Gleanings from a Book: “Of Such is the Kingdom: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard

Summer Kinard offers a great gift to the Church in her book “Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability”. Kinard teaches from experience with disability: she herself has neurological differences, and she has children with disabilities. By virtue of her own personal struggles, the insights, wisdom, and encouragement which she shares in this book are true and tested, and heavily seasoned with the love of Christ. This book encourages its readers to extend much grace to those around them whose struggle includes a disability.

“Of Such is the Kingdom” is a beautiful blend of theology drawn from the Scriptures and the Church Fathers; descriptive explanation; and practical suggestions for the Church as a whole. Whether or not the reader’s immediate family is experiencing a disability, this book will be helpful. After all, the Church is our Family, and our Family is definitely experiencing disability. The most Christ-like way we can approach our Family is by doing all that we can to learn about, support, help, and love every member therein. Kinard offers insights that will help the Church to do so, one member at a time.

The book begins with an insightful introduction, and continues in four sections: God’s Time Reveals (Kairos), Becoming Like God in Weakness (Theosis), Self-Emptying Disables the Disability (Kenosis), and The Iconic Community (Koinonia). Readers will have the opportunity to look at the theology of disability with the perspective of God’s time; consider how disability helps to bring us closer to God; begin to learn ways in which parishes and parishioners can better embrace and include their brothers and sisters experiencing disabilities; explore ways in which people with disabilities can serve the Church; and be challenged to better care for those who are experiencing disabilities. Each chapter concludes with a bulleted summary that helps the reader to better solidify their learning, and thought-inducing questions. (These questions will also be helpful for group discussions of the book.) The conclusion is simultaneously challenging and encouraging.

In one of her thought-provoking questions on page 72, Kinard offers a beautiful glimpse at what this book is about: “We are all in this body of Christ together, and people with disabilities, along with those without disabilities, have a common goal of becoming like Christ. The focus shifts from what we are able to do alone to how we can help the whole body work together.” It is not always easy to know how to work together, given all of the differences in the body of Christ, but reading this book – and taking action on the insights it offers – is an excellent place to start.

It is my hope that clergy, parents, teachers, Sunday Church school teachers—in truth, all Orthodox Christians—will read this book, and extend the kindness and grace it inspires. Imagine what the Church will look like when we do this! It will look like heaven on earth, as it is meant to look, extending the love of Christ to every person. May God help us to do so, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Summer Kinard’s website features her blog and a myriad of resources for parents and church school or homeschool teachers. https://summerkinard.com/

Purchase your own copy  of the book here: https://store.ancientfaith.com/new-book-releases/

 

Here are a few gleanings from the book:

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“When we learn how to welcome everyone into the Orthodox Church, with the help of our Tradition, one another, and the practical exercises and resources in this book and the accompanying website, we will learn to live with the humility of children whom God welcomes—not as embarrassments, but as His own beloved creation.” (p. 14, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“When we make adaptations for Orthodox Christians to come to church, we are not only making room for them to get in the door—which is an important first step!—but we must adapt our welcome with the aim of sharing the full joy of the Lord. All of us will experience the full joy of God‘s presence when these very bodies are transformed in the resurrection. If we can make room and bend a little toward bearing one another’s burdens, we will adapt now for resurrection joy in the Lord. We will experience the joy of the Lord in foretaste as we welcome people with disabled bodies into the full life of the Body of Christ, the Church.” (pp. 31-32, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“This view of disability as a call to holiness in God’s time is the reason the question we Orthodox ask is not, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ but, ‘How is this disability for our salvation, and not only the salvation of each person, but also the whole Body of Christ?’” (p. 43, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“The healing work of God is to knit each member of the Body of Christ together in the Church. Whether or not healing occurs in our bodies, the healing of the one Body of Christ, the Church, comes when each person is welcomed fully into the Body as a member.”(pp. 82-83, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“Every person will pay attention to feelings first, sight second, and thinking third. Once all of these three preliminary types of attention are in place, the highest level of attention, joint attention, can take place. After we look more closely at these four levels of attention, we will see that they parallel the four levels of reading Scripture that Orthodox Christians have practiced in the Church since the beginning.” (p. 116, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“Church buildings are microcosms of salvation history, where space is arranged so that we can know ourselves as having a place in the mercy of God. Like our churches, our classrooms and teaching patterns can reflect the pattern of God as a place where God‘s mercy makes us at home. This sense of church as home is open to families with disabilities, too, because God in His mercy became human so that we all might know Him through all of our senses.” (p. 134, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“It is one thing to tell a child to make his cross because he is supposed to do so. It is quite another to tell him that when he makes his cross, demons run away like cowards and spiritual brightness like lightning shines forth from his face to frighten away evil. Yet this is the truth that our Holy Tradition has handed down to us. We make the sign of the cross to repel evil and to shine forth the light of God, who conquered death by death, reminding ourselves and every spiritual entity that Christ is risen and has conquered evil.

