Teachers Week

August 4-7, 2026

Near the heart of the mission of Faith Builders is our commitment to training teachers. Each year in August, Faith Builders hosts around 300 teachers and school staff at Teachers Week in Guys Mills, PA. Our goal is to provide resources to promote and sustain the vision for quality Christian education.

Teachers Week is packed with main sessions, workshops, and breakouts for new and experienced teachers. Evening activities enable attendees to share ideas with each other or enjoy reprieve from the content of the day.

Workshops and breakouts discuss teaching, history, science, math, literature, spelling, Bible, and more. Teachers Week is scheduled a week or more before school usually starts in the fall to give teachers a place to generate ideas, energy, and vision for the coming year. Attendees have found this event to be a focused week of practical content and ideas sharing built on a foundation of biblical teaching and refreshment.

2026 PROGRAM

GENERAL ASSEMBLy

Constructing a Christian Education —Dan Rutt

• The Foundation: What Makes Christian Education Different
• The Cornerstone: How Christ Is the Key to Learning
• The Work: What Every Teacher Needs to Know
• The Vision: What in the World We Are Doing

SPLIT SESSIONS

• NEWER TEACHERS: Sayings for Teachers —Nate Nolt
• EXPERIENCED TEACHERS: Imaginations Nourished on Words —Josh Nisley

WORKSHOPS

Workshops offer three sessions of extended study and interaction.

New Teacher Orientation K-4 —Kendra Martin
This workshop will further equip you to teach so you can say with confidence – “I prepared, we learned, and they achieved.” We will be looking at effective techniques for planning, creating a productive learning environment, and tracking progress.

New Teacher Orientation 5-12 —Jeremy Sauder
Designed to cover the basics for newer teachers, this workshop will focus on how to teach, how to prepare, and how to manage the classroom.

Supporting Students in the Resource Room —Phoebe Beiler
What is the best way to help students who are struggling to learn and succeed in the general classroom? This workshop will focus on supporting students in the setting of a resource room. Topics will include student placement, curriculum overview, monitoring progress, overview of disorders, trauma informed practice, and tips for addressing specific learning needs.

Inspiration for Elementary Art Class —Esther Stricker
Are you tired of the Thursday afternoon rush-planning for Friday art class? We all want inspiring and interesting art projects, but planning a whole year of exciting art lessons can feel daunting. In this workshop, we will dabble in various art forms with the goal of becoming more familiar with art skills we don’t feel practiced in. We will walk through practical steps to planning a year-long scope and sequence for art class so that you can start the school year with inspiration and a good working plan. Supplies fee: $20

Emergent Literacy: From Foundations to Fluency —Karen Yoder
Learning to read is a fascinating process of identifying sounds, connecting sounds with symbols, then fluently spelling and reading with these symbols. Prepare to dive into an immersive simulation of phonics instruction, consider auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning methods for spelling instruction, and then discuss components necessary to set a student up for fluency by the end of first grade. This workshop on the learning-to-read process is directed toward teachers with two or more years of experience.

Hyping up the High School Music Program —Jeff Swanson
Is your school music culture floating listlessly in the doldrums? Good news! We are planning to have an interactive workshop focusing on five areas of High School Music: practical rehearsal techniques, voice training, fun warm ups, rep selection and caring for your singers!

Experiencing Poetry With Your Students —Jonas Sauder
Children can enjoy poetry as much as they do stories. We will explore ways to experience poetry including interpretive reading, memorization, recitation, and writing. We’ll look at elements of poetry, types of poetry, and poets. Participants will learn how to integrate poetry across the curriculum, from history to science, composition, and Bible, and also how to avoid extinguishing children’s interest in poetry through “poetry abuse.”

Essential Teaching Techniques —Piper Burdge
What are the winning moves that teachers can deploy to consistently and effectively enable student learning? This methods-focused workshop introduces techniques from Teach Like a Champion 3.0 and invites participants to build a set of practices and perspectives that will serve you and your students in the classroom this coming year.
Note: While teachers of any grade level are welcome, this workshop is tailored toward grades 5-12 teachers with at least 2 years of experience. Required materials: Teach Like a Champion 3.0 by Doug Lemov (available for purchase at the bookstore). Limit of 40 participants.

From Wow to Why: Meaningful Science Demos —Josh Wagler
Participants will explore how to turn passive observation into active learning. We will learn to implement the POE (Predict, Observe, Explain) technique, model effective vs ineffective use of demonstrations, and share practical tips to help you become a more competent science teacher. All science teachers are welcome. Most applicable to grades 4-12.

First Aid, CPR, and AED Certification —Ryan Lehman
Would you like to have more confidence in dealing with the inevitable playground mishaps that you encounter as a teacher? This workshop will provide instruction and the examination to provide students with a First Aid certification to the Emergency Care and Safety Institute Standards.
Certification Fee: $20. Limit of 25 participants.

Strategies for Better Work/Life Balance —Jen Miller
In this workshop, we’ll look at five strategies that helped me, after a season of burnout, to use my time more wisely so that I can get my work done and still have time for other things. Because the hands-on portion of this class will give you time to plan ahead in areas that will save you time during the school year (e.g., unit plans, projects, substitute notes), bring your school calendar, class schedule, student list, relevant textbooks, etc. For teachers with at least one year of experience.

Questioning Techniques that Strengthen Learning —Anna Zehr
Teachers taking this workshop will experience, craft, and practice questioning techniques that build strong classroom rapport and student engagement while strengthening student learning in various subjects and learning scenarios. We will apply questioning techniques in the following areas: creating memorable encounters with and reviews of new learning; having one-on-one discussions with students to correct errors in math, phonics, and language; and helping build student comprehension and enjoyment of a story line through questioning. Limit of 40 participants.

Breakouts

• Diagramming | Is \ Delightful: (5-6) —Deana Swanson
• Teaching Elementary Sciences (3-6) —Monica Yoder
• Developing Reading Comprehension Skills —Jonas Sauder
• Basics of the United States Government —Peter Goertzen
• First Days of Kindergarten —Karen Graybill
• Lead Teacher and Principal Forum —Jeremy Sauder, Gerald Miller
• Inspiring Students to Become Good Readers (3-4) —Melissa Beachy
• Keys for Teaching Algebra —Wilmer Gehman
• Building a Lab on a Shoestring —Jerry Fox
• Choir on Fire —Jeff Swanson
• Teaching High School Art When You’re Not an Artist —Hannah Nolt
• How Do I Successfully Manage a Day? —Charlene Stoltzfus
• What Teenagers Need from Teachers —Josh Wagler
• Addressing Negative Attitudes —Courtney Hochstetler
• and many more

REGISTER

LODGING

Attendees are asked to make their own lodging arrangements. Discounted rates have been negotiated with the following motel.

Quality Inn (22 minutes from FB)
17259 Conneaut Lake Road
Meadville, PA 16335
(814) 333-8883
Free continental breakfast included.
Ask for the Faith Builders rate: $104.99 + tax (per night).
Reservations must be made by July 7 to receive this price.

Also available
Holiday Inn Express−Meadville
Hampton Inn−Meadville
Airbnbs and Bed & Breakfasts

Shared Lodging

If you are interested in connecting with other attendees to share lodging cost, contact Brenda at events@fbep.org to receive a shared lodging link.

Faith Builders Canada hosts Teachers Week Ontario . More details will be available in April.