The education system was one of the most significantly affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we’ve seen many strides forward after students and educators returned to traditional learning environments, the pandemic brought to light some significant challenges that the education system was already facing. Anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns caused tension among students and educators, making learning a hurdle to overcome instead of an experience to inspire and motivate.
Jeff Hittenberger, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education at Vanguard University, has been at the forefront of an effort to integrate love and wisdom into the education system in Orange County. Having previously served as the Chief Academic Officer for the Orange County Department of Education, he had a front-row seat to the disruption affecting people’s lives and their experience within the education system. He also currently hosts Education for Love and Wisdom, a podcast out of Vanguard that discusses themes of love and wisdom and what it looks like to integrate them into the education process.
“Feelings of isolation can lead to fear and anger, and then what you get is people at odds with each other because they’re carrying around a lot of anger that gets expressed in how they engage with the school or community,” explained Hittenberger. “We really needed a whole bunch of love and wisdom to come flowing into situations where people were distressed.”
“What we want to do is equip our teacher candidates to be the kind of teachers who can bring love and wisdom to their classrooms and schools and communities.”
When Hittenberger stepped into the role of Dean for Vanguard University’s newly established School of Education, he made it a priority to build upon the values that Vanguard already had in place and intentionally integrate these themes into the way that students and faculty interact with each other and their communities.
“Education for love and wisdom is not an invention,” Hittenberger said. “But it’s capturing something Vanguard has always been about and applying it specifically to the Pre-K–12 schooling environment.”
Vanguard School of Education students are learning first to be sources of love and wisdom from their professors. As they experience what it looks like in action, they are becoming equipped to carry those practices into their classrooms as student teachers and in the future. “We have a strong emphasis on spiritual formation, even in our classes,” Hittenberger said. “We open class by creating a forum in which people can share, and then if there’s something they want people to pray with them about, other students can be involved in praying with them.”
Vanguard School of Education students are learning first to be sources of love and wisdom from their professors. As they experience what it looks like in action, they are becoming equipped to carry those practices into their classrooms as student teachers and in the future. “We have a strong emphasis on spiritual formation, even in our classes,” Hittenberger said. “We open class by creating a forum in which people can share, and then if there’s something they want people to pray with them about, other students can be involved in praying with them.”
This is just one example of how students are learning to create a “community of care” inside the classroom, encouraging supportive relationships that help students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Not only does this encourage students to empathize with each other, but it also allows teachers to identify students who may need access to more expert care.
“What we want to do is equip our teacher candidates to be the kind of teachers who can bring love and wisdom to their classrooms and schools and communities. And by doing that, make a profoundly positive difference in the lives of students and families,” Hittenberger said.
Vanguard’s School of Education also partners with several school districts in Orange County to equip educators with tools to bring love and wisdom into their classrooms. Three times a year, they invite 40 educators from local districts onto campus for a Teacher Education Advisory Council meeting that features the theme of education for love and wisdom. This gives the School of Education an opportunity to hear the thoughts of key partners, have a conversation about educational strategies, and show genuine appreciation for the work of these educational partners who daily bless the lives of the students they serve.
While love and wisdom have always been core values of Vanguard, Hittenberger notes that giving specificity to the vision and common language of the School of Education has helped them think about how they represent Christ daily. “It acts as an accountability measure: am I living in love and wisdom right now? I’m feeling my stresses and my anxieties, but can I come back and reset, give those to God, and embrace and reaffirm love and wisdom in the center of my life in Christ?” he expressed.
“Whether we’re going into business, education, psychology, or theater…in every one of those domains, there is disruption and distress,” Hittenberger said, “and to come with the love of Christ and bring God’s wisdom into those situations, that brings about positive change in the lives of the people we interact with.”