A child with disabilities might not be able to sing the Pascal hymn with everyone, but he might be able to make the sign of the cross by himself or with assistance. Teach him what it means, and it will become a prayer with great meaning for him. Even if he does not understand, the prayer is still powerful.” (pp. 161-162, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“The communication of needs and offers to serve might start small, with checkboxes to volunteer on a stewardship form, cards in an offering plate stating that a meal train would help a family in crisis this week, and an email address and phone number (that definitely will be answered) for pastoral or educational needs. The habit of communicating and connecting people with disabilities with the fullness of the community will grow from there.” (p. 191, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“Many persons with disabilities are what we might call “concrete thinkers.” That is, they tend to focus on the meaning of things that corresponds to real, lived experience. Though, as we saw in the earlier chapters on attention, everyone actually learns best with concrete anchors and ideas, teaching with concrete, tangible, or demonstrable examples is especially important to concrete thinkers.” (p. 201, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“It is my position that we need to show hospitality to everyone who comes through the doors of the Church and not only be Christ to them but also to receive Christ through them. A parish community is not fulfilling the mandate to serve others if it cannot welcome and find a place for those whose abilities may be different than our own. We rob ourselves of the blessing we receive from them.” (Fr. Christopher Foley, as quoted on p. 218, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“The Church is an iconic community because we look like God when we love one another and humbly make room for all members of the Body in our worship, learning, service, and fellowship. As we imitate Christ in love and humility, we are ‘being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another’ (2 Corinthians 3:18), and this likeness applies to every member. When every member is included, the Body of Christ starts to look like God.”(pp. 225-226, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“When Jesus describes the last judgment in Matthew 25, He says that feeding the hungry is like feeding Him. We should apply that lesson to the way we welcome families with food allergies, too.” (p. 256, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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“The works of God are made manifest in us when we as a community imitate the Savior’s love and humility in making space, teaching so that everyone can learn, practicing prayers that all can pray, ministering to one another, and welcoming one another into fellowship as we welcome Christ.” (p. 262, “Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven: a Practical Theology of Disability” by Summer Kinard)

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Pursuing Church School Success: Attending to Classroom Noise

 

In this series, we will feature resources and ideas that can increase the learning success of a Church school classroom. In each post, we will share some tips for classroom management and/or ideas for increased student participation. What we share is not a comprehensive list by any stretch of the imagination: there are many more ideas available. It is our hope that what we proffer can act as a starting point toward enhancing the learning that takes place in our Church school classroom. 

Different types of teachers allow different levels of noise in their classroom. Some teachers expect silence, and there are times when silence is necessary in a class! Most teachers expect chatter and interaction, which generates some degree of noise, but that is necessary for optimal learning. A few teachers may allow a seeming cacophony of sound to come from their students during class. Perhaps it sounds chaotic, but depending on the reason for the noise, this may actually be an extremely effective classroom.

These three levels of noise tolerance are very different from each other. This begs the question, which of these classroom noise levels is successful? We propose that all of them are successful, especially if they all happen in the same classroom at different parts of the class period.

It is impossible to completely avoid noise in a classroom setting. Noise happens because there are people in classrooms, and people make noise! Whether the sounds are shuffling or body noises, or vocal/verbal, noise is always present. Teachers who prepare to embrace the noise, encourage it at varying levels, and properly redirect it when it is “too much” will be most successful in guiding their classes. These teachers’ students will feel heard, find themselves fully engaged in the lessons, and they will therefore respond respectfully to the teacher.

It is impractical for a Sunday Church school teacher (especially one whose class gathers right after the Divine Liturgy) to expect silent stillness from their students at all times. These children/young people have just been very quiet for a long time in Church, and silence does not come naturally to them. It is up to the teacher to determine what classroom noise is good and “useable”, and what is unnecessary. Once the teacher determines the type of noise going on in their classroom, they’ll better know how to utilize/direct it.

Noise in a classroom is not always a bad thing. In fact, if it is noise that is being generated by interaction with the study or focus at hand, it is actually very good, and a desired outcome of the learning process! Teachers who offer their students opportunities to move around a bit and express themselves; but who also redirect inappropriate/unnecessary noise will find their job easier and more effective. Therefore, it is important that we teachers constantly evaluate the noise happening in our classroom, so that we can encourage the good noise, and redirect the rest.

