJ. All rights reserved. Christian Educators Journal (130630) is published quarterly by Christian Educators Journal Association. Scripture All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com Printer Color House Graphics, Grand Rapids, MI
Statement of Purpose The Christian Educators Journal Association publishes the Journal as a channel of communication for all educators committed to the idea of Christian day school at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. The views expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the association. Reprint Policy We allow free reprinting or photocopying of individual articles that have appeared in our journal, as long as the copied articles are used within the context of schooling and the source is acknowledged. Co-editors Steve Tuit and Abby Zwart Copyeditor Bethany Murphy Design Editor Klaas Wolterstorff Business Manager Bill Vriesema Webmaster Heather Altena Board of Trustees Dr. Henry Algera Heather Birch Justin Cook Dan Diephouse (Secretary) Albert Kok (Chair) Gayle Monsma Ed Noot Jim Rooks Sean Schat Tricia Stobbe Edith Van Der Boom Heather VanDyke Christine Webb Supporting Institutions Calvin University Edvance Christian Schools Association Institute for Christian Studies The King’s University Redeemer University College Trinity Christian College Tyndale University College Subscribing Organizations Christian Educators Association Christian Educators of British Columbia Prairie Centre for Christian Education Back issues available for 1–10 copies $7.00 per copy 11–30 copies $6.00 per copy 31+ copies $5.00 per copy (cost of shipping to be added to total)
Editorial
“A
smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” It’s one of those sayings of indeterminate origin. Is it an old African proverb? Or was it spoken by American president Franklin D. Roosevelt? Or maybe it was discovered and translated from Greek on a stone in the Aegean Sea? Regardless, it’s an apt saying for the last three semesters of teaching: we’ve all been challenged, and we hope we’ve come to the end of this thing stronger than we were before. That is the optimist’s version, of course. There’s no denying the millions of lives lost to COVID-19, the furloughs and missed mortgage payments, the cancelled reunions and performances, the parents sick in hospital beds and the students who can’t bring themselves to get out of their own. As teachers, we had front row seats to so much of this struggle, and we faced multiple challenges of our own. And this is certainly not over. Though it looked for a while that the 2021–2022 school year might be back to “normal,” COVID variants and vaccine hesitancy continue to make our seas look choppy. Who knows what this school year will bring? And yet, there is hope. A safe and effective vaccine is readily available in much of the developed world, and there are organizations working to bring it worldwide. Restaurants and concerts and travel and all the other things that fill our non-work hours are feeling more and more comfortable. We’re still enjoying that new hobby we picked up during the slightly slower pace of the last year and a half. In June, teachers and students around the continent breathed a sigh of relief, donned their swimsuits, and jumped into the pool. The God who neither slumbers nor sleeps, who sees our coming and our going, has sustained us through a difficult year, granted us summer respite, and brought us back to our classrooms—our callings (Psalm 121). We hope that rather than sound flippant or out of touch, this issue— Lessons from COVID—celebrates the resilience and agility and positivity that so many teachers brought to their craft over the last few semesters. We found new ways to do old things and reasons to scrap the old things altogether. Some of us discovered practices we had that were unintentionally inaccessible or unnecessarily complicated. Educators of all generations ventured into using technology in ways they had never imagined. We brought the theater production online, and it went well. We held the enrollment interest meeting on Zoom, and new families still signed up. As parents, we learned about our children and their teachers. As coworkers, we stepped up, even when our plates were already full. In this issue, you’ll hear from principals, chaplains, parents, and teachers about what went well in their COVID school year. Maybe you’ll empathize: I loved Jamboard too! Maybe you’ll pick up a tip: I never considered asking Christian Educators Journal October 2021 3
