The phrase brought a number of memories to mind, in fact, it made a smile come to my face. We chased chickens when I was young, got run over by relocating herds of sheep, and moved many cattle from pasture to pasture among many other herd-type situations. I can’t count the number of minutes, that surely add up to days, we spent chasing a herd of horses who didn’t want to be caught.

We once visited the Navajo Nation when I was a student teacher. A Navajo teacher told a riddle, he called it a math problem.

If you have 10 sheep on the top of the hill and 4 leave, how many do you have left?

The answer is not 6, it’s neither 5… or 7 (if your math is off some). The Navajo didn’t give the answer, he just smiled.  It was his way of being able to tell who he was dealing with.  The answer is… 0.

All these memories serve as a reminder of what herd mentality looks like. If one animal does it, the rest do it.  In fact, this instinct can be tied so deeply, it can lead an animal to its death. Many buffalo have run off of a cliff following the animal in front of them.

It turns out that the buffalo are not the only ones to make this mistake.  You don’t have to look around very long to see the herd patterns you’re in.  Watch for monotony, it’s a good indicator of herd pattern. We often do what is being done as modeled by someone else.

It seems that Christians are particularly good at herd patterns.  It’s often hard to distinguish the blurred lines of timeless Christian faith and American Christian culture.  To make it worse, if you step outside of the herd patterns, it is almost guaranteed that someone will doubt your salvation.

Questions are one way to check herd boundaries. In Christian culture, questions seem to take a back seat to answers.  How did we arrive at this equation?

Questions = Doubt = Lack of Faith

You know what can be found outside the herd, or flock, or gaggle? [A pause while you look up gaggle?] Freedom, and life, and creativity, and new possibilities, and greener pastures, and a whole array of other wonderful assets. One could argue that you can find these within the herd- and what about safety?  True, but when’s the last time freedom felt new?

I’m not sure what the Jr. High specifically talked about today, but I’m glad they did. I hope our students wander into the big, wonderful world with eyes wide open. I pray they will be able to discern the herd patterns and look for opportunities to lead rather than follow all the time. Our students will be Change Makers because we are introducing them to the possibility of such.

I secretly chuckle inside when someone refers to Jesus’ words about us being a flock of sheep like it’s some flattering reference. It seems Jesus called us a flock for many reasons, most are not complimentary. The focus in the metaphor is who Jesus is as Shepard, why would it be flattering to be referred to as a sheep?

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, Ch. 4

   

We started our morning at Anastasis Academy with a fantastic surprise guest: Matthew West!   Matthew joined us for our morning devotion and blessed us greatly with songs, stories and a prayer for our school.  One thing we know for sure, following a snow day with devotion time with Matthew West is soul restoring.

Matthew took requests from our kids, made up songs with our kids, told us about the inspiration behind some favorite songs and prayed with and for us.

Below are some videos from this morning, shared with permission.

Thank you, Matthew, for the great blessing you were to us this morning!  Thank you, Cox family, for organizing this experience for Team Anastasis!

“What did you learn in school today?”

This is a great question.  It helps sort through the activities of the day and rework some information in a student’s head.  Asking this question can start a good conversation that eventually takes the mind down some other cerebral pathways on a journey of scaffolding.  Learning is linked to previous experience and knowledge; good questions cause us to go further.

Why do we stop asking the question as adults?

Who is asking us what we learned in life today?

Starting this week, our students will be asking their parents what they learned each day.  The students need to see learning modeled and understand that all of life brings learning.  As adults, we can interpret the world the same way a child does.  It is either with an attitude willing to learn something, or the belief that our brain is full or we can predict the outcome with a high degree of certainty.

What if learning is an attitude?

If we asked the kids, would they talk about what their parents learned at work, or home, or from someone else today?

Many of us like a portion of the passage below from Philippians 4.  In the context, it’s interesting that Paul reveals his need to learn.

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

It seems, Paul can make the final statement as a result of what he learned.

At Anastasis Academy, we want to promote an attitude of learning.  An awareness of the learning taking place and seeing learning in its many forms and presentations.  What if it took a lifetime?  If so, that would be success.

