“Teachers of Hope – Anchored in Heaven”
Online conference
took place May 21-22 2021, in 8 languages: Português / Español / Polski / čeština / Română /
русский russkiy / български bŭlgarski with 190 participants from 18 countries.
The Zoom format made it possible to have interactive breakout groups, alternating with presentations on different facets of hope. PIRON company mastered wonderfully the complex technical challenges, including a Saturday afternoon period on “Wonder me”, a great new tool for meeting up individually like on a big lawn.
Just a short review – details you can find here:
Leanne Rhodes, CEO of Freedom Networks, spoke of the necessity to keep dreaming when we are tempted to run breathlessly in the hamster wheel.
Stewart Woodburn, Head of Merchants Academy Primary school in Bristol, one of the most deprived areas in the UK, spoke about daring to hope where there seems to be no hope.
Vicky Hird, teacher at an international school in London, shared her passion for loving children and colleagues by inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us through the daily work.
Heather Kohnen, experienced teacher in Minnesota USA and serving with Association of Christian Teachers International, encouraged teachers to rediscover their purpose and calling in the public schools.
Adrian Parsonage, Headteacher at River School, Worcester UK, related the verse “Look up and step forward” from Joshua 5,13, to his life experiences and showed how looking up instead of down, changes our approach to challenges.
Hubert Opitz, high school teacher in Worgl, Austria, until 2018, focused on mastering the challenges of being a Christian teacher in a secularized school.
Jan Habl, professor of pedagogy at the Prague University, Czech Republic, shed light on the fundamental teachings of Jan Amos Comenius, especially his view of education as a tool for restoring humanity (“General Consultation, 1666).
Friday May 21
17.00 – 19.00 UTC
Welcome and introductions
Speaker Leanne Rhodes
Breakout sessions in country or language groups
Prayer for each other in groups
LEANNE RHODES
“I want a world where no one’s freedom is sold for the highest bid.”
Leanne’s life was forever changed the day she met a survivor of human trafficking.
She founded Abolishion <http://www.abolishion.org/> in order to break the systems that keep people in sex slavery. Leanne is also the Executive Director of the European Freedom Network <http://www.europeanfreedomnetwork.org/>, an anti-trafficking network with over 270 organisations from 42 countries. She is an ordained minister with Australian Christian Churches.
Saturday May 22
08.00 – 09.30 UTC
Welcome and introductions
Speaker Stuart Woodburn
Breakout sessions in country or language groups
Prayer for each other in groups
STUART WOODBURN
“Do you Dare to Hope? – Taking the risk of leading with hope in hard situations”
Stuart is currently based in Bristol, living with his wife, 2 children and his mother. He has worked in different parts of the world, mainly in the southern countries of Africa, however, is presently, the head of Merchants’ Academy Primary; a school of 350+ pupils and is situated in one of the most deprived areas in the country. Both Jade and Stuart are also foster carers and for the both of them, their passion is all about helping and guiding the next generation and showing them that there is hope.
Saturday May 22
09.45 -11.0 UTC
Workshops
VICKI HIRD
“Partnering with the heart of the Father in the classroom”
Vicki works in an IB international school in Notting Hill, central London UK, where she teaches some amazing 7-8 year olds from all over the world! She is passionate about loving her kids and colleagues well and is on a journey of discovering how to partner with the Holy Spirit in every aspect of what she does, both inside and outside the classroom. She is also passionate about teacher mental health and wellbeing, and how to make this more of a priority in her school environment, and also loves helping her students to take action in the community.
HEATHER KOHNEN
“Staying Connected to the Source of Hope”
Heather Kohnen has been a public school educator for 29 years! She lives with her husband Corey and three children and a daughter-in-law in Minnesota where she teaches 4th grade and serves with Chrisitan Educators Association International. When it comes to educators, she is passionate about helping Christians who serve in the public schools rediscover their purpose and walk confidently in the plans that God has for them. She desires for them to experience joy in the journey and grow closer to the loving God who has placed them where they are as His ambassadors.
ADRIAN PARSONAGE
“Look up and step forward”
Adrian Parsonage is Headteacher at The River School, Worcester.
After graduating from Worcester with a honours degree in History and Economics, Adrian joined The River School at its inception in 1985, having been caught by the vision and faith venture of Christian Education. During the following 10 years, he played a supporting role in establishing the foundation of the school and learnt many new skills. After 10 years, God called him away to the state system where he taught primary aged children for 20 years, rising up to Headship in two state schools. In 2017 God placed The River School back on his heart and the opportunity arose to return. Adrian is passionate about developing faith, shaping character and aiming for excellence in everything.
HUBERT OPITZ
“You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world.”
Hubert lives in the Tirol region of Austria, where he taught German and Physical Education for 40 years in the same high school in Wörgl, before retiring in 2018. He became a Christian as a student and joined a small evangelical church. The Austrian evangelical student movement was also important to his spiritual growth and development, and he became very engaged with them through the ÖSM part of IFES.
It was not always easy to be a Christian at his secular, public school, but his testimony is that he left his school in good relationship to his director and colleagues. In the last years of his time there he was a leading member of a small Austrian Christian teachers’ network. (www.icp.at<http://www.icp.at/>). He has been married since 1979 and he has 6 children and 3 grandchildren.
Saturday May 22
13.00 – 14.30 UTC (Find your time zone here)
A special program designed for online meeting and personal interaction, details to follow soon.
Saturday May 22
15.00 – 17.00 UTC
Welcome and introductions
Speaker Jan Habl
Breakout sessions in country or language groups
Prayer for each other in groups
JAN HABL
“Humanity is not Completely Lost: J. A. Comenius’s Concept of Education as a Tool of Restoring Humanity”
In his greatest and most important work called “General Consultation concerning Restoration of Human Affairs” Jan Amos Comenius states his fundamental anthropological assumption: The humanity of people is not quite right, but not quite lost. What’s wrong with our humanity? And can it be somehow corrected, restored, improved? Can education play a role?
Dr Jan Hábl is happy husband and father of two children. He is professor of pedagogy at the University of Hradec Králové (Czech Republic). He has written a number of books and articles including Character matters. Can virtue be taught? (P. Mervart, 2020) Even if No One is Looking. Foundational Questions of Ethical Education (Wipf & Stock, 2018), On Being Human(e) (Wipf & Stock, 2017), Character Formation: A Forgotten Theme of Comenius’s Didactics (2011).
Looking like a marvellous programme for an exciting conference….