students to record themselves reading scripture for chapel. Maybe you’ll just be exasperated but encouraged: Wow, at least some teachers had success last year! But if we can all come away from the rough seas of this most challenging and untraditional year of teaching with at least a couple of things we’d like to keep (please, no one say masks!), we’ll sail truer courses going forward. One thing I’d like to keep from these COVID school years is my new procedure for cold calling. In the past, I tended to avoid cold calls because I know it makes students anxious. Sometimes they just aren’t ready to answer, or they might be nervous about getting it “wrong,” or, yes, sometimes they aren’t paying attention—but I don’t want to shame them for that very human tendency. But this year, with students learning simultaneously in the classroom and live in my Zoom room (which I could see on an iPad in front of me), I knew I would have to specifically call on my online learners if I wanted to hear their voices. It turns out the solution was pretty simple: I developed a practice of warning students that I was about to cold call. I would present a question or topic to the class, let both online and in-person learners know that I might be calling on them for an answer, give them about one minute to develop a thought or jot something down, and then I would call on a random student. This easy switch gave me the benefits of cold calling (thus hearing voices that aren’t often heard and improving engagement) while fixing the “gotcha” vibe it can sometimes have. —Abby Zwart Like Abby, my procedure for calling on students will be improved because of the way I needed to interact with both live and virtual students. (I was totally going to use that one!) But another practice I’ll hold on to is a result of the way we needed to do school at the end of the 2019–2020 school year. When our school held synchronous online classes during those months, I posted my online lessons much more clearly before each class, explaining step by step what we’d be doing in class, with all resources (online handouts, slideshows, video segments) linked, then explaining in the same step-by- step fashion what the homework for the following class would be. In 2020– 2021, with some students attending class in person and others virtually, I maintained this practice. It made it easier for virtual students to follow along, but it also helped in-person students access materials electronically and made it easy for students who missed class to get caught up. —Steve Tuit
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The People-Centered School: How COVID Helped Us Find Our Focus LON L. SWARTZENTRUBER
S
ince the COVID-19 pandemic began, we have all learned a lot about dealing with challenges. Hopefully we have also learned a lot about ourselves, those around us, and the organizations we are a part of and lead. In working with private and Christian schools across the country, I’ve seen many schools successfully deal with the challenges presented by a global pandemic. In every case, they quickly pivoted in order to effectively support student learning, faculty care, parent transparency, and school community engagement. But they did something else even more important. What helped Christian schools succeed throughout COVID-19 is the same thing that will keep them strong long after the pandemic is over: keeping people, rather than programs or policies, at the center of their focus.
Successful Schools Keep Students at the Center On Friday, March 13, 2020, the governor of Michigan, my state, announced the closure of all K–12 schools in response to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases. Shortly afterward, one head of school reviewed her “to-do” list with me. My jaw dropped. The school had one weekend to figure out how to make the shift to 100 percent online learning. But this head of school knew they could do it. She encouraged her faculty with these words: “If we remember to ask ‘What will be best for the student?’ I believe we will get through this and help continue their learning uninterrupted.” Over the weekend, every teacher did what they needed to do to pivot as they took learning online. In this particular school’s case, asking what students needed uncovered, among other things, a previously unrecognized need for computers at home. That meant immediately delivering laptops to some households so that children could participate in virtual classes on the coming Monday. With this need addressed, students were better set up to succeed in an unfamiliar educational model. Keeping students at the center of the focus means entering into a space of curiosity as we seek to understand their unique context and needs.
What helped Christian schools succeed throughout COVID-19 is the same thing that will keep them strong long after the pandemic is over.
Keeping students at the center of the focus means entering into a space of curiosity as
Successful Schools Care for Their Faculty’s Needs
we seek to understand
One of the things that COVID-19 displaced was our sense of well-being. How can we feel safe when something we can’t see might land us, our students, or our loved ones in the hospital? Safety has always been important to schools. But during the pandemic, school safety was harder to define because it
needs.
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their unique context and
Technology Tools We’re Keeping JENNY SUE FLANNAGAN
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. —James 1:2–4
T
Our program prepares teachers to use apps associated with iPads and smartboards, but our students were not prepared to teach completely through virtual platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet.