This weekend I spent some time with incredible innovators at Stanford University to talk about innovation in education.  All walks of life gathered at d.school to discuss problems in education and to propose solutions.

My biggest takeaway: Education needs more design thinking and collaborative concepting at all levels.

Throughout the day we shared stories, created concept maps, brainstormed collaboratively, identified problems in education and prototyped possible solutions.  I love that we didn’t just give answers. We prototyped possible solutions in the prototype lab where we had access to all kinds of great building materials.  We came up with some pretty impressive solutions.  What if schools operated more like this?  If teachers and students worked together as designers.  This is the drive behind Anastasis Academy’s morning inquiry block.  We look at big questions and work on interdisciplinary projects that incorporate a range of subjects and disciplines of learning.

“What if the process of education were as intentionally crafted as the products of education (i.e., we always think about the book report or the final project, but not the path to get there).” (Fast Company)

Schools have a lot to learn from Google, IDEO and Pixar.  These are companies that have created a culture of creativity, play and collaboration.  IDEO mirrors this culture in their physical space.  The space lends itself to creativity and new ideas because the space isn’t overly prescriptive.  Stanford’s d.school was very similar.  Tracks run all over the building where walls of whiteboards can be clipped in and moved around easily.  A writing space wherever and whenever you need one.  Brilliant.  All of the furniture is on wheels, it is easily moved and rearranged based on current needs.  Large wooden Lego-type blocks can be easily moved, arranged and built with for any situation.

I love the philosophies of Pixar, the layout is designed to foster “forced collisions of people”.  Students with different backgrounds, passions and understandings collided in new understandings.  Would forced collisions of people encourage a whole new population of da Vinci thinking?

At Google play is not only encouraged, it is deeply engrained in the culture.  Spaces are flexible and constantly changing and being built.  This is was the case in Stanford’s d.school and I have to say, the instant ability to edit our workspace impacted our thinking.  “Imagine what might happen if students had this same power to edit and make their own spaces within the school environment.” (Fast Company)

I highly recommend the following article from Fast Company “What Schools Can Learn From Google, IDEO, and Pixar.”

The article mentions High Tech High, a collection of charter schools in Southern California led by Larry Rosenstock.  Please take the 14 minutes to watch this great video about High Tech High!  Innovation is education is emerging in pockets all over the world. Anastasis Academy is a part of this innovation!

|Tenkely|

Today there were discussions about community, what it means to properly manage freedom and how to be a friend.  The children are incredibly perceptive and these discussions led to some pretty profound insights from the students.  One fourth grader noted “Freedom requires a lot of responsibility.”  Students seemed to grasp that freedom doesn’t mean that we get to do whatever we want when we want to.  It requires something of us.  There were discussions about what this freedom looks like within our school community, what this freedom looks like in learning and what this freedom looks like in our technology use with the iPads.

The iPads are still a novelty for many of the students.  They wanted to do EVERYTHING on the iPads all at once because they could.  “Let’s play a game, listen to music, and have a video going all at once!!”  I suspect that the novelty will wear off as students come to realize that the iPad isn’t just a once-in-a-while privileged but something that they can learn with all the time.  One of my favorite moments of the day was when some eighth grade boys came up from lunch having an argument about which was bigger: a liter or a gallon.  Their first instinct wasn’t to use their iPads and Google the answer, but to ask an adult.  They are still in the mindset that adults hold all of the knowledge of the world.   It was a great time for us to shrug our shoulders and remind them that they had the whole world at their fingertips and could discover the answer themselves.

We had some fun whole-school activities built into the day.  Before school each teacher wrote 10 things about themselves.  Each item was printed out on a separate piece of paper.  These were spread out on the floor and students were to choose an item and match it to the teacher they thought it belonged to.  Each teacher stood in a different corner and the students set off trying to match talents, passions and fears to the correct teacher.  After they had correctly placed all of the items, each teacher took a moment to go through their stack, introducing themselves to the students.  The kids asked great follow-up questions and were excited that many of their own passions, interests and fears were reflected in those leading them in learning this year.  It was so much fun to see students faces light up when teachers said things like “I love Star Wars” or “I love to play basketball”.  They begged for proof when we shared secret talents “touching our tongue to our nose”.  They shared a special bond when they found out that even adults have fears. (Mine is taxidermy-true story.)

