Christine sits down with five recipients from last year's Teacher of the Year class to discuss where they are now twelve months after their honor and how their lives have changed since winning. Their stories continue to inspire, but also demonstrate that even when you're awarded Christian education's highest honor - God may not keep you in the same place for long.

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The news of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump last Saturday got the Stigalls thinking about the different national tragedies that have befallen the United States over the years and who are our kids spending time with when they happen? How can we discuss these tough events with our kids and shield them from the ugliness? In addition, news this week of the explosive growth in alternative post K-12 education caught their attention and the governor of California signs legislation that should serve as a major concern for any parent with school-aged kids.

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Dr. Allison Lassiter is one of the more interesting examples of someone whose life in education is one full of change. She's a community college professor who also homeschools but has also placed some of her kids in a classical Christian school. She's also willing to revaluate if it appears her kids' needs in learning change. As we know, every child learns differently so why do we try to teach them all the same way? Dr. Lassiter understood from an early age why learning for her was a struggle because her own mother was willing to make changes that ultimately shot her to the head of her class by graduation. If there's one thing we learn in this conversation it's that we need to shed the self-imposed handcuffs - even in Christian school settings - that we're locked in and scrap the notion that we can't change the way we're teaching our kids if it's not working.

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Chris and Christine sit down with Jonathan Houpe and Nia Thompson Campbell, administrators of Harvest Christian School in Kansas City, Missouri. Jonathan and Nia discuss taking over leadership roles at an early age, as well as the trials and triumphs of working in Christian education.

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We've never met a couple with a background quite like the Oettels. In one conversation, you'll hear how a young couple became public school teachers - while first home-schooling their kids. They then started their own classical Christian school, followed by entering seminary, becoming a youth pastor and eventually an associate pastor. Then back to public school while sending their own children to a classical Christian school. Why all the change? With so many different perspectives from so many different venues - what did the Oettels learn? Which setting do they think best to learn and teach? How does Lacey navigate teaching in public school while her own kids aren't enrolled there while she yearns for her past in Christian education? What does Jon think about the Church's responsibility to open their doors to developing their own educational offering? If you take nothing else from this conversation, it's that keeping your eyes and ears open to the way the Lord moves in your family's lives can lead to big changes you can lean into rather than ignore.

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We hope you enjoyed the previous episode featuring the Stigalls on the set of Brave Books new children's TV show "Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk." In this part-two episode you'll hear from another star of the show. She's a familiar name to many millions of kids who grew up watching Disney's Good Luck, Charlie - Leigh-Allyn Baker. Now, she shares with the Stigalls why she thinks Disney lost their way and why pouring her time into this new project with Brave Books is her professional passion. Writer and producer Eric Presley gives us a behind-the-scenes peek into the creative aspects of the show. And you'll meet one of the senior leaders of Brave Books, Zach Bell who explains their company mission in transforming media and literature for our kids' consumption.

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The Stigalls head to College Station, Texas to get a behind-the-scenes tour of Brave Books' new children's TV show hosted by Kirk Cameron. In part one of this two-part episode, you'll join the Stigalls on set for a one-on-one with the star of "Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk." He discusses the importance of being a parent in a digital age and why, as successful entertainer and father of adult children who could be doing anything at this stage of his life instead works so hard to impact our nation's kids.

Kids of the 80s - you can appreciate Chris and Christine getting a little geeked-out talking with one of the stars of a hit TV show from their formative years. But despite his star-power with some, Kirk is humble, kind, and passionate about our kids' futures. Find out how you can get involved and become a contributor to support the show at https://bravebooks.us/pages/the-adventures-with-iggy-and-mr-kirk

#herzogfoundation #christianeducation #makingtheleap #podcast #kirkcameron #bravebooks #christiancontent #childrenseducation #childrenscontent #childrensentertainment #childrenstv

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Here's a topic we've never tackled on the show. Can Christians, specifically Christian schools lean into rapidly developing technology like A.I. or is it a dangerous place that runs counter to Biblical teaching? Dr. Seann Dikkers is both a Christian and a self-proclaimed homeschool dad and "tech guy" who reaches some interesting conclusions on the subject as he leads the Stigalls through the minefield of culture, big tech, and faith. He's created an online, K-12 curriculum called "Portals" that's a one stop shop for every day, in every subject to make homeschooling a breeze.

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