- God's grace
- Relationships and community 
- Faith 

• In what ways might the concept of grace shape Lutheran education communities?

- Our philosophy for teaching and education 
- How teachers and school staff can work together to support one another and share the Good News with the education community 

• In what ways might the concept of grace inform the understanding of my role and my contribution?
- How I teach, engage and care for my students
- How I support and connect with the families of my students and the families in our school community
- How I represent myself in the classroom, school and wider community

• What questions or issues does the concept raise for me and how can I explore my questions?
- How can we support families who are hesitant to share in the Good News and God's grace?

Simply being a good person, having the love and support of my family and being happy is what is most important to me. I am passionate about cooking, reading and spending time with my family, friends and my animals. Professionally, being a good teacher is important to me and something that I am passionate about. I strive to be a teacher that is able to identify and nurture a student’s individual strengths and talents. I like to think that I am making a positive impact in the lives of my students, supporting them to learn, grow and develop. If I can have a positive impact in my student’s lives by helping them to see how important they are and showing them the impact they can make, I feel I am doing my job justice. 

The opportunity to work in a school that values the individual child and provides its students with a nurturing environment where they feel supported to learn, grow and develop. After learning about the school values and approaches to teaching I felt it was a good fit as it resonated with what I value for teaching and learning. The community culture and teaching of life values that will set students up for success were a great attraction to teaching at the school. 

- How can I best support my students in their faith journey when I feel I am only just beginning my own faith journey?
- How do I navigate questions of conflict between faith and the law?

- Core values of love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, service, humility, courage, hope, quality, appreciation. 
- Importance of community, strengthening relationships with families, the community and God
- Promoting Christian growth and development, teaching of the gospel

- How can I embed the core values and beliefs that underpin Lutheran faith and education in my daily teaching practice? 

Worship – providing students with the opportunity to pray, sing and praise God.

Devotion – the importance of daily devotion and having the opportunity to speak to and praise God. Reflecting on strengthening my own class devotions by including bible stories in addition to prayer and song.

Learning and values – Lutheran schools aim to encourage and support students, informed and sustained by the Word of God, to develop their God given talents so that they may shape and enrich their world. Highlighting the importance of community.

Christian Studies – curriculum built upon four key areas of Christian Beliefs, Christian Church, Christian Living, and Christianity in the World. Focus on reflection of the world, own beliefs and spirituality. 

- How does the local Lutheran church work together with the school?
- How does the Lutheran church support the spiritual development of its teachers?

- It provides us with the opportunity to share the Word of God and the wonderful world he created. It allows us to help our students understand their place in the world and the gift it is to be part of something bigger. Creation theology informs our daily lives, allowing us to reflect on how we belong to something more than ourselves. It informs our role as an educator, including both what and how we teach. 

- Reflecting on Creation theology gives me perspective on how I am a child of God as are the students that I teach. How God loves all of his children and I have the responsibility to help shape and guide my students, sharing with them the Word of God and how loved and cared for they are, but also how they can continue that message and share it with others too.

- Having some families who do not believe, how do I answer students questions about conversations at home where families have told their children that God did not create them?

- Because everything is centred around God and we are all God's children, we have been brought together by God as such everything in a Lutheran education community is in relation to God and being in relation with God. 

- It further strengthened my understanding of the importance of community and why I value relationships and building community as a teacher. It has encouraged me to think about how I am fostering community within my classroom. 

- Read the Bible which teaches us to know about God and his creations 

- Setting the standard for Lutheran education core values
- Provides clear standards for schools, teachers and students to provide and receive high quality education that is centred around Christ, therefore allowing everyone to use their God given talents to thrive, flourish and serve others

- Understanding and embracing God's grace, relationships and community
- Working together to promote Christian growth and development 
- Sharing God's word, the central message and Gospel 
- Understanding that each child is unique and has their own God given talents and abilities 
- Recognising our own personal identity and worth to positively contribute to Lutheran education