Because we are in a brand new building, we had to come up with a way of helping kids find things like bathrooms, drinking fountains, classrooms, playgrounds, lunchroom, etc.  I thought a scavenger hunt would be a fun way to do this.  Since I am a HUGE geek, I decided to do this techy style with QR codes.  Each team (classroom) got 10 QR codes that led them to clues with each student in charge of one clue.  Students downloaded the free Scan app and scanned the QR codes to receive a clue.  As a team, they worked together to solve the clue to find different areas in the building.  When they solved the clue they took a picture of the answer using the camera app.  At the end of the hunt, students added up their points.  All ages had fun with the hunt!

I deemed the day a success when, at the end of the day, I overheard siblings use their iPad to FaceTime with their dad.  He asked how the first day was and both answered, “great! We had fun!”.  The first grader went on to enthusiastically tell her dad about the scavenger hunt that she went on and the pictures that she took.  The seventh grader added some additional details about how the QR codes worked.  Both talked about relationships with teachers and students.  To have that on the first day of a new school is telling.  We have a great team.

Passwords may have been missing, permissions needed to be configured but all in all it was a fantastic success!  I can’t wait to see what the year brings.

Onward.

When I was in school, if we were really good and finished our worksheets, we got to go to the library and play on the computer.  We shuffled through the floppy disks in the plastic container with the clear, flip top knowing exactly what we were looking for.  Come to think of it, the reward of playing The Oregon Trail was one of the few things that motivated me in grade school.

We would play for as long as they would let us, giving up recess to watch the wagon wheels roll and have another shot at some random animal racing across the screen.  The day we found out we could save our game was one of the highlights of my 5th grade year.

Before we learned to save the game, we would start at the beginning every time purchasing provisions, parts and protection.  You could choose to be a banker with lots of money but your health went quick because you were not up for the challenge.  We picked farmer most of the time.  They seemed to last longer.  At a young age, we learned that you couldn’t take everything with you.  Some items were too heavy to put together with others.  We chose what to take with us and away we went on a new adventure, every time.

At Anastasis, we find ourselves in a similar spot.  Not necessarily preparing our wagons, buying oxen and trying to decide what ration of food to put the family on.  But, we are headed out on a journey.  The success will be in the follow through and we can only take so much with us.

What can we leave behind?

Is this the perfect time to let go of some things that could be weighing us down?

Do we need to make room for new possibilities and blessings?

I have plenty to leave behind.  I’m thankful for God’s Spirit that leads me to look inside and do some leaving behind.  My pains, fears, insecurities, they can’t stay.  Things others have done to me, things I have done to others, all take up space.  Idols I’ve gathered along the way, dreams that were mine and not God’s, yup, they all require precious effort to lug along.

To who could you confess?  Who deserves your mercy and grace?  What habits are hinderances?  Will you slow down the group with your junk?

I’m looking forward to leaving these all behind.  When I do, I’ll have room for courage, hope, faith, a desire for justice, humility and joy.

Good trade if you ask me.  Only thing we need now is a wagon and some oxen to carry the blessings we’ll find along the way.

In pulling together the staff of Anastasis Academy, we set out to create a dream team.  A team where each individual had something unique and important to contribute.  A team that recognized and utilized the strengths and passions available to help students better understand what it means to be a vital contributor to society and the body of Christ.  This is our dream team.

   Matthew Anderson: Founder/ Lead Teacher

Matthew was called to be a teacher shortly after God changed his life forever in college.  Matthew and his beautiful wife Julia have been married for 7 and a half years.  They are in the process of bringing home the orphan princess, Adele Mercy, who was brought into their lives in the spring of 2011.  Matthew’s favorite thing to do is learn.  He likes to read, study and learn about who God is and what he is like, he has a passion for Scripture, particularly the Old Testament.  Mr. A also enjoys time outside with his wife, dog, horses and fishing pole.  Mr. A counts it a blessing to spend his days at school with learners.  He has a BS in Elementary Education, a minor in Animal Science, a MA in Christian Studies and completed the Principal Licensure Program through DU a few years ago.

