By Cheryl Ward, Class Five Teacher
Over my thirteen years of teaching, I have developed ideas about education. I have formed strong opinions about what works, and what does not.
I believe that a classroom should be calm, pleasant, relaxing, and warm. Simple is better than complicated. Attractive, well-chosen pieces of art and plants are better than mass-produced, loud colors on the walls. Humans respond to beauty.
I have also found that people of all ages need to feel safe in order to reach their full capacity for learning, and that this safety could be nurtured through developing healthy relationships. Classrooms need excellent structure but they also need a good dose of humor. Firm, consistent, and kind go very well together.
I have discovered that a deep well of knowledge and skill is an excellent foundation for curiosity and creativity. People like to be challenged and to learn new ideas. Most of all, I have learned that the people who succeed in life tend to have very good life habits and those who do not succeed lack them.
In many ways, these realizations gave me a new definition of what it meant to be a good teacher, formed from experience, common sense, and relational observations.
When I returned to the United States after many years teaching overseas, I wondered where I might possibly find a school which would mesh with my personal philosophy of education. It was at this time that I began to research the classical education movement. I realized that this method, combined with Charlotte Mason’s approach to habit training and attention to atmosphere, made sense of what I had already discovered to work in my own classrooms.
The freedom to teach in this way has awakened me.
I knew that children were bright, interesting, and energetic but now I have been able to experience how truly deep is a child’s capacity for that which is intellectual and thought-provoking. Children can engage at much deeper levels than they are given credit. Children are capable of interacting with literature, art, music, math, and science at extremely high levels. They are capable of reasoning. They can produce quality work, and revel in the effort of a challenge. They can develop a loving relationship with knowledge, the world, and God.
I now spend my days guiding my students, struggling and delighting with them in the work at hand. This is truly a wonderful place to be.
By Sara Smith, Music Teacher
“Music should belong to everyone…there are regions of the human soul which can be illuminated only through music.” Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) was a Hungarian composer whose interest in ethnomusicology and philosophy led him to write many books on music education. He collected folk songs from Hungary, Romania, and other parts of southeastern Europe, which then inspired his well-known “Kodály Method.” This method primarily uses Solfa or Solfege and rhythm names to promote music literacy in classrooms throughout the world. The Kodály Method’s core philosophy is that music literacy is the right of every child and every human being. The foundational philosophy is that “music belongs to everyone.”
Kodály identified three stages of musical learning: the unconscious experience (the experience of hearing and enjoying music without conscious thought), the making conscious (the conscious realization of music), and reinforcement (practice). Can you imagine trying to teach your child to read before he or she had ever heard a language or could speak? A parent must first describe the environment around a very young child, and through an unconscious experience, the child slowly begins making conscious connections of words to objects and finally through reinforcement or practice, the child begins to speak. In the same way, we introduce music into a child’s environment, allow him or her to enjoy and assimilate it before we teach them the vocabulary.
 Students perform at Fine Arts Day At Clapham, the Kodály Method begins in the youngest grades by encouraging our students to learn many different songs by imitation. Gradually, through the enjoyment of singing and their “unconscious assimilation” of music, they easily begin to recognize musical concepts and vocabulary that matches their experience.
The voice is the primary instrument used in Kodály training because singing has a profound and unique effect upon a child’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development. Sofelge, the syllabic sounds produced for each sung note, match with a major scale. Each syllable is learned with accompanying hand signs, which provide a physical link with the sound heard and produced. This experience allows children to learn to sing in tune and to hear the pitches in their minds and to develop an “inner ear.” The connection to the body is an important step, as singing is such an innately physical act.
In addition, singing is the most direct way to make a musical response. While it might seem a bit unorthodox to use syllables instead of teaching the note vocabulary right away, the results of having young children perform and embody music before learning the technicalities of a scale is remarkable. There is no self-consciousness because singing is just as natural as talking. I have seen the upper grade students at Clapham thrive and excel in their musical work because of their exposure to and enjoyment of Solfege from years prior. This exposure to musical success and pleasure at a young age opens a child’s mind to deep and meaningful musical understanding later.
Kodály believed that singing is an integral part of a person’s selfhood, and an important part of developing the whole person. Not only do we sing because it has a profound effect on a child’s development as a whole “little person,” but we sing because God has made us to sing. Singing in worship is described hundreds of times in the Bible because singing is a naturally ingrained part of the body. It is a built-in way to express worship. At Clapham, we seek to expose our youngest students to beauty and meaningful musical experiences. As they mature into the upper grades, music becomes an incredible outlet and means of expression, enjoyment, and worship.
