Things of Interest

Dominick Pittman has been teaching at Hope Academy for 7 years, and he has loved every minute. We recently asked Dominick what stood out to him about working at Hope and for a highlight from teaching there. Check it out:

"Being at a school that centers itself on supporting the 'whole student' is essential. We want to invest in our students the importance of knowing oneself beyond academic achievement. Prayerfully, we will foster this by honoring God, through the love of Christ Jesus.

In terms of this past year's lessons, we’ve encouraged our students to model kindness and restorative practices. My 5th grade class read a couple of books in the 'Wonder' series by RJ Palacio. In recognizing the antagonist’s unfair treatment towards the main character, the students saw the need for kindness to be modeled. However, my students became very hostile towards the antagonist, and had reservations towards forgiving and restoring him. Through discussions and poetic expression, students were faced with the task to willingly sympathize and empathize with 'bullies', and recognize their own shortcomings in terms of God’s love and justice. Some struggled more than others, but they all understood that they could choose to 'love others as they loved themselves'."