In this episode, Steven Brubaker will take us on a tour of what goes into preparing for meetings. He proposes that good preparation increases the likelihood of having a meeting with good interaction, clearly defined issues, a well-developed consensus, and where you walk out energized. Steven is a veteran of many meetings. And as you’ll hear in the talk, he’s not here to bemoan losses. Over the course of his work at Faith Builders and in various other organizations, Steven has worked hard to become a good steward of meeting time where many people make a shared investment to produce a worthy outcome and are bettered in the process.
Big three questions:
What is the overall plan?
Planning an agenda that specifies the priorities and sequence of the meeting and who is responsible for each step; thinking through who should attend and when and where the meeting should be held
What needs to happen before the meeting?
Preparing for each agenda item by articulating the objectives for each agenda item and determining a format controlled by the items, collecting necessary information, and meeting with key players before the meeting
What do the meeting attendees need to know before-hand?
Communicating clear expectations to attendees about the when, where, and who of the meeting along with the agenda and what they need to do to prepare
The six hats of de Bono
Blue: process leader (Define task, facilitate, develop next steps),
Red: feelings and intuitions (What do we feel/sense?)
Yellow: optimistic (What are the advantages?)
Black: pessimistic (What could go wrong?)
White: facts (What do we know?)
Green: alternatives (What new ideas/proposals are possible?)
Links
This talk was first published as “Planning Efficient Meetings”: https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/planning-efficient-meetings
The Six Thinking Hats
Events: https://www.thedockforlearning.org/event
Contact us: https://thedockforlearning.org/contact-us/
3-minute feedback: https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn
6 Oct 2026
Cultivating a Healthy Classroom Culture (Darlene Zimmerman)
In this episode, Darlene Zimmerman leads us on an insightful tour of what it looks like to choose and create a classroom culture. This talk was addressed to teachers. I think it will be quite helpful either to pass along to staff members or to help you get into a teacher’s shoes and consider this perennial issue. Whether you are currently working on a school culture initiative or need a nudge to spend a little time here early in the school year evaluating the culture at your school, I think you’ll find this helpful.
Darlene taught for around a decade in the middle grades at Barnwell Christian School. Her talk is filled with helpful anecdotes drawn from that experience. Culture, she reminds us, is the way we do things and varies widely across schools and classrooms. We identify culture be completing statements such as the following:
In our classroom we do__
In our classroom we are__
In our classroom we love__
Darlene highlights several foundational concepts.
What we do shapes who we become. Identify a culture you want and work backwards to choose activities the build that culture. In my classroom I want students to be ___; What are three things you can do to get that a part of your culture?
Who you are as a teacher shapes the culture of your classroom. We train and teach out of who we are.
In the last half of the talk, Darlene walks through what it could look like to develop three particular cultures and the practices and expectations associated with each one: rigor, compassion, joy.
Links
Handout from original talk: https://cloud.thedockforlearning.org/Creating-a-Healthy-Classroom-Culture-Darlene-4.docx?wpId=226892
Essentials of Teaching article on classroom culture: https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/classroom-culture
This talk was first published as “Cultivating Classroom Culture”: https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/cultivating-classroom-culture
Events: https://www.thedockforlearning.org/event
Contact us: https://thedockforlearning.org/contact-us/
15 Sept 2026
The Teacher Makes the Difference (Jonas Sauder)
What sets our schools apart from any other kind of education? We all have access to the same books and information. We all have access to the same array of mechanisms for delivering that information from classrooms to the internet. Why the extra cost and sacrifice to operate and participate in a school?
What makes the school?
Jonas Sauder’s labor in education spans many decades. Probably most of us have benefited from his influence either directly or indirectly. Anyone who has met Jonas has likely caught a little of the joy that motivates him as a teacher. Not only has he modeled faithful, loving teaching but has worked to raise the bar and provide opportunities in teacher training and support. Besides his teaching experience, Jonas has over three decades of experience in school administration, helped establish Teachers Week at Faith Builders, spoken at countless events, and invested in Christian education in various ways through his work at Christian Light. In this episode Jonas outlines a range of considerations, questions, and practices that will enable you to continue growing in caring for the teachers at your school.
As you think about supporting your teachers, you might do what Jonas tried once. He simply asked his staff: “What do you need from me as a principle?” You’ll hear what they had to say in the talk. What would your teachers say?
Ideas for Supporting Your Staff
Do your teachers know what’s expected of them? Have you helped them understand the boundaries of their role?
Do they have a clear job description?
There are different types of teachers and they have different needs.
Do you know your teachers’ strengths and limitations?
Regular observations and evaluations are critical
Are teachers moving towards mastery of their content and skills? What would help them grow?
Teaching a good lesson is different than having good information to share.
How are they doing with basic skills such as spelling, handwriting, speaking, and posture?
Do your teachers welcome supervisory presence as an opportunity to grow and be supported?
How are your teachers managing their workload and prioritizing responsibilities? Is it effective?
How are teachers being supported by parents, church leaders, and the community in general?
The Essentials of Teaching
If you haven’t seen it yet, take a few minutes to browse the Essentials of Teaching Series on the Dock for Learning website. It’s a concise curation of many of the resources available on the Dock collected into a series of 1-3 page downloadable PDFs. From classroom management, to planning field trips, to strengthening your science class, there’s a lot here that could assist you as a school leader in supporting your staff.
Links
Past episodes on teacher support
10 – Are Your Teachers Growing? (Gerald Miller)
11 – Teacher Trouble—Redemptive Solutions (Gerald Miller)
Sample valuation forms
https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/staff-personal-evaluation-form
https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/teacher-evaluation-form
Essentials of Teaching
https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/staff-meetings
https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/teacher-overload-and-burnout
This talk was first published as “Practical Ways to Support the Faculty” https://www.thedockforlearning.org/content/practical-ways-to-support-the-faculty
Events: https://www.thedockforlearning.org/event
Contact us: https://thedockforlearning.org/contact-us/
3-minute feedback: https://forms.office.com/r/1G564EGQkn
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16 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
31
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
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