Teachers Week

Teachers Week includes content for new and experienced teachers. Content-focused workshops and breakouts discuss history, science, math, literature, spelling, Bible, and more.

2023 PROGRAM

GENERAL ASSEMBLIES

Building Connections in the Classroom   Jonathan Miller

• Work and Play
• Subject Matter
• Problems and Frustrations
• Shared Interests

SPLIT SESSIONS: NEWER TEACHERS

Teaching to Win the Heart   Linford Horst

SPLIT SESSIONS: EXPERIENCED TEACHERS

Classroom Culture: the Context for Learning   Gerald Miller

Workshops

Workshops offer three sessions of extended study and interaction.

New Teacher Orientation, K-4   Becky Bollinger

Ready to teach? Effective teaching requires preparation and this workshop is intended to help prepare you for your first year in the classroom. It will include topics such as teaching methods, lesson planning/presentation, classroom management, and motivation as it pertains to grades K-4. If possible, please bring a copy of your classroom schedule with you.

New Teacher Orientation 5-12   Kevin Groff

Ready to teach? Effective teaching requires preparation, and this workshop is intended to help prepare you for your first year in the classroom. It will include such topics as motivation, a typical lesson, and the learning process.

Teaching Elementary Art  Deana Swanson

Do you need fresh ideas for art projects?  I have them.  Think you can’t teach art?  You can, and every student deserves to have an art class at least once a week.  Come and enjoy a wonderful action-packed three afternoons of inspiring ideas for you and your students to enjoy.  We will also discuss various resources to help you plan a whole year of art projects with your students.

Teaching Elementary Music   Jeff Swanson

I am going to be the elementary music teacher and y’all are going to be the elementary music students, learning all the things that I want you to learn. Which means y’all will be singing and sight reading and lip trilling and playing and laughing and doing whatever else I ask you to do, all the while learning through the eyes of students.  We will plan to look at voice training, music reading, singing in parts, assigning voice parts, working with and loving monotones and many other wonderful things.

Meeting the Needs of the Struggling Student   Denise Weaver
This workshop is full to capacity.

“If he would only try harder, he could do it.”  But what if he is trying harder and still cannot do it? How do we help the struggling and failing students? In this workshop, I will equip you through teaching and hands-on practice with the knowledge, tools, and resources you need to properly identify, accommodate, and remediate your struggling students both in the classroom and the learning support room.

Building an Extra-Curricular Reading List   Piper Burdge

Are your students stuck in “reading ruts,” reading the same genre over and over? Do you want to cultivate a love for good books in your classroom? Come create a reading list for your students along with a plan to motivate them to read more broadly! A collaborative workshop for teachers of all grade levels, facilitated by a middle school teacher. Workshop limited to 15 participants.

Developing Good Habits of Math Instruction   John Mark Kuhns

Habits are powerful, automatic tendencies that we develop by repeated action. We will consider several habits that can help your math classes run smoothly and effectively, such as consistent board layout, proper mathematical vocabulary, and regular checking for understanding. We will also consider some pitfalls to avoid, such as skipping steps, teaching only formulas, and making excuses for students. Most examples will be drawn from prealgebra and higher.

Backyard Biology:  Exploring Educational Opportunities at Hand   Dana Atkinson

We'll get outside and find things like galls, leaf miners, and soil insects. We'll take note of the flowers, plants, and insects of the school yard, its edges, and the nearby woods. We'll investigate the stories of whatever is at hand.  Participants can replicate these activities in their own schoolyards back home.

Applying Critical Thinking to Science Demonstrations   Josh Wagler

This workshop will introduce critical thinking skills needed to discern truth both in the science classroom and in our vocational and spiritual lives. There will be discussion on how to model and pass on these skills to our students. Each workshop will also include lessons and demonstrations for practical experiments on a budget and describe the safety practices needed for these demonstrations.

Beyond Reading Skills: Teaching Literature   Jonas Sauder

Literature throbs with the pulse of the human heart, leaving an impact on the reader. Literature teachers help students engage literary works in a way that influences how they live their lives from that day forward.  They may be enlightened, inspired, encouraged, or warned. They may gain knowledge, insight, or motivation.  Workshop participants will sample a variety of literary works and practice ways to engage them that can be reproduced in their classrooms next term.

Developing Student Presentation Skills   Anthony Hurst

What do your students do most of the time at school? What skills are you planning to teach them in the coming school year? Typically, students read their lessons for answers to written questions. Most of our curriculum develops this skill. It is harder to teach presentation and listening skills, but these are also important skills. In this workshop we will consider how teachers can give their students opportunities to develop oral presentation skills. Attendees will discuss together and outline specific opportunities student oral activities in the coming year. Attendees will also have opportunity to share something with the group such as telling or reading a story or teaching a short lesson. Workshop limited to 25 participants.

Public Speaking for Ladies   Anita Yoder

If public speaking terrifies you, this workshop is for you. Learn simple tools to prepare and deliver any time you speak inside or outside your classroom. We might not be able to take all your butterflies away, but we can try to get them to listen to you! Workshop limited to 20 participants.

Using your Resources to Address Behavioral Issues   Conrad Shank

Attendees will list behavioral challenges they have faced or expect to face. Using these examples, we will discuss resources available to help a newer teacher address these issues. This workshop is designed to build your support system in various ways because none of us can do everything.
 

Also offering:

Breakouts

• Beginning Writing   Laura Conley
• Classroom Management  Myron Brubaker
• Spelling Sparkles  Sharon Yoder
• Imaginative Stories as Curriculum   Jeremy Sauder
• Explaining BioMedical Research   Jerry Fox
• Building Number Sense   Becky Bollinger
• Teaching Living History Threads & Weavings  various
• Thriving on Your Salary  Lucy Miller
• Teaching a Math Lesson  Darlene Diem
• Inspiring Wonder Through Science   Steven Brubaker
• What Math Is Important?   Conrad Shank
• and many more