By Kat van Elswyk, Intern
Shakespeare plagiarized. For many of his plays, he took other people’s stories and words, tweaked a few things, added iambic pentameter, and put it on stage. When I first learned this, I was upset. I thought that this made Shakespeare less of a genius. If he wasn’t perfectly original, I thought, then he wasn’t as intelligent as I had assumed.
I, however, was mistaken. In fact, the truth is the exact opposite of my assumption: genius thrives on imitation. Like Shakespeare, we ought to rely on minds of the past to inform our endeavors today.
This is why we emphasize imitation at Clapham. Students immerse themselves in great minds of the past, struggling to “tell back” the language of the text they are reading or perfectly render the colors of a visual artist in their own copies. As students do this, their minds meet with the minds of these artists, growing and stretching as they encounter truth and beauty.
Theater is a special kind of imitation. Students not only encounter the words of the script, but they get the chance to actually embody it. If our minds grow just from reading a play; how much more they will stretch when we memorize, consider, and work out a character’s lines on stage over weeks and weeks of rehearsal!
This is why we take theater seriously at Clapham, and why we choose Shakespeare over other playwrights. Shakespeare provides students with some of the richest language and deepest ideas of western civilization. As the students sink their teeth into specific lines, saying and hearing them over and over, their minds are being trained to think a little more like the genius that is Shakespeare.
This spring, Classes Five, Six and Seven have had this opportunity and would like to invite you to their performance of
Shakespeare’s
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
with accompanying sonnets by other classes
on Thursday, May 5th at 7 p.m.
at College Church in Wheaton in the Commons
332 E. Seminary Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60187
No tickets required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Patrick Egan, Class Seven Teacher
At Clapham, we encounter many ideas as we read through our various subjects in class. These ideas take on new meaning when applied to contemporary situations. One idea we have been thinking about in Class Seven comes from our discussion of the American Revolution. The idea is expressed best in the Declaration of Independence. The united colonies declare that they
are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.”
Herein, the colonies do not request their independence from the colonizing power of Britain, but they state it. They then proceed to fight in a somewhat lengthy military engagement to establish their freedom.
This idea went global. Our studies have shown of the heroism of Bolivar and San Martin in South America, as well as the citizens of Mesolonghi in Greece who fought for independence from their own colonizing powers. Other stories show how struggles for freedom are not necessarily won in so straightforward a manner. A case in point is the complex situation of South Africa where the Dutch were overpowered by the English as colonizers. It would be a long time before any sense of resolution was achieved on the part of all parties involved in that region. In all of our studies this term, we have noticed how the idea of liberty from colonizing powers is a unifying feature of the nineteenth century.
 Mr. Egan and a Class Seven Student This idea is also fought for today. We were shown this during a lunchtime discussion with our Head of School, Mr. Reynolds. He brought to our attention the current uprising in Egypt. Because of our knowledge of history elsewhere, we were able to quickly identify how Egypt had undergone a similar history of colonization and liberation. Yet, a new element was brought up. Many of the countries around the world who have achieved some form of emancipation from colonial powers have found themselves unable to achieve full liberty because other, more powerful countries held significant political influence over them.
Our students recognized how the countries of the Middle East and North Africa emerged from an era of colonization into the era of the Cold War. The superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union, though not colonizers, did much to influence these areas to their distinctive political ideologies. It was fascinating to observe how the students were able to empathize with the Egyptians who feel as though they have not been truly free for many generations.
Our discussion then turned to the different people groups in Egypt. We noted how the Coptic Christians might now be in a precarious position if a radical Islamic government is established. Through contemplating the difficult recent history of Egypt and the tumultuous events currently erupting there, our students have become motivated to pray for the peace of Egypt. They recognize that even more important than a proper political solution, they need the Gospel to help achieve true liberation and reconciliation.
Understanding the history of the last several centuries helps us make connections that are otherwise obscure. By understanding the historical context of this idea, we were better able to understand what is going on now in Egypt. We are also able to critique current events from the standpoint of sympathy and a shared commitment to honorable principles.
By Doug Reynolds, Head of School
Clapham recently submitted our application to ISACS (Independent School Association of the Central States). We are pleased to announce that their board not only approved our application but noted that it was the most organized and well-presented that they have ever received! We have begun work on accreditation with several teams in these early stages. The overall effort is being chaired by Christine Escareno and Julie Reynolds and will last for the next 2-3 years. So, what is accreditation and what are the benefits to Clapham for pursuing it through ISACS?
