Summit Schedule

CATEGORY: REDUCING STRESS & OVERWHELM

4 Root Causes of Overwhelm (and How to Fix Them!)

with Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi

Teachers, are you feeling buried under to-do lists, obligations, and mental clutter? If so, you’re not alone. Overwhelm doesn’t just happen; it has roots. Dig deep into the real reasons you feel stretched too thin in this session with Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi. Uncover the common causes of overwhelm so you can develop a toolkit of strategies to break free.

CATEGORY: REDUCING STRESS & OVERWHELM
How your Thoughts Impact Your Outlook (And What You Can DO About It)

with Jill Lillard 

Whether you're aware of it or not, the way you think about your experiences impacts how you respond — even in the classroom. What if you could overcome some of your biggest teaching challenges with truth and a healthier thought life? Join Jill Lillard as she shares practical ways to retrain your thoughts so you can walk in freedom.

CATEGORY: REDUCING STRESS & OVERWHELM
Get Unstuck: 3 Approaches to Help You Pray Like You Want To

with Christian Educators 

Prayer changes things—but making it a daily habit can be a challenge. Join a panel of seasoned educators as they guide you through prayer practices that have transformed their lives. Hear three unique approaches to bring more prayer—and more power— into your daily routine starting immediately.

CATEGORY: TEACHING EFFECTIVELY
Smart Classroom Management Strategies for Difficult Students

with Michael Linsin

Every teacher encounters students that challenge them. What strategies should we use to help them and keep our classrooms calm? Join us as we talk with Michael Linsin from Smart Classroom Management about how to respond to disrespectful students, students who talk back, students with ADHD, students with ODD, and students who just don't care about consequences.

CATEGORY: TEACHING EFFECTIVELY
Fun Brain Break Ideas to Re-Energize Your Classroom

with Lori Adams

Kids need to move! Movement energizes our brains and helps the learning process more than we might think. Join veteran PE teacher and Christian Educators member, Lori Adams, for this lively, fun-filled session exploring the many ways brain-break activities can enhance classroom culture and content connection.

CATEGORY: TEACHING EFFECTIVELY
2 Powerful methods to motivate your students

with Dave Stuart Jr. 

Motivating our students can feel like an uphill battle. Do they even want to learn? Dave Stuart Jr. firmly believes they do, and that you really can help motivate your students! In this session he shares how to use Mini-Sermons and Moments of Genuine Connection to cultivate student motivation. These methods will help you connect with your students and help your students catch the vision for why learning, school, and your class are important to them.

CATEGORY: TEACHING EFFECTIVELY
Creating a Classroom that Supports All Learners (including Students with Disabilities)

with Dr. Kathleen VanTol

Making a classroom an encouraging place where any student can thrive, even a student with a disability, is no small task. Kathleen VanTol has some practical and simple tips for helping us make our classroom the best place for every learner. She shares helpful ideas for helping us accommodate different students' needs and make our classroom a great place for any student to be a successful learner.

CATEGORY: TEACHING EFFECTIVELY
Nervous Systems, Noisy Rooms: A Brain-Based Guide to Classroom Calm

with Alan Bandstra

In a classroom, emotions can run high, and every day can feel like it has the potential to escalate student behavior. How does the nervous system contribute to contagious behavior and teacher reactivity? Alan Bandstra shares his insights from neurobiology and practical classroom experience to invite us to help our students (and ourselves) participate in a calm classroom culture.

EXHIBITION SESSION: TEACHING EFFECTIVELY

A Biblical Approach for Thinking About AI in Education

with Dr. Dave Mulder

How do we think wisely when it comes to Artificial Intelligence? In this session with Dr. Dave Mulder, Professor of Education at Dordt University, you will reflect on your current imagination for AI and consider what a Christian imagination for AI might look like. You'll also discover how your thinking about AI can impact how you teach and lead.

