The Universe Next Door and The Best Things in Life

Regardless of the grades we teach and Even if the words themselves don't show up in our regular practice, Christian teachers must be aware of the worldviews competing not only for our students' attention, but for our own as well. This not only helps us better connect with and shepherd our students, but it also helps us to properly diagnose inconsistencies in our own practice so we can be more aligned with foundational Christian commitments. Host Noah Brink recommends two books to help Christian school teachers understand the most significant, contemporary worldviews (the "isms). The first of which (*The Universe Next Door* by James W. Sire) does a wonderful job of defining and offering a response to these worldviews, and the second book (*The Best Things in Life* by Peter Kreeft) helps us understand these worldviews through a contemporary dialogue.

The Green Ember Series and The WingFeather Saga

Good teachers are Storytellers; it's part of what helps to the students - not just to their minds, but to who they are as persons. So, if we work with kids in any capacity (from birth through teenage years), it's important for us to read stories, so our own capacities to become lovers and tellers of stories are improved. Yes, it's good to read stories written on adult levels, but it's also good for us to read children's and young adult stories, because not only do they help us connect with the things they are reading, but sometimes the simplicity of these stories helps us to connect with the simplest and greatest of truths. Host Noah Brink highlights The Green Ember Series and The Wingfeather Saga – two, contemporary Christian book series, written for children and young adults, but incredibly meaningful for adults to read as well.

The Novice Advantage and Teaching from Rest

While it's always important to have a strong foundation for a Christian education philosophy (and constantly lean on resources to strengthen that foundation), we also need resources to go to that next level and help to shape our teachers' approach to teaching in a way that's consistent with that philosophy. Jon Eckert's The Novice Advantage and Sarah Mackenzie's Teaching from Rest and incredibly helpful resources to shape the posture teachers need as they approach the task of teaching. While the two authors are writing toward different audiences, both books are highly practical and applicable. And, our teachers, regardless of their experience level, can use resources like these to continue to learn, risk, and reflect (Eckert) and bring with them a grounding of rest and security (Mackenzie).

The Two books that most grabbed my attention and shaped my approach to Christian education have very different arguments, but were equally formative for me as I began to grow greater understanding of the life of faith in relation to the task of Christian Schooling. Mark Noll's book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (1994) was formative for me in the area of deep thought, intellectual pursuits, and the life of the mind. James K.A. Smith's book Desiring the Kingdom was equally formative, but in the area of desires, affections, and how our habits shape our loves.

Frank Gaebelein's The Pattern of God's Truth and Donovan Graham's *Teaching Redemptively" are the two books at the top of our recommendation list for Christian educators. They both provide profound introductions to and foundations for Christian schooling.