he spring of 2020 began like every other spring semester at Regent University. Student teachers began their semester-long internships full of excitement, nerves, and determination to finish what God had called them to complete. Little did they or any of us know what was going to happen that spring. After just eight weeks in the classroom, their internship was cut short due to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus. While public and private schools paused for two weeks to regroup and begin the process of teaching online, student teachers at Regent were sent home. As the pandemic continued into the summer, we suspected teaching in the fall might look a little different, but we never imagined we would continue with virtual instruction. The saying that necessity is the mother of invention was certainly true as it came to preparing our students for a virtual classroom setting. Preparing student teachers to teach online meant our students had to “adapt to new pedagogical concepts and modes of delivery of teaching for which they had not been trained” (Schlichter 4). Our program prepares teachers to use apps associated with iPads and smartboards, but our students were not prepared to teach completely through virtual platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet. Consequently, the move to online instruction caused the education program at Regent to adapt as well. As the Director of Student Teaching, I feverishly searched websites and blogs to identify and learn how to use various tools that might be implemented in the online classroom setting. To prepare our student teachers, I had to learn how to use Zoom and Google Meets, as these platforms would continue to be used by local school districts in the fall of 2020. Because many of the school districts were using Google products, I spent a great deal of time learning how to use and create activities through their platform. In the fall semester of 2020, to prepare students for virtual teaching, we overhauled our orientation to the student teaching course. Instead of spending two days reviewing how to write lesson plans and create classroom assessments, and then practicing the use of various instructional strategies, this new orientation course provided students with an intensive week-long course in which they learned how to use Zoom, Google Meets, and various Google products. One of our biggest hurdles to overcome was how to 20 October 2021 Christian Educators Journal
create virtual lessons that were as engaging as the same lessons in a face- to-f ace classroom and that still allowed our student teachers to use various research-based instructional strategies that promote student thinking. Instructional strategies and thinking routines are key elements within lesson plans that help to foster student engagement during the lesson, but they are also ways teachers can document student thinking. In a normal classroom setting, chart paper, whiteboards, and smartboards are the go-to tools to document student ideas, making their thinking visible. The documentation of student thinking using various strategies and thinking routines helps to reinforce learning to think, and it also reinforces the notion of thinking to learn. But in a virtual world, how do you do the same process? Finding tools that we could use in a virtual setting was important, because we wanted student teachers to still be able to use various instructional strategies and thinking routines that normally become the fabric of learning in the face-to-f ace classroom through their repeated use (Ritchhart 17). In this article I will share how student teachers took three different instructional strategies/thinking routines often used in the face-to-f ace classroom setting (“See, Think, Wonder”; “Graffiti Wall”; and “Big Paper Conversation”) and implemented them in a virtual setting using the Google tool known as Jamboard.
Google Jamboard Think of Jamboard as a digital interactive whiteboard or chart paper that allows students to collaborate in real time while online. Teachers can create one or multiple slides that students can interact with in various ways. Students use sticky notes or text boxes to respond to prompts or questions posed. These notes can be different colors, which can allow for various uses. A total of fifty participants can engage in a “Jam” at one time. For our student teachers, Jamboard became the flexible tool that worked well with several instructional strategies to engage students in collaboration online.
See, Think, Wonder “See, Think, Wonder” is a thinking routine that uses observations to engage students. This routine is helpful to begin a unit of study because it taps into a student’s natural sense of curiosity. Using a painting, photo, artifact, video clip, excerpt of a text, political cartoon, chart, or anything that can be observed, students are asked to describe what they see with only their eyes, what ideas or thoughts the picture makes them think about, and the questions the picture brings to mind. As an example, in a traditional pre-COVID classroom, fifth grade students would be shown a picture of a mother and her daughter in Mickey Mouse ears and given three minutes to observe the picture and then record what they saw, what they thought about as they observed the picture, and what questions the pictures raised. Students recorded their answers on a sheet of paper and then the teacher led a discussion of students’ thoughts. A class chart of what students observed (See), what they thought about (Think), and the questions the picture raised (Wonder) was recorded on a class chart using the smartboard. This was the beginning activity for a Christian Educators Journal October 2021 21
In a normal classroom setting, chart paper, whiteboards, and smartboards are the go-to tools to document student ideas, making their thinking visible.
The student teacher was able to use the data from this activity as a pre-assessment to see student thinking as it pertained to interpreting data.