“I spend my days at Anastasis Academy with some of the greatest people I know.  God’s vision for our community is to teach children how to properly manage their freedom and help them see they are contributing citizens now, not at some point in the future.  We want to start schools that start churches.  A community gathered around learning together and serving together sounds like a good group of people to walk through life with.”

Online Me:

http://matthewquigley.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/matthewquigley

    Michelle Baldwin: Primary teacher

“My name is Michelle Baldwin, and I am a learner, an educator, a self-proclaimed “techie,” presenter, and an advocate for teaching and learning WITH students!

I returned to the classroom in 2010, after coordinating technology professional/staff development for eight years in a suburban school district. Although I continue to  assist teachers in the effective use of technology in the classroom, I have most recently been teaching and learning with K-5 vocal music students. I am thrilled to now be teaching and learning with students at Anastasis Academy! A parent of teenagers, I’m also well-versed in blogging, podcasting, digital literacy, online profiles, personal learning networks, and learning how much I have yet to learn.”

Online Me:

http://twitter.com/michellek107

http://avenue4learning.com

   Lindsey Lauer: Intermediate teacher

“I’m so privileged to be a part of a school and community that embodies my beliefs about life and love and “why”.  I’m fully confident that God has blessed Anastasis Academy, making it a reality through the hard work and vision of those involved. It’s encouraging to work with these Godly men and women in an environment where serving God and others are at the forefront. Being here is a testament to God’s work in my life. He has weaved together a beautiful plan for all of us, and I couldn’t be more excited to be where God wants me to be. I know He will use Anastasis in a big way!

My personal journey as an educator has God written all over it. I began in the giant city of Houston, TX, where I was born and raised and attended a public high school of 4,000 students, moved on to a tiny town in Arkansas, where I studied Physical Education and Graphic Design (an odd combo I’ve been told) at Ouachita Baptist University, headed back to Houston to teach and coach basketball at a private Christian school called Providence Classical School, and finally ended (or more likely just began) in beautiful Colorado, where I find myself incredibly happy with the man of my dreams and fully supported by a wonderful church in Littleton Bible Chapel. Since living in Denver, I’ve earned a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Colorado Christian University, taught at Truth Christian Academy and Colorado Academy, where I most recently completed a Teaching Internship and earned a certification in K-12 Physical Education, and now find myself in the midst of an opportunity to truly serve at Anastasis Academy!

Aside from my obvious love for teaching, I crave anything that is physically challenging, adventurous, creative, or intellectually stimulating, often resulting in a shout from a mountaintop, a face full of powder or hardwood floor, a mess of charcoal and paint, an attempt at songwriting or drum beating, and my nose perpetually stuck in a book (or these days my eyes fixed on the iPad!). I absolutely enjoy showing young people how God is present in everything!”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7

Online Me:

https://www.facebook.com/lauer.lindsey

http://twitter.com/leadingwlove

http://pinterest.com/leadingwlove/

Nancy Babbit: Primary Teacher

It is with deep thanks and enthusiasm that I join you on this Anastasis Journey.  What an amazing, dynamic, learning environment God is orchestrating in this community!   There is already an atmosphere of cooperation, respect, excitement, creativity, openness and lightheartedness that is stunning.   I can’t wait to get this awesome classroom space set up and get rolling with these kids.

Originally from Iowa, I came to Colorado in May of 1993.  I came to do ‘Ride-the-Rockies’…I just never left!   I have lived in Colorado for 18 years, its home.  After teaching at the Logan School for Creative Learning for ten years, my next adventure involved grad school.  I had developed a thirst for deeper Biblical learning and I had always been interested in the counseling profession, so I attended Denver Seminary.  After 6 years of school, I graduated with an MA in counseling with a certification in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care.   Following graduation my job interests led me into the world of mental health in education, where I realized that my true love and calling was actually in education; I love children, teaching, and learning. 