So the next time you hear a very noisy classroom, take a deep breath and evaluate the situation. It may not be out of control! Rather, that cacophony might just mean that a great deal of learning is going on!

 

Here are a few links related to classroom noise which you may find helpful. What has worked for you? What resources would you recommend to the community? Please share them below!

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“If you came here looking for a few tricks to end excessive talking, the bad news is that you won’t find anything clever or earth-shattering. The good news is that the solution is pretty simple, and it requires no behavior charts, tokens, or Jolly Ranchers.” Listen to this podcast (or read the transcript) to learn the solution to excessive talking: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/student-talking/

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Here are several helpful suggestions of ways to encourage whole-class involvement in a discussion, without everyone speaking at once. We especially liked the short segments on “Silent Signals” and “Talk Moves.” https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2018/05/17/tch-tips-chatty-classroom?

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With some explanation and practice (wherein a student is the teacher and you are a student modeling what to/not to do), this article suggests that it is not difficult to train your students to give you their attention in a short amount of time. https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2016/03/19/how-to-ask-for-and-receive-your-students-attention-within-two-seconds/

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Some teachers have found call out/answer back options to be very effective in recovering their students’ attention when the classroom gets unnecessarily noisy. This page offers ideas of ways to make these call/response attention-getters personal to your own class, and also offers 50 “ready to use” options: https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/50-fun-call-and-response-ideas-to-get-students-attention/

(One possible Orthodox call/response could be:
Teacher: Wisdom! Students: Let us attend!)

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Find fifteen great ways to quiet a class (some ways have multiple tips from a variety of teachers) at this page: https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/15-creative-respectful-ways-to-quiet-a-class/

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If yours is a chatty Sunday Church school class, you may find some of the ideas here helpful. Would Blurt Beans be effective in your class? Does your classroom have a quiet turtle? Have you tried the Singing Trick? Do you allow your students to socialize (around related activities) for a few minutes before beginning class? https://missgiraffesclass.blogspot.com/2016/10/25-chatty-class-classroom-management.html

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When it comes to classroom noise, it is very important that we teachers are not part of the problem. When our students become unusually loud, how can we recapture their attention or give directions? Here are ten great ideas of ways to do so without yelling: https://www.weareteachers.com/stop-yelling-strategies/

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Pursuing Church School Success: Including Brain Breaks in Lessons

In this series, we will feature resources and ideas that can increase the learning success of a Church school classroom. In each post, we will share some tips for classroom management and/or ideas for increased student participation. What we share is not a comprehensive list by any stretch of the imagination: there are many more ideas available. It is our hope that what we proffer can act as a starting point toward enhancing the learning that takes place in our Church school classroom. 

 

We are all well aware of the importance of maintaining our students’ full attention during class. We also know that they retain and remember information that is learned while their brain is engaged. But it is not easy to maintain an entire class’ full attention at every moment: keeping their complete attention is a struggle. This is why “brain breaks” exist.

“What is a brain break?” you may ask. It is an activity that allows students to physically move and release some of the pent-up energy associated with being still and focused for a long period of time. If you take some time to read about these breaks, you will find that it is really important for us to incorporate them into our lessons. Brain breaks change things up, giving both us and our students a “breather” from concentration, and thereby creating a window for better focus and understanding.

At first glance, brain breaks may look like a waste of important time. But think back to the last time you were working diligently on a project. Did you not, after a period of time, take a quick walk, or grab a mug of coffee, or even just run to the bathroom for a few minutes? When you came back to your project, did you feel refreshed and ready to get back at it? Or was that break a complete waste of time? Of course it wasn’t! (Unless, of course, during the break you also got sucked into Facebook and lost track of time, but that’s a whole other issue, unrelated to the physical break that you took!) We adults often take brain breaks of our own, whether or not we know the terminology.

Brain breaks in a classroom work similarly: they offer a brief period of movement to allow for regrouping and better focus. Brain breaks can be simple actions or more complex games. They can incorporate thinking or simply be a dance-off. Different types of brain breaks reach different types of students, so it is important that we incorporate a variety of them into our teaching.

For our students’ benefit, we should always include some type of brain break(s) into each lesson. They will boost morale, add a touch of fun to our class, and (best of all) open our students’ minds so they can better interact with and remember what we’re studying. And chances are, they’ll help us to learn more, as well!

Here are several links on brain breaks that you may find helpful. Do you regularly use them in your Sunday Church school class? If so, what have you done? Please share your brain break ideas below!