lesson on observing carefully, as students would be making observations of changes in animal life cycles using mealworms. In transitioning this strategy to be completed in an online setting, the student teacher began by creating three slides in Jamboard with the titles “See,” “Think,” and “Wonder.” Each slide had the picture students would use for the activity. The student teacher then directed students to use the arrows at the top of the Jamboard to move between the three slides and create sticky notes to record what they observed, what the picture made them think of, and the questions the picture raised. Students had about six minutes to go through this activity. The teacher shared her screen while the students were completing the Jam. This allowed students to see the thoughts of their classmates in real time. Scan the top left QR code to see the actual Jamboard. Another example comes from a middle school science classroom lesson focused on analysis of data from an experiment. In the face-to-f ace classroom, students would be shown a chart displaying the mass of bubble gum prior to chewing and then a chart representing the mass of the gum after chewing for five and then for ten minutes. The teacher would ask students to write down what they see, think, and wonder as they look at the graphs. This information would then be put on a piece of chart paper, or the teacher would document student thinking using a whiteboard or smartboard. A discussion of what the students feel the data reflects would then take place. In transitioning this lesson to the online classroom, the student teacher used a modified version of See, Think, Wonder for this activity, simply directing students to make their comments on Jamboard slides. Again, to see the slide in Jamboard, scan the middle left QR code. This activity was actually very powerful for the student teacher, as she was able to use the data from this activity as a pre-assessment to see student thinking as it pertained to interpreting data.
Graffiti Wall “Graffiti Wall” is an instructional strategy that uses large posterboard or chart paper as a place where students record their comments and questions about a topic. A teacher can post multiple questions around the room on chart paper and then have students move through each of the questions using different colored pens. Students can work independently or in groups. In using this strategy, the purpose is to help students “hear” each other’s ideas while providing a way for shy students to engage in the conversation. It also becomes a document that can be used again at a later point, as it creates a record of students’ ideas and questions. In transitioning this strategy into the virtual world, the student teacher created one slide with the question, “What do you think about when you hear the word habitat?” Students were asked to use a different colored sticky note to record their responses. Scan this third QR code to see an example of second-grade student responses.
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Big Paper Conversation “Big Paper Conversation” is a discussion strategy where students have a conversation about a topic using writing and silence. In this strategy, students are given a quote or a stimulus that gets the conversation flowing. For example, one of our student teachers was doing his internship in a government class, and the topic for the lesson dealt with exploring student rights as pertaining to the First Amendment. In previous years, students were placed into groups of four. Each group was given a piece of chart paper with a description of a Supreme Court case. The teacher informed students that after the activity was over, they would discuss each case, and the conversation would be led by one of the students in the group of their choosing. Students were then told to read the case silently, and their task was to discuss if what occurred in the case violated the citizen’s First Amendment rights. The teacher asked students to share any questions they had about the activity, because once it started, they would not be able to ask questions. Students were directed to use different colored pens so it would be easy to identify who in the group made which comment after the activity was over. This strategy is an excellent one because it forces students to slow down and think while giving them an opportunity to reflect on the views of others. Transitioning this strategy online was a little bit trickier than the strategies described above, as the student teacher had to think about how to have multiple groups answering simultaneously online. In the face-to-f ace classroom setting, each chart paper already has the court case each group will be reading and interacting with during the strategy. In problem solving how to use this instructional strategy via Jamboard, the student teacher created six numbered slides with different cases for groups to analyze. He then assigned four students to each number. When his class opened via Zoom, he explained to students how the strategy worked and then posted a slide that had the students’ names and their assigned group number that correlated with the slides they should use when they went to the Jamboard site. Before he sent them to the Jamboard, he gave them the following final directions: in each group, the student with the shortest hair would be number 1, the student with the next longest hair would be number 2, and so on, until all four students in each group had the order in which they would respond during the silent conversation. Lastly, he assigned each student in the group a color. This would be the color they would use when writing their thoughts on the sticky note. By using different colored sticky notes, it would be easy to see the student’s thoughts and the progression of the online conversation. Students were told they would have a total of eight minutes to have their online silent conversation. As each group worked on their various Jams, the student teacher facilitated by showing the Jam on his Zoom screen while the students were working on the task. After students had finished having a silent online conversation, the student teacher then facilitated a discussion by going through each of the group’s slides and having the students share their silent conversation. After each group shared their thoughts on the court case, other class members were allowed to share their ideas. In the end, the teacher shared the result of the verdict from the Supreme Court justices. Scan the QR code at right to see the activity online.
Christian Educators Journal October 2021 23
Transitioning this strategy online was a little bit trickier than the strategies described above, as the student teacher had to think about how to have multiple groups answering simultaneously online.
