All things bright and new
Elizabeth HAREWOOD Elizabeth HAREWOOD

All things bright and new

As a new academic year dawns, the pages of possibility unfold once again, offering both excitement and apprehension. For Christian educators, this journey carries a unique blend of challenges and blessings. Katie Bojang from UCCF’s Teaching Network suggests that we would do well to remember three important things…

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Q: How can you tell if one of your students has used ChatGPT for their homework?
Jo Boorne Jo Boorne

Q: How can you tell if one of your students has used ChatGPT for their homework?

Q: How can you tell if one of your students has used ChatGPT for their homework?

A: There will be no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in it!

Written by Cassie Martin is Head of English and CPD Lead at a secondary school in Gloucestershire

This article is based on one written by the author for the June edition of Evangelicals Now

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Easter Hope for teachers
Elizabeth HAREWOOD Elizabeth HAREWOOD

Easter Hope for teachers

In a world where Christianity is increasingly marginalised, and in a working environment where the views of Christians are often questioned, mocked, or ignored, ACT’S Tim Coles want to offer a few thoughts to faithful Christian teachers from the Easter story.

Firstly, I want to assure you that whilst Friday may be painful, Sunday is coming….

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Industrial Action: Is there a Biblical response?
Elizabeth HAREWOOD Elizabeth HAREWOOD

Industrial Action: Is there a Biblical response?

The difference that being a Christian makes to deciding whether or not to strike is significant- or at least should be. But it isn’t an easy decision: it’s a bit of a paradox.

Scriptures that speak about justice and righteousness, and that call on believers to work for justice and to care for the poor and marginalized are plentiful in both the Old and New testament. But is it befitting for a believer to use coercion to ‘get their own way’ in employment?

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Pornography: a new resource from Lovewise
Elizabeth HAREWOOD Elizabeth HAREWOOD

Pornography: a new resource from Lovewise

Pornography. It’s a word that can make many of us squirm and is a topic we find difficult to discuss. But clear, helpful guidance on the subject is exactly what our young people need.

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But I’m not a leader!
Elizabeth HAREWOOD Elizabeth HAREWOOD

But I’m not a leader!

At its heart, leadership is about influence, not position. This means that people who are not in positions of leadership can and often do lead very effectively. The converse is of course also true: many people are in positions of leadership yet fail to do much leading, let alone lead well.

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In at the deep end: teacher training during a pandemic
Teaching, Training Elizabeth Harewood Teaching, Training Elizabeth Harewood

In at the deep end: teacher training during a pandemic

I can’t speak for all new teachers, but I grieve the time I have missed. The freedom to learn and review mistakes and new methods found in initial teacher training is a gift. Having the time to hone skills and track your progress with a mentor is valuable time lost. It has been easy, therefore, to feel underqualified and like an imposter among other teachers. How am I supposed to be a great teacher when I still have so much to learn? What about the students I am teaching now; will their education be worse because of my ability to teach?

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Navigating tricky topics: War
Teaching, Well-being Elizabeth Harewood Teaching, Well-being Elizabeth Harewood

Navigating tricky topics: War

If you can listen to your students non-judgmentally, not only will you get insight into what they are thinking and feeling, but they might, too. Answers to big questions aren’t always necessary. Simply listening with an open, prayerful heart and acknowledging their feelings of confusion can be helpful by itself

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God's Big Story
Elizabeth Harewood Elizabeth Harewood

God's Big Story

What makes a science teacher with a Biblical worldview different from a secular science teacher? As a Christian, what are the things I want my high school students to know? And more importantly, what is the Big Story I’m telling?

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Sometimes it's just hard...
Well-being Elizabeth Harewood Well-being Elizabeth Harewood

Sometimes it's just hard...

There are days when the good bits of teaching get clouded. Weeks when the joy of seeing young lives grow feels small compared to all the things that are feeling hard. There are times when laughter with colleagues is displaced by a quiet cry in the bathroom. Months when the routine is less about using our gifts and more about an endless list of fire-fighting the classroom disruption, the paperwork, the expectation of others and the criticism around.

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Teachers and 'conversion therapy'
LGBT+ Issues Elizabeth Harewood LGBT+ Issues Elizabeth Harewood

Teachers and 'conversion therapy'

The government is currently consulting on banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’. More specifically, the question is not whether to ban conversion therapy, but how to ban it. The government proposes that children under 18 years of age should not be able to consent to ‘conversion therapy’, no matter how much they want it. Just what will this mean in practice?

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