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This article offers links to some of the research that has been done on brain breaks. It strongly states that brain breaks should be considered a class NEED, not an “extra activity”. That is how big an impact physical breaks have on students’ ability to learn! https://www.pinkoatmeal.com/brain-breaks/

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A printable chart such as this one offers brain break ideas that will be performed in a way that is unique to each student. Each would need their own dice to roll five times, and then some space (and freedom) to perform the five actions they’d rolled.

You could create your own chart like this, including your own ideas of things your students can do in the space you have.

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While this is written to a home school audience, there is information here that will be helpful to a Sunday Church school teacher. Especially one with students who are easily distracted: https://adventuresinmommydom.org/tips-on-teaching-highly-distractible-kids/

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“After a successful brain break, your kids should feel more focused, less prone to daydreaming and therefore in a better mental space to work or complete and finish activities. Furthermore, brain breaks have also shown to significantly reduce stress levels in kids, providing organic improvements to learning and higher engagement levels.” Read the rest of the article, as well as the baker’s dozen brain break ideas suggested here: https://www.unicefkidpower.org/brain-breaks-for-kids/

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The indoor and outdoor brain break ideas listed here are written for parents to utilize with their children at home, but many can be helpful to Sunday Church school teachers as well. (We do not condone the yoga idea, but the others are worth considering!) https://www.verywellfamily.com/brain-breaks-for-busy-kids-1257211

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The 20 brain breaks here can offer students of varying ages the opportunity to move and do something completely different for a bit so that they are free to once again focus and learn. https://minds-in-bloom.com/20-three-minute-brain-breaks/

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Here is another collection of 20 brain break ideas for you to consider using in your classroom. Some you can use as they are. Others are aimed at a regular school setting but can be adapted for use in a Sunday Church school class. https://www.boredteachers.com/classroom-management/20-best-brain-break-ideas

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For more creative brain break ideas, check out this blog: http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/

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Drawing is not necessarily a “brain break”, but it is a physical activity that boosts learning. It is actually a very effective means of learning, because it taps into so many learning styles and requires a variety of thought processes. Check out this 2-minute video explaining the value of incorporating drawing into your lessons: https://www.edutopia.org/video/powerful-effects-drawing-learning

Pursuing Church School Success: Encouraging Class Participation

In this series, we will feature resources and ideas that can increase the learning success of a Church school classroom. In each post, we will share some tips for classroom management and/or ideas for increased student participation. What we share is not a comprehensive list by any stretch of the imagination: there are many more ideas available. It is our hope that what we proffer can act as a starting point toward enhancing the learning that takes place in our Church school classroom. 

 

Student participation is an important aspect of success in the classroom. Therefore, as we actively pursue student success in our Sunday Church school classrooms, we must consider the level of participation invited and encouraged in the class. This post will challenge us to do so.

Think for a moment about your Sunday Church school students. How well do they participate in class? Do you invite them to participate? In what ways do you encourage participation? How could you better welcome their input and ideas?

We discovered various links and articles that we thought may be helpful to you as you evaluate and grow the level of participation that happens in your Sunday Church school classroom. Each is different from the others, so we encourage you to read all of them, to see what strikes a chord with you for your class. We also encourage you to consider asking your students for input: what do they want/need you to do to better encourage them to participate in class?

Here are some links on the subject that you may find helpful. What has worked for you? What related resources would you recommend to the community? Please share them below!

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“Starting on the first day of class, arrange the room in a way that encourages active engagement.” So begins this helpful piece that offers practical suggestions for building an environment that spurs participation: https://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/resources/teaching-methods/participation/increasing-student-participation/

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How do we define classroom participation, how can it be encouraged, and what is a good way to assess it? Find the answers to each of these questions here: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/assessing-student-work/grading-and-feedback/promoting-effective-participation

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Warm up your minds at the beginning of class; use movement; encourage collaboration — these are a few of the tips this author offers to teachers desiring to grow class participation: https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips

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Here are ten practical, active suggestions of ways to encourage students (most of the video examples are of secondary students) to participate in class: https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2018/01/18/10-top-notch-strategies-12-min

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This blog offers four common reasons students don’t participate, followed by several techniques to solve each of those problems: https://www.teachhub.com/top-12-ways-increase-student-participation

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Good teachers will know how to deal with all types of answers that students offer in classrooms where participation is encouraged. Here’s an article that discusses the most common types of answers kids give and suggests ways that teachers should respond to these answers: https://wellequippedvolunteer.com/2015/05/25/one-way-sunday-school-teachers-can-encourage-active-participation-in-class/

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In classrooms where there is more student-directed learning and less teacher-directed learning, it is still easy for teachers to be talking more than they need to. This article offers 8 ways that teachers can talk less and allow their students to talk even more: ://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/2014/09/8-ways-teachers-can-talk-less-get-kids-talking.html

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