What is accreditation?
This is a 3-4 year process with ISACS that should culminate in formal approval of Clapham as an accredited school. The four years constitute the following:
- Year One (2010-2011) – Constituent Survey, Prepare for Self Study (Internal Teams evaluating various parts of school)
- Year Two (2011-2012) – Self Study
- Year Three (2012-2013) – Self Study report written; Evaluation visit by an accreditation team
- Year Four (2013-2014) – ISACS board approval
What exactly does this process look like? We have already embarked upon preparations for our “self-study” in the spring of 2011. This will begin with a constituent survey of parents, students, and staff. We will also form various committees from faculty, board members, parents, and even students. These committees will generate reports for different areas of the school. The purpose of the self-study is to strengthen the school, and it will take over a year to finish. Once this is complete, we will be visited by an accreditation team in 2013. This team will determine our accreditation status.
Who is ISACS and why pursue accreditation through this organization?
ISACS is the Independent School Association of the Central States. It covers 12 Midwestern states and its membership is comprised of the very best private schools in those states. Several that you may recognize in Chicago are The Latin School, Avery Coonley, Francis Parker, and University of Chicago Lab Schools. The standards that ISACS uses for formal accreditation are perceived across the country as the most robust, which is why we chose them over several other options. Additionally, most of our own sister schools, such as The Wilberforce School in Princeton, NJ, Heritage Preparatory in Atlanta, and The Oaks in Indianapolis have or are pursuing accreditation through ISACS or the equivalent regional organization. In short, working with ISACS will make us a better school.
What are the benefits to Clapham pursuing accreditation?
The overall benefit to our school is that we have a nationally recognized group that will hold us accountable to delivering on what we say we do. ISACS calls this “congruence”; they will review our policies, procedures, and curriculum and verify that what exists in practice is what we have articulated on paper. An example of this would be our vision “to propel students for a life of service to Christ.” ISACS will evaluate how, in practice, that vision is fulfilled in and throughout the school. They will want to see us reading Scripture, serving others inside and outside the school, and talking about service in a variety of settings like Mr. Levering is doing during this current chapel series.
Accreditation communicates to those outside of Clapham, such as universities, prospective families, and future teachers, that we are accountable to certain academic standards. By the time we are fully accredited, we will have complied with fifty-two standards, ranging from adequate admission practices to robust curriculum development to proper frameworks for board governance.
A further benefit of accreditation is that it will strengthen our school. As I have outlined above, the initial accrediting process is intensive. Furthermore, upon receiving our ISACS accreditation, Clapham will be required to complete this same self-study process every seven years. We see this as a very good thing. Built into this process is the chance to look in depth at our school and identify areas that need attention and growth. The process is not just about proving our compliance, but it is also about improving our school.
In short, we will be accredited by an organization that will not only assure the congruence of our Christian mission, but also hold us to the highest standards of academic excellence. Our peer group is not other local private or public schools, but the best schools in the country. Accreditation assures those outside of our school that good things are happening within the school. We look forward to sharing more with you as this process unfolds.
Posted in Events
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Tagged accreditation, ISACS
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By Jason Barney, Class Six Teacher
Some have a natural aversion to talk of an emphasis on habits whether in the home or in the classroom. Perhaps personal negative experiences contribute to a feeling that those who focus on training children in habits may start well, but end up judgmental and controlling. The line of reasoning behind such feelings is often fairly simple: focusing on habits is tantamount to focusing on unimportant details and not the heart. We care about the heart, therefore we don’t focus on the little things. As with all half truths, this is initially attractive but over time will bear very bitter fruit. Whether a home or classroom be repressive on the one hand, or laissez faire on the other, it is still not a good situation. God-given authority is still not being stewarded well.
 According to the Bible, focusing on the details of habits is essential to cultivating hearts of virtue. Faithfulness in the large matters of the heart, in fact, includes faithfulness in the so called little things: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10). This does not mean that every little thing matters as much as every big thing: pushing in your chair matters as much as not cheating on your taxes, etc. It does mean that a host of little things add up the character, the set of virtues, that result in a person’s faithfulness in the large things of life. If you are faithful in the small matters, you will also be faithful in large ones.