Finding Anastasis was and is a stunning surprise. ..a miracle.  It is, educationally, all that I would hope for in a school (and I have had very high hopes and dreams!).   I love teaching in an environment where community is far beyond a word in a handbook, and where children are encouraged to ask questions and explore those things they are curious or passionate about.   The treasure is that Anastasis is faith-based; God is sought, welcome, and is powerfully moving.   I can’t wait to see Him in action in the classroom and in all our minds and hearts for years to come. 

My personal interests are many and varied. I love the outdoors and all it offers.  It is where I do my best thinking, praying, discovering, and playing!  This can involve walking, biking, hiking, painting, photography, snowshoeing, skiing, or simply sitting and soaking it all up.  Other interests include, travel,  music, good red wine, dark chocolate, coffee, movies, concerts at Red Rocks, painting, pottery, gardening, exploring, researching, and learning. 

  Kelly Tenkely: Founder/Curriculum and Instructional Designer

I have been teaching for 8 years.  I spent the first year in a second grade classroom in a public school and then next 6 teaching students to use technology as a learning tool.  In the last 4 years I have been actively connecting with educators around the world, discussing education reform, offering professional development and consulting with schools about how technology can transform the learning experience.

I wasn’t always the computer geek I am today…I kind of fell into the computer teacher roll and found out that I love it and that I have a passion for technology (particularly Apple!!) who knew?  My goal has been to help teachers fall in love with technology the way that their students have.  I believe that technology reaches students in a way that few other mediums can.  It ignites a fire, a desire to learn, and gives them the ability to express themselves in meaningful ways.

The longer I teach, the more I reflect on exactly how school is being done.   Somewhere along the line, the focus of education and schools shifted the wrong direction.  Schools and policy makers have become obsessed with curriculum, and assessments, and data, and money, and the latest tool for the classroom.  Where is the obsession and passion for creating rich learning environments for every student?  We live in a society where everything is individualized and personalized.  We can get a burger made just the way we want it. We can get computers built to our exact specifications. We can personalize our cell phones with ring tones, wallpapers, and skins. And yet, in this world of customization, one thing that we fail to customize and personalize is education.  Kids enter the classroom and are taught the same way day in and day out. They sit in seats, in rows, filling out worksheet after worksheet and then, they take a test. The programs that do allow students to do something different are being systematically cut due to budget difficulties (P.E., Art, Library, Music). Is it any wonder that when kids are asked what their favorite part of school is, they answer “lunch and recess”?  What does this say about the state of our schools?

What is the purpose of school?  Why do we mandate that our kids be sent to school?  I believe that our answers would be largely similar, to prepare students for the world that they are living in, that they will find themselves living in.  If this is our purpose we must ask ourselves, are we meeting it with our current school structure?  I submit that we are not.  Our students are not being prepared for the world that they will find themselves in, our students are being prepared for the world that their great-grandparents lived in.

I have a dreams of education. I have dreams of the way that schools should look. I have dreams of kids who find their passions. I have dreams of schools as rich learning centers.  Anastasis Academy is the fulfillment of that dream.

Online Me:

iLearn Technology

Dreams of Education

Stories of Learning

iPad Curriculum

Confident Teacher

CoopCatalyst

http://pinterest.com/kellytenkely/

Websites: Tenkely.org

Typing

iVerb

Internet Safety

2010 Olympics

Bookcasting

LinkedIn: Kelly Tenkely

Twitter: ktenkely

YouTube: ktenkely

Freelance articles:

Top 10 Technology Tips for New Teachers

10 Technology Enhanced Alternatives to Book Reports

15 Tools to Help You Go Paperless

5 Best Virtual Field Trips

A Day in the Life of an Elementary Computer Teacher/Technology Integration Specialist

Use the Technology Available to You

It’s Not All About the Technology

Lessons Learned from Master Teachers

Videos/Podcasts/Recognition

Edublog award winner 2009

ISTE 10 21st Century Classroom (Part 1 and 2) EDTECH: Focus on K-12

Cool Teacher Podcast Interview 2009

Game Classroom Top Educator

Scholastic Plug into Generation IM interview

Education.com Article: How Should Schools be Using Tech to Teach?