COVID-19 Lessons from a Mother’s Perspective KELLY SAKZENIAN CAGLE
I Some educational settings did a better job than others equipping their students to excel in non-traditional environments, such as remote learning.
n March of 2020, every academic setting was challenged by COVID-19. Some educational models experienced deeper obstructions than others. In addition to the educational disruption, families were strongly impacted socially, emotionally, and spiritually by the changes to their daily school schedule. Although experiences varied, I believe some educational settings did a better job than others equipping their students to excel in non- traditional environments, such as remote learning. While COVID-19 offered us all a plethora of lessons, I will share those I learned through my family’s participation in a University-Model® school. Parents whose children attended traditional campuses (full time, five days a week) faced a challenge they had never encountered before. Adults were expected to continue their professional careers remotely, in addition to embracing the new role of “co-teacher”—an often unknown territory to them. This transition was extremely overwhelming and stressful to parents, as they also considered the health and safety of their loved ones during the viral outbreak. In October 2020, as part of a special report called “Learning” in the New York Times, Amelia Nierenberg reported on parents who were asked to answer the question, “How are you dealing with remote learning?” Some of the answers included the following: • “My third-grader does not like his headphones, which means as I sit next to him, I hear every loud voice, every math lesson, and every time a child interrupts. But it is important that I sit by him, as he is still trying to navigate the eight different online websites that the teacher uses to supplement the classwork. He is also easily distracted and a wiggly 8-year-old boy that needs redirection. He cannot do it alone, and I cannot expect his teacher to do it on her own from her home.” • “Balancing is not a thing when you are parenting, teaching and working simultaneously. It’s simply not possible to do it all or do any of it well.” • “My brain is breaking just trying to track their schedules, portals, login information, device access and so on.” Along with parents who faced new challenges of working remotely while simultaneously embracing the role of teacher, students also faced new challenges, as they were required to complete the school year with variations released weekly and in unfamiliar methods. Similar to adults, students encountered a major transition with being asked to continue schoolwork without the physical presence and supervision of a teacher. And, of course, educators also faced a major challenge. With little warning and limited time 32 October 2021 Christian Educators Journal
to prepare (one or two weeks in most cases), they resumed all lesson plans and transitioned content to an online platform of some sort. To make this possible, they had to ensure every student had digital access as well as additional resources (e.g., textbooks, supplies, manipulatives) to continue the learning process for the remainder of the school year.
My Experience Our son, Levi, started at a new school in the fall of 2019. For grades Kindergarten–2, he had attended a charter school and excelled in every area. However, we transferred him when we learned about a local private Christian school that followed a non-traditional method called University-Model® (UM). Students in grades Kindergarten–6 attend in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays and receive satellite assignments from highly qualified teachers to complete at home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Secondary students, those in grades 7–12, attend in person on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and also have satellite work to complete on the other two weekdays. According to John Turner Jr., the model was designed to equip students for college, while also providing parents the opportunities to disciple, influence, and mentor their children even during the school year. UM parents receive the title of co-instructor, as they partner with certified teachers in educating their child. As Barry Zimmerman found, “self-regulation is important because a major function of education is the development of life-long learning skills” (66). My husband and I believed the flexible schedule of a University- Model® school would provide opportunities for our son to establish life-long learning skills, while also allowing us to remain active participants in his personal and academic development. Additionally, with two much younger children, we saw this school model as the perfect opportunity for our sons to have the close relationship we desired for them even with the large age gap (five and seven years) because of the increased time together.
Academic Experience before COVID-19 When we first transitioned to the school model, I knew there were several skills Levi had to develop in order to succeed academically. As a nine-year- old boy, self-regulatory skills of organizational and time management are limited without the intervention of an adult. Although he had excelled in school the previous three years, a combination of in-person and satellite days was a different dynamic to navigate without the constant direction of a teacher. I dedicated much of our satellite days to establishing routines (e.g., making his bed, eating breakfast, and reading his devotional prior to beginning schoolwork), teaching independence (e.g., setting timers, using resources, and prioritizing tasks), and bringing awareness to times of engagement (e.g., assessing which assignments require a lot of focus, when to take breaks, and how to be a good listener). We had only experienced the normalcy of a UM school for eight months when the pandemic hit; however, we had established an effective satellite day routine that I believe made the transition to remote learning nearly seamless. Christian Educators Journal October 2021 33
The University Model was designed to equip students for college, while also providing parents the opportunities to disciple, influence, and mentor their children even during the school year.