An understanding of this relationship between little habits and larger virtues is a key to avoiding the extremes of creating a repressive or laissez faire atmosphere for children under our care. In my classroom this year, I have tried to keep virtues constantly in the air as the goal toward which we are running, and any work on particular habits in their proper places as means to those ends. Virtues and habits are two points to be held in constant suspension with one another. Both, powered by God’s grace, are essential to the formation of Christian character. If we emphasize specific actions, yet have no idea of why we are doing them, they cease to have value in forming character. People often either rebel or become judgmental under such repressive environments. If we talk on about the virtues of our figures, but take no action in the direction of what is good, true or beautiful, stagnation and disinterest will ensue. No virtue is made part of a person’s character without training; no training can be sustained without a proper goal in view.
Children are naturally delighted to talk about virtue. They evaluate figures from history, literature or the Bible with ease and intuit their virtues and vices from their actions. They know without instruction that how someone acts habitually adds up to their character, that if someone commits a major act of cruelty, the vice of cruelty must be present and most likely has been present for a much longer time. In 2 Peter we are exhorted to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge. Faith, virtue and knowledge are the natural domain of Christian education, if we are not to commit the fallacy of dividing sacred from secular. Christian children should be regularly given the opportunity to talk about virtues and about how people get there (habitual conduct and thought processes). This assumes the underlying power of the Holy Spirit as “his divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). A part of every class should be the continual exploration—in discussions, assignments and essays—of the varied pantheon of virtues and their opposing vices, each in their own sphere. In my own experience, children generally respond very well to a focus on habits in the context of a continual pursuit of virtue. May God grant us all the grace to add virtue to our faith.
by Kim Sceggel, Class Three Teacher
“The human hand is a wonderful and exquisite instrument to be used in a hundred movements exacting delicacy, direction and force; every such movement is a cause of joy as it leads to the pleasure of execution and the triumph of success.” Charlotte Mason
 A student in Class 4 learns to knit. Consider the dozens of ways in which hands are used every day. Hands create paintings, sculptures, sonatas, edifices, cuisine, gardens, and other things of beauty.
Hands are also instruments of good, including helping another with a heavy package across an icy parking lot, writing words of encouragement, or preparing a homemade gift.
We value the “hands” of our students at Clapham School. And so, for the first time since Clapham’s inception, teachers are introducing their students to “handwork” in the classroom. Handwork projects vary by age and include everything from weaving to calligraphy to knitting.
While handwork is not one of the core subjects like literature, math, or writing, it holds a unique niche in the Clapham curriculum because, as Charlotte Mason reminds us, “’Education is the science of relations’; that is, a child has natural relations with a vast number of things and thoughts: so we train him upon physical exercises, nature lore, handicrafts, science and art.”[1]
Just as we desire our students to develop relationships with the authors of living books, so we encourage them to relate to different materials. Charlotte Mason explains, “[A student] practices various handcrafts that he may know the feel of wood, clay, leather, and the joy of handling tools, that is, that he may establish a due relation with materials. But, always, it is the book, the knowledge, the clay, the bird or blossom, he thinks of, not his own place or his own progress.”[2] In a classical sense then, handwork allows time for the contemplation of beauty. Students create something that reflects this eternal beauty.
Maryellen St. Cyr from Ambleside Schools offers several principles from Charlotte Mason which guide our handcraft instruction here at Clapham:
- We endeavor to select useful and beautiful projects, those that will not be thrown away after a few weeks of display on the refrigerator or the shelf.
- In order to facilitate the students’ clear understanding of the task, teachers present each project in a careful, deliberate sequence.
- We expect the students to do excellent work. This concept is “not in the sense of flawlessness, but that which was attempted with both heart and hand . . . .It is not enough that the child has participated; she must also learn.”[3] Teachers carefully instruct, not only praising honest effort but also calmly assisting when careless work must be redone.
- Finally, teachers consider the capabilities of the child as a person, designing projects that the students can accomplish at their various age levels.
Handwork projects at our school are even engaging students beyond the time allotted for handwork lessons. An observer at Clapham may see students knitting during read aloud time or cross stitching during indoor playtime. Several of my Class Three students have eagerly embraced our stitching projects and have used their new stitching skills to make gifts for family and friends.
Watching children use their hands to practice handwork reminds me that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”(Psalm 139:14). God has given children wonderful abilities to do much more than they can even imagine. It is our hope that handwork will be a source of joy to the students as they develop relationships with the materials they encounter. Perhaps these projects will also be a source of joy to those who may receive them as gifts.