Tech Chick Tips Episode 45

Leading and Learning: Blogger’s Beat

Initiatives/Conferences

Edublogger Alliance Network

Project PLN

Reform Symposium Virtual Conference (organizer 2010)

ACSI Conference Speaker (2008)

Starrmatica 50 States Contest Judge (2010)

Colorado Podcast Summit (2008)

  Morgan Scott

Sometimes I wonder what God does when two groups of Christians are praying for different things.  Or, what happens when two groups are praying for the same thing, but both can’t have the same thing? It seems in both situations, those praying are asking God for what they want God to do.

Does this cause anxiety for God?

Does he use the “casting lots” system found in the New Testament?

Does he find it hard to sleep from the pressure to perform?

Does he weigh the righteousness of both parties involved and then make a decision based on who is the most obedient?

None of these options seem to fit the God found in Scripture, and thankfully so.

What if these types of prayers were altered?  What if prayer has more to do with listening than talking?  Would prayer outcomes be more recognizable if we were listening to hear what God wants to do, or for what His will is?  It’s possible that this is what is being said in Romans 8.  The text reads that the Spirit does many wonderful things for God’s children, including testifying that we are, in fact, God’s children! (8:16) A bit later it says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  When we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit intercedes on our behalf.  It also says that the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (8:26-27)

What if a community was known as a people who listen to God? Watching to see what He is doing and then moving to be a part of it.  What could happen each day if that community expected to see something supernatural happen? What if they expected it often?  If they listened to God and prayed for what they heard, what would that community look like? What if more often they entered into prayer not knowing what to pray for instead of knowing exactly what to pray for?  Could this open them up to God’s leading in prayer and the Spirit’s intercession for them? Once they knew confidently what to pray for, would they pray with diligence until it happens?

What kind of community to we want to be?

True learners are multidimensional, they are passionately curious about the world around them.  Leonardo da Vinci was one such learner.  The quintessential Renaissance man, da Vinci was a scientist, inventor, painter, sculptor, architect, cartographer, mathematician, musician- the list goes on.  da Vinci had an insatiable curiosity about the world around him.  He is still highly regarded as a brilliant creative genius, his thirst for learning is just as relevant today as it was 500 years ago.  One question I couldn’t help but ask as I learned about da Vinci: Is the current school system set up to foster the da Vinci’s of the world?

We often assume that because a schools offer a variety of subjects, that we are creating a population of individuals who will excel in a range of subject areas.  The problem with this notion is that children don’t really excel at any of them because they aren’t given the opportunity to become passionately curious about any of them.  25-45 minute subject periods guided by boxed curriculum doesn’t give students enough time or resources to become captivated by learning.  These blocks of time are dedicated toward subjects that prepare students for one thing: testing.

Children need the freedom to explore areas of passion. They need to be allowed to view learning through the lens of life. They need to be shown that subjects of learning are not really separate entities, but rather that learning is multidimensional, overlapping and interwoven.

When I look at all that da Vinci accomplished, it is apparent to me that this is someone who understood that all learning is life, it is connected. I suspect that da Vinci didn’t set out to be a jack-of-all-trades; I suspect that he set out to learn and as he learned, it led to other disciplines, interests and knowledge.  What resulted: a man who was able to use his unique talents and gifts to change the world.

If we send all students through the exact same subjects, the exact same way, to meet the requirements on the same test, do we have any hope of fostering students who are able to use their unique talents and gifts to change the world?  Or, will they graduate from high school with a degree that sends them into the next system where they are now expected to undo all the learning that has made them look the same and decide what makes the unique?

I’m sending out a call to create the da Vinci culture.  Anastasis Academy capitalizes on the overlaps in learning and the transdisciplinary nature of life.  It aims to create a culture of learners that are passionately curious, creative and innovative. We seek to create a da Vinci culture that helps students discover who God created them to be.