EXHIBITION SESSION: TEACHING EFFECTIVELY

How Christian Schools Can Better Serve Special Education Students

with Dr. Jodi Wolkerstorfer

Christian schools are uniquely positioned to reflect Christ’s heart by welcoming and serving students of all abilities, but what are the practical steps to get there? In this hope-filled session, Dr. Jodi Wolkerstorfer will explore how Christian schools can partner with teachers and families to support and welcome all students as image-bearers of God.

CATEGORY: REACHING HEARTS
Teaching Christianly: How to Live Out our Faith in Day-to-Day Choices

with Dr. Dave Mulder

What does it mean to be a teacher and a Christian at the same time? How do we carry the goodness of Christ with us into the classroom--whether in public or private schools? Dr. David Mulder joins us to share about what it means to "teach Christianly" and how even our smallest decisions in the classroom can be means of sharing God's Kingdom with the students and staff that we meet there.

CATEGORY: REACHING HEARTS
From Insecurity to Confidence: Helping Students Discover their True Identity in Christ

with Jonathan Holmes

Children and teens face a tremendous amount of pressure from peers and culture to find their identity in their activities, feelings, or performance. This modern way of looking at identity can be challenging to navigate for teachers and parents who grew up with a traditional view of identity rooted in predetermined roles. Jonathan Holmes explores the five core areas of identity struggles most common to teens: sports, academics, moralism, sexual orientation, and gender confusion. He then provides practical ways to help children and teenagers find their identity in something that never never changes—God’s grace.

CATEGORY: REACHING HEARTS
Teach with Faith (not Fear): Navigating Public Schools as a Christian Educator

with David Schmus

Recent court cases, presidential actions, and cultural changes have shifted the legal landscape for Christians serving in our public schools. Join David Schmus of Christian Educators for this compelling Q & A session where you will learn the legal “do’s and don’ts” so that you can remain a thriving ambassador for Christ in your school.

CATEGORY: REACHING HEARTS
Before You Speak: Navigating Hard Conversations with Courage & Compassion

with Jessica Cabeen

As Christian educators, we are often called to courageous and sometimes difficult conversations with colleagues, students, and parents. But how do we engage in these moments with truth and grace? How do we align our words with our witness? This session offers faith-based principles to help you approach correction with humility and empathy, differentiate behavior from identity, and align your leadership actions with God’s Word.

 For Admin 

CATEGORY: LEADERSHIP
How to Help Your Teachers Succeed at Classroom Management

with Linda Kardamis 

As an admin, you probably watch many of your teachers struggle with classroom management, resulting in chaotic classrooms, lost learning time, struggling students, and disillusioned teachers. In this training, you’ll learn how you, as an administrator, can help your teachers improve their classroom management, turning things around to rein in disruptions and create a conducive learning environment where students and teachers can succeed.

 For Admin 

LIVE Friday, October 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM EST

God-Pleasing Leadership in a People-Pleasing World

with Nick Henkle + Derald Glover

As administrators, do you feel drained trying to make everyone—teachers, parents, students, your district—happy? People-pleasing in leadership is difficult and often leaves us feeling discouraged. In this session, you’ll discover what godly leadership looks like and how to shift your focus from seeking everyone's approval to leading in a way that honors God and the people you lead.

For Admin & Staff

CATEGORY: LEADERSHIP
Teach with Faith (not Fear): Navigating Public Schools as a Christian Educator

with David Schmus 

Recent court cases, presidential actions, and cultural changes have shifted the legal landscape for Christians serving in our public schools. Join David Schmus of Christian Educators for this compelling session where you will learn the legal “do’s and don’ts” so that you can remain a thriving ambassador for Christ in your school.

 For Admin & Staff

CATEGORY: REACHING HEARTS
Before You Speak: Navigating Hard Conversations with Courage & Compassion

with Jessica Cabeen

As Christian educators, we are often called to courageous and sometimes difficult conversations with colleagues, students, and parents. But how do we engage in these moments with truth and grace? How do we align our words with our witness? This session offers faith-based principles to help you approach correction with humility and empathy, differentiate behavior from identity, and align your leadership actions with God’s Word.