[1] Mason, Charlotte. Towards a Philosophy of Education. Seven Treasures Publications, 2009. 154. Emphasis mine.
[2] Ibid. 31.
[3] Cooper, Elaine. When Children Love to Learn. Crossway Books, 2004. 191.
By Doug Reynolds, Head of School, and Brandon Levering, Chaplain
 Mr. Levering teaches Clapham students in chapel each Wednesday morning. What is service? How is a life of service cultivated? These questions and their answers are the topics of our current eleven week Spring 2011 chapel series.
Why is a life of service important? First, God’s Word calls us to serve. Clapham’s theme verses are Jeremiah 17:7-8 which say “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water….it does not cease to bear fruit.” Ephesians 2:10 echoes this message as well, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” These vivid images point out that not only are we to bear the fruit of service God has called us to, but He Himself is the source of our service. He nourishes the tree; He prepared in advance the acts of service for us to “walk in” (note the ESV does not say “do”). They are from Him and for His glory.
Second, the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty at a Christian classical school demands that we consider how to interpret our culture, respond to it, and engage with it from a Christian worldview. At Clapham, our motto is “Veritas pro Vita” (Truth for Life). As students thoughtfully consider how God’s truth leads to life, one potent way to demonstrate this to an unbelieving world is by service to the broader community.
Third, service is the essential antidote to “idolizing the mind.” The admissions requirements and academic standards are very high at Clapham. This can easily translate to pride of achievement or status in the hearts of students and parents. But if we want to be a God honoring school that together with parents helps train students who glorify Christ in their lives, then we must submit to a life of humble service to Him and others.
The name Clapham is inspired by the Clapham Saints, a group of late 18th and early 19th century English Christians who prayerfully considered how to use their gifts, wealth and talents to make a difference in Britain and around the world. They led the cause to abolish slavery, reform prisons, educate women, and establish some of the first foreign missionary societies, to name a few. This is our hope and prayer for the students at Clapham School: that they would develop a sincere love for God’s truth and His Word; that they would be articulate in the way in which they engage others with truth; and that they would develop a heart for service that will allow them to represent Christ to the world, and follow Him humbly wherever and to whatever He calls.
Like the Clapham Saints, our Chapel series will seek to provide the context for service and its broader implications for Christian life. The catechism (questions and answers) the students will respond to and memorize during the eleven weeks are:
Week 1:
Question: What is the vision of Clapham School?
Answer: To propel students for a life of service to Christ. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Week 2:
Question: Whom are we called to serve?
Answer: God our King, who created us in his image to know and serve him. (Genesis 1:26-28)
Week 3:
Question: Where are we called to serve?
Answer: Everywhere. God’s whole world was created good and will be restored in a new creation. (Genesis 1)
Week 4:
Question: Why are we called to serve?
Answer: To fill God’s world with his glory and fame. (Genesis 1:28; John 15:8)
Week 5:
Question: Why is it so hard to serve God?
Answer: God’s good world is fallen in sin. That sin is in our hearts, so that we serve something else as god, and want others to serve us. (Romans 5:12; 6:16; Isaiah 42:8)
Week 6:
Question: How does God turn sinners into servants?
Answer: By grace through faith. God rescues us through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, and gives us the Holy Spirit to serve him. (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 3:18)
Week 7:
Question: What does God ask of his servants?
Answer: To trust him fully and obey him joyfully. (Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 15:5, 10-11)
Week 8:
Question: In what ways can we serve God?
Answer: By telling others about Jesus, loving our neighbors, and cultivating what is true, good, and beautiful in God’s world. (Colossians 1:6)
Week 9:
Question: What helps us serve God?
Answer: The strength of his Spirit, the light of his Word, and the partnership of his people. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Week 10:
Question: Who is our model for serving God?
Answer: Jesus Christ, who made himself nothing for our sake. (Philippians 2:5-11)
Week 11:
Question: How long shall we serve God?
Answer: Forever. We serve God today in part; we will serve him fully and forever when Jesus returns with his new creation. (Matthew 25)
By Doug Reynolds, Head of School
Raising children, in many ways, is a matter of helping them grow into people who can develop and sustain healthy, mature relationships. While this may seem obvious when it comes to coaching our children as they navigate the increasingly complex waters of friendships with peers, it is also important to cultivate their relationships with other aspects of life, including various subjects, authors, and texts. My wife, Julie, and I have found this process to be one that is not instantaneously achieved – perhaps similar to getting our children to eat healthy food. They may prefer the good tasting chicken nuggets over a healthier option. But over time their tastes have been cultivated as we consistently put really good food in front of them (and remove the options of solely eating other junk or comfort foods).
