“WHAT?” This was the response I was able to recently witness from a student who had just understood a particularly difficult concept in a math class. The teacher and the class had spent the period collaboratively exploring a new concept by looking at graphs and trying to discover the relationship between the behavior of the slope and the way it was represented. One of the perks of my job is that I get to observe and witness learning happening like this in all of our classrooms. For example, earlier this year I had the opportunity to see students in our junior kindergarten class extend their learning by taking a field trip to explore nature through their different senses. Another elementary class created presentations about their summers and then shared them with their parents in order to hone and practice their communication skills. Students in our high school Bible classes have been exploring different worldviews in order to understand better the different ways people view the world around them. This will allow them to more critically think about the different readings and concepts that they come into contact with in the future from these perspectives while also understanding how the Bible answers life’s big questions. Similarly, in our middle school geography classes, students are introduced to regions and then have the opportunity to explore and research countries in different parts of the world allowing them to become more familiar with the accomplishments and struggles facing different regions. And these are just some examples from our core classes – I have not even touched on the amazing things being created in our fine arts classes or the invaluable lessons being learned in our foregin language and technology classes.  

What do these all have in common? These are some of the many ways that BAIS teachers are committed to facilitating the transformation of hearts and minds needed to prepare our children for life in the 21st century. According to Staufer and Staufer (2022), education needs to be focusing on critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. At BAIS, these learning skills are at the center of everything that we do as we work together with you to raise up a generation that can help lead our future communities into flourishing. 

Stauffer, B., & Stauffer, B. (2022, January 10). What Are 21st Century Skills? Aeseducation.com. https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-are-21st-century-skills