Dear Friends,
Welcome to the July ICS prayer letter! I hope you are healthy and staying safe, and if you do not find yourself in these fortunate circumstances, I hope you are receiving all the support, comfort, and rest you need.
I can’t believe we are moving into the heart of summer already! Tempus fugit, as they say. For me, time is flying because it has been a very busy past few months for us at ICS. Our new ‘Summer Online Learning Initiative’ is well underway, which has given me a chance to return to teaching, and our annual Board and Senate meetings are also now behind us. It has been a time to reflect on the year that has been, and to plan for the year that lies ahead. We thank God for his continued faithfulness as we conclude another academic year, and we pray that God will continue to bless our plans for the future.
Those plans just took a huge step forward, as at the end of June we successfully concluded our search for a new professor—or ‘Senior Member’—in Education to assume direction of the Educational Leadership stream of our MA program (MA-EL). I am pleased to announce that Dr. Edith van der Boom will join the ICS faculty as Assistant Professor in the Philosophy of Education and the Practice of Pedagogy beginning July 1!
Edith received her PhD in developmental psychology and education from the University of Toronto, and has also served as a sessional instructor of Education at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario. She most recently served as Director of Learning at John Knox Christian School in Oakville, Ontario. Edith brings years of classroom experience and a passion for ‘differentiated instruction’ (formerly known as ‘special education’) to her work at ICS, and is excited about this new opportunity to continue to serve the Christian school movement in Canada, as are we all.
We at ICS have not made the decision to grow our budget in this way lightly, especially given our current context of uncertainty. At the same time, the Leadership Team at ICS has determined that it is essential for us to invest in the MA-EL program in this way, so that it can enjoy the resources it needs to serve the Christian school movement in the robust way that we and our partners envision. We encourage you to join us in making this investment!
Scripture is full of stories of people stepping out in uncertainty, following what they discern to be the call of their Creator, to a place they do not know, all the while trusting that the Lord will provide them with everything they need to sustain them on their journey. Leading an educational institution into somewhat uncharted territory can feel that way at times, and so I take comfort in the many biblical stories of ordinary folks like Abraham or Mary who, in faith, find the strength to answer ‘Yes!’ to God’s call upon their lives. Theirs is the example we must strive to follow.
I wish you all God’s blessing and peace. Be well!
Ron Kuipers