The process has been similar to developing their taste for good literature. Systematically providing well written, classic children’s books over time has resulted in favorite authors and the desire to read and reread beautifully written texts. They have formed relationships with these texts and with the authors. They become part of our ongoing conversations in daily life. Again, this doesn’t just happen overnight but is cultivated over a long period of time and requires placing the right books in front of them (and avoiding others that might be more tempting, but ultimately less satisfying).
We have all heard the expression that life’s lessons are more easily “caught” rather than “taught.” That’s also true when it comes to cultivating good taste in our children. They need to see us reading good literature (and eating our vegetables); they need to hear us get excited about re-reading a Dickens’ novel for the sixth time; they need to hear us read aloud to them the very books we want them to read.
 Students listen attentively during chapel These habits of cultivating good relationships with ideas and authors also apply to the Bible, as this relationship directs our view of all other texts. As parents who are followers of Christ, what more do we want in our children than to have them eager to read and meditate on the ultimate text – God’s Word? We should keep in mind, though, that this desire is not something that develops overnight, but is a process developed over years. However, it is never too late to start.
In his book Age of Opportunity, Paul Tripp writes, “Everything we learn from Scripture should be attached to a biblical system of thinking.” He then provides a list of helpful questions for us to ask ourselves and our children when we read the Bible aloud with them (try these with the Clapham Bible Curriculum):
- What does this passage teach us about God, his character, and his plan?
- What do we learn about ourselves, our nature, our struggle, and the purpose of our lives?
- What does this passage teach us about right and wrong, good and bad, and true and false?
- What instruction is here about relationships, about love, authority, etc.?
- What does this passage teach us about life, its meaning and purpose?
- What does this passage teach us about the inner man, the heart and how it functions?
- What have we learned from this passage that would guide the way we live and make decisions?
- How does this passage help us understand and critique our culture?”
What I love about these questions is that they help us consider the relationships that Scripture points to: relationships with God, his Word, others, and ourselves. Seeing our children develop a relationship with great texts finds its ultimate satisfaction in seeing them eager to carry on a lifelong relationship with the Bible itself.
Our own children this year, without any prompting, decided to read through the Bible in 2011. We see them reading it in the morning on their own and discussing it together periodically at the dinner table. It’s a joy to hear them talking about the instructions the Lord gave to Moses in Leviticus about the ephod the high priest was to wear, or the colors of their garments and asking questions about how that compares to the color of the Lord’s robes in heaven. These are priceless discussions that have eternal value in the here and now, helping our children grow in relationship with not only God and His Word, but others by extension.
Posted in Christian Living
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Tagged Bible
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By Jenny Bernthal, Class Two Teacher
Our Bible discussions in Class Two have been very illuminating recently and I wanted to share with you an example of how our students at Clapham learn from God’s Word.
 Mrs. Bernthal with a student A few days ago we were reading in I Samuel about David and Saul. At this point, we had already read about how Saul was king, David had killed Goliath, and Saul was in pursuit of David. We read about David hiding in a cave when Saul actually slipped into that very cave. David’s men encouraged him that God was giving him the chance to kill Saul! But David quietly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe, telling his men that it would be a huge sin to kill the man God had chosen to be king. After reading this, one of my students said David must have wanted revenge against Saul, but that he trusted God to be the one to take the revenge.
Shortly after this, we again read about David and some of his men coming upon Saul and his men while they were camped outside and sleeping. Again, David had a chance to kill Saul as he walked right up to him and saw his sword lying right next to his head! His men again encouraged him that God had given him another chance to kill Saul, but David didn’t listen to them. He told them he would be considered a murderer if he took revenge. He chose to leave Saul’s death to God.
In history that same week we read about the Crusades, specifically about how the Pope told the Christians to go take back Jerusalem from the Saracens. When they invaded Jerusalem, they killed many, many people, weak and all. After we read this, completely unprompted by any questioning on my part, a student said that this reminded him of a lesson we learned in Bible class. He said the Crusaders shouldn’t have killed all those people because it is God’s job to take revenge. Now they were murderers.
This is just one example of connections our students at Clapham make on a daily basis. It never stops amazing me how much these ideas really do take root in these little minds and grow. Living ideas, particularly from God’s Word, cause them to think carefully and to apply the knowledge they are gaining.
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