education
Flooded with Fear; Faith for the Future
“You’ve successfully navigated 100% of your worst days.” Those words from a mentor struck a chord with me. I have. I’m still here. So what are those days? When I think of my worst days, one of the first events that springs to mind is back in 2010. Tennessee experienced what has been called the 500-year flood. During the torrential rains and subsequent flooding, my family lost 30% of our property – which serves both as our family’s home and a training center for leadership residencies in the nonprofit I founded, the Institute for Cultural Communicators. As the water levels continued to rise, our home began filling with standing water.…
When your Fifth Grader is the Teacher…
Notes from Millennials on the Future of Education Author’s Note: This blog post was originally written in 2012. Since that time the research has confirmed still more of these insights and the foresight of the Millennials interviewed. It is reposted here with minor edits. The year 2025 is closer now, and providing a truly Christian educational option to families has never been more important – around the globe. “What do you want Christian teachers to know now to get ready for your children?” While sharing coffee and thoughtful dialogue with a table of 19- to 22-year-olds back in 2012, my perspective on education was broadened as these young adults shared…
Change is Hard
I was a competitive swimmer in high school. My coach encouraged me to become a distance swimmer – which is still an appropriate metaphor for my life. There was a joke that I was last off the starting blocks and first to the wall: slow starts, fast turns, strong finishes, building perseverance and endurance. Thoughts to revisit another time. When I switched to distance swimming, Coach Casci decided I must change my stroke. If you’ve ever been an athlete or a musician, you know a change like this is hard. It was so hard. His coaching ignited a series of personal changes in me. First, I hated him. Only for…
Membership Matters
Families are looking for help to guide the next generation. I founded the Institute for Cultural Communicators to be a global community that empowers students through competence, character, and connection. Learn why ICC is changing the world and next-gen leaders by watching the video below.
How NOT to Measure Success in Education or in Life
It was “one of those weeks.” I had finally found a moment to sit on the couch, sip my iced tea, and close my eyes for just a minute. My eyelids barely touched before I woke up to a scream. “Devin’s hurt!” yelled my older son, Wendell, running through the patio door. Well, six-year-old Devin’s always hurt. I calmly remained in my reclined position. Have you ever experienced that moment of panic when your mind races between “This is an emergency!” and “Don’t get blood on my sofa”…? That’s what happened when Devin walked through the door. I grabbed a clean towel, snatched my keys, looked outside, and realized we…
Evaluating What We Value
Sharon sat in the chair opposite me at the table in my school office. Her voice was quivering. She had come to share her difficult news with me. She was going to enroll her son, who she had been home schooling, in the city’s middle school for seventh grade. She was afraid I would be disappointed in her choice. I paused, prayed silently, and spoke quietly (three things I’m not naturally good at). “Sharon, I want you to do what you believe is in the best interest of you son…always!” I wanted to allay any concerns she had about making a decision that pleased me – or anyone else. For…
How Do You Train Wiggly Boys for the Real World?
As a mom of two young and energetic boys more than two decades ago, I distinctly recall standing at the kitchen counter thinking to myself: If I do nothing else I want to be sure they know what they believe and how to talk about it. That thought motivated almost everything that happens throughout the ICC organization today. After searching in vain for curriculum to train wiggly boys to articulate their ideas well, on and off the platform, I wrote my own. I sensed the need for like-minded community. I invited Christian families to join my children in our communication education adventure. Convinced communication must be relevant to real people,…
The Necessary Ingredient
Communication education is the single greatest transformational game-changer in your student’s curriculum. According to the research, communicators are better students, receive more scholarship funds, and are sought after by employers. Communication education improves comprehension, study habits, test scores, writing skills, and retention across the curriculum. In many ways it is the ingredient that binds together all other academic effort for lasting results. Communication is the cement. When I was in middle school my dad went into the concrete and rock business. I spent afternoons and weekends calculating how much concrete farmers and DIY homeowners needed for their foundations, patios, sidewalks, and chicken houses. Frequently, budget-conscious customers look for ways to…
