Renewed at RenewED

I just returned from the annual four-day teacher’s conference put on by the online school I work for. It was in sunny Kelowna, BC – a nice treat from the fall-like weather we are having in my part of the world!

The conference is called “RenewED” and I have to say I definitely feel renewed! In fact, many of my colleagues remarked that this was the best conference they had ever been to.

Upon reflection, I wonder if it is because we haven’t been able to meet in person since 2019. This was the first “in-person” conference in three years. After such a long hiatus, people were genuinely happy to see one another and connect in person. I think, perhaps, that everyone also felt a stronger bond because of our shared difficulties over the past three years, not only because of health restrictions but because of drastic legislative changes and budget cuts from the ministry of education. It’s almost like the bond that happens when soldiers serve together. There was ample grace for one another, too. We’ve all been through a lot in three years.

I am so blessed to work for a school where God comes first. Every day started with worship. What an amazingly unifying experience it is to start our day focusing on God as 300 (or more) educators and support staff lifted our voices in unison.

Everything else about the conference was top-notch. Every workshop, keynote, and presentation was SO GOOD and SO VALUABLE, focused around our school-wide goal for this year which is:

To draw together and build our community’s capacity to embrace change as we deepen our roots in Christ and invite Him to move us toward wholeness.

I am thankful for the privilege to work for such an organization! Now that it’s September, I will be putting some of what I learned into practice with my students! It is shaping up to be a busy month, that’s for sure.