Teachers Week

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.

Teachers Week 2025 is planned for August 5-8. Registration is open!

Register Here

GENERAL ASSEMBLIES
Under Construction! The Church of Tomorrow is in Your Classroom Today —Javan Bender

  • Building Shared Vision with the Church
  • Building Partnerships with Parents
  • Building Staff Relationships
  • Building a Safe Environment for Students

SPLIT SESSIONS: NEWER TEACHERS

Becoming an Effective Teacher —Darrell Hersberger

  • Understanding Role
  • Expectations
  • Relationships
  • Demands

SPLIT SESSIONS: EXPERIENCED TEACHERS

Virtues of the Classroom —John Coblentz

  • Compassion
  • Discernment
  • Integrity
  • Service

WORKSHOPS

Workshops offer three sessions of extended study and interaction.

New Teacher Orientation K-4 Patty Petersheim
Ready to teach? Effective teaching requires preparation and this workshop is intended to help prepare you for your first year in the classroom. It will include topics such as teaching methods, lesson planning/presentation, classroom management, and motivation as it pertains to grades K-4.

New Teacher Orientation, Grades 5-12 Kevin Groff

A toolbox for new teachers. This workshop will give you ideas on how to make these first years effective and productive. We will discuss being prepared spiritually, emotionally, professionally, etc., as an individual to teach. Additionally, we will think through the mechanics of classroom management and lesson preparation.

Supporting Students in the Resource Room Phoebe Byler
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 resource room management, curriculum overview, monitoring progress, overview of disorders, trauma informed practice, and tips for addressing specific learning needs.

Public Speaking for Ladies Anita Yoder

If public speaking terrifies you, this workshop is for you. Learn simple tools to prepare and deliver any time you speak inside or outside your classroom. We might not be able to take all your butterflies away, but we can try to get them to listen to you! Limited: 20 participants

Art: Creativity Unleashed Deana Swanson

Art is an important creative activity for students in kindergarten through twelfth grades-and for us teachers too. It helps to make our students better thinkers and problem solvers, and it just makes school more enjoyable. We will complete four projects in class, and ideas for many more will be presented. This workshop is for teachers of grades 3-10. Supply fee: $15

I ❤️ Elementary Music Ed.! Jeff Swanson

We plan to cover every aspect of K-6 music selection, lesson planning, sight singing, ear training, voice training, school program planning, and more!

Developing a Passion for Reading Myron Brubacher

For many students, reading is an exciting opportunity. For others, it is drudgery. In this workshop we will take part in hands-on activities and explore ways together to develop a positive reading atmosphere in lower grade elementary classrooms. The leader taught eight years in first and second grade as well as four years in fifth to seventh grade.

Essential Teaching Techniques Kyler Martin, 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. Required materials: Teach Like a Champion 3.0 by Doug Lemov (available for purchase at the bookstore)

K–4 Math Strategies for Struggling Students Ruth Anna Kuhns

This interactive workshop will explore a visual, hands-on approach for building number sense, measurement, and place value skills. It is specifically intended for tutors and experienced elementary teachers.

Reinvigorating Science in Your Classroom James Goering

Do you want to better engage your students as they study God’s good creation? Whether you are a seasoned educator or a new one, you can learn how to bring new life to your science teaching through this workshop, designed for Grades 1-12 teachers. We will discuss a Christian motivation for teaching science, what science is and how to best teach it, and some practical ideas for how to take the study of animals, plants, rocks, and planets beyond the textbook.

Successful Student Projects, Grades 3-6 Monica Yoder

For students, simply working in their books day after day can quickly become mundane. Projects can help! This workshop will explore how a teacher can plan, execute, and grade projects that can both supplement curriculum content (in a variety of subjects) and create a delightful and engaging learning experience for students. In addition to discussing many project ideas, we will create several projects together. Limit: 20 participants; Supply fee: $10

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.

BREAKOUTS  

  • Making Writing Meaningful —Carol Burkholder
  • Practical Bible Memory Methods that Work—Deana Swanson
  • Middle School Music —Kyle Lehman
  • Making It Stick: Review and Drill —Marilyn Martin
  • How to Structure a Math Lesson —Deborah Shank
  • Lead Teacher and Principal Forum —Jeremy Sauder, Gerald Miller
  • The Brain and Dyslexia —Ruth Anna Kuhns
  • Teaching the Horrors of History —Peter Goertzen
  • Designing a Classroom Culture that Works —Gerald Miller
  • Becoming a Science Teacher —Steve Brubaker
  • Tackling the Challenges of a Multi-grade Classroom —Andrew Webb
  • The Literature I Teach: What, Why, and How? —Josh Nisley
  • and many more

FB Canada hosts Teachers Week Ontario the same week as Faith Builders Teachers Week. For more information and registration, click here.

Midwest Teachers Week is offering its first teacher development event this year.  It will take place on July 29 – August 1st in Fairland, OK.  For more information, go to mtwinfo.org.