Can I Glorify God With My Mind?

Did you know that there are currently five ICSV staff members enrolled in doctoral programs? There are four more studying for a master’s degree right now, and six were awarded theirs within the last two years! This is an amazing number of staff members who are pursuing advanced degrees.

At ICSV, one of the goals in our Strategic Vision 2018-2023 is to foster a culture and mindset of excellence and continuous improvement in all areas. Another goal is to develop and support the staff and to compensate them based on their education, experience, and certification.

In order to allow staff members to complete these advanced courses or to take advantage of other continuing education opportunities like seminars and conferences, ICSV budgets funds to reimburse staff members who complete their courses up to a certain amount each school year. We are also able to help with the costs of different conferences and seminars. There are many opportunities available online right now because of COVID. Staff members have been taking advantage of these free sessions.

We have also implemented a PLC model of professional development. PLCs are Professional Learning Communities. That is what we are doing on Thursday mornings when we have a late start. PLCs are groups of educators that meet regularly to share their expertise and to work collaboratively to improve their teaching skills and the academic performance of the students. The group may start by identifying an area where we would like to improve as a school. They would then brainstorm ideas of how we could go about making the desired improvement. It could be anything from how to raise standardized test scores to how to make chapels more meaningful to students. Just the process of working together helps to improve communication and collaboration.

Even our non-teaching staff members are participating in PLCs. The office staff may work on ways to improve communication or to streamline processes. The maintenance staff may decide to work on ways to increase the effectiveness of our COVID procedures. These conversations should lead to continuous improvement in all areas of the school.

The Bible tells us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” God has gifted us with lovely minds that have the capacity for much more than we could ever imagine. By using our minds for rigorous study and continual improvement, we are praising God for what He has given to us. At ICSV, it is important to glorify God with our mind. Our goal is that students will observe the teachers modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner. Maybe then they will begin to understand what it means to use their minds as a way of giving glory to God.

Because of His Faithfulness,

Dr. Sharon Brobst, Director