“It’s a mentality really, focused on building community in my class and making the whole class feel like they’re part of something.” This is what Tyler Lande, grade 7 teacher, strives to instill in his students as he prepares them to live their lives as stewards of Christ.
A Desire to Serve
When Tyler first came to ACS in 2022 after being in the public school system, the Christian school atmosphere was a breath of fresh air. For the first time, he was encouraged, and even expected, to share his faith as part of his day-to-day curriculum.
When Tyler was younger, he was actively involved in youth and went on several mission trips. “Whenever I was at camp, I wanted to get behind the scenes and do the cleanup or help out in the kitchen,” he says. “I just wanted to be part of making other people happy.”
His inspiration for this mentality of service came partially from the book Legacy by James Kerr, about the New Zealand national rugby team and how they served each other in the after-game ritual they call “sweeping the sheds.” These high-level, elite athletes do the humblest jobs because they believe no individual is more important than the team. Reading about this was how it all fell together for Tyler—he knew how he would structure his classroom.
And that’s how Mug Day started.
Making Someone Else’s Day
Ironically, Mug Day happens every day in Tyler’s class. Each morning after devotions, the students wait in anticipation to find out who will be the lucky person. Tyler spins a digital wheel containing every student’s name. Whoever it lands on receives iced tea or lemonade in a special LEGO mug.
But Mug Day isn’t just about the students getting a treat.
The winning student also chooses someone to give a coffee or special drink to, whether it’s a previous teacher who impacted them in a significant way, or someone who needs encouragement. “The kids love it,” says Tyler, as they get a chance to find someone, give them an order form, and deliver them their drink. “It’s kind of like Starbucks,” he adds with a chuckle.
Although this might seem like his students are just doing occasional acts of kindness, this daily exercise gives them an intentional way of seeing a need for someone and filling it. Tyler’s students make somebody else’s day because they are thinking about others more than themselves.
See A Need, Fill A Need
A strong sense of community in the classroom is equally important to Tyler.
“In any given classroom, you have different personalities and temperaments. Friction is inevitable,” he says. To help this, his students play community building games and get-to-know-each-other activities, such as a Bible baseball tournament or a Bible trivia game.
During these activities, Tyler encourages his students to give words of affirmation to each other in whatever way possible and to model a servant’s heart. When he believes his students have a service mentality, they move beyond the classroom and practice serving their peers and the school community.
“We operate around the idea of see a need, fill a need,” Tyler explains. “I’m trying to have them seek out and see things rather than being told what to do.” The coffee service is one of the specific things they do, but most of the time, Tyler’s class seeks to be models of Christ-like character. For example, without saying they would do so, the class took responsibility for the grade 7 shared spaces, the collaboration rooms, and the computer cart. The students clean up the collab rooms, even if it is someone else’s mess. The same goes for the computer cart. If others don’t put their computers away properly, Tyler’s students take charge and make sure every computer is in its correct spot and put it away properly.
“We try to be intentional in being quiet leaders. Whether it’s walking the hallways, or how we respect shared learning spaces, the students are reminded to be ‘chosen and set apart.’” Tyler adds that his students are “looking for ways to step in and do those types of things without looking for recognition or being asked to do it.”
This all ties into one of the main themes in the grade 7 curriculum—ecology and stewardship of the earth. “We’re called to be stewards of God’s earth and the resources that we have,” Tyler reflects. On their trip to Newcastle Island, the grade 7s explore God’s creation and learn how to be Christ-like stewards of the blessings and abilities God has given them.
“What I’m trying to do is get kids passionate about seeing how they can help others and how it’s such a fulfilling thing,” he says. “Being selfless and godly go hand-in-hand. My hope for these young people is to see how acts of service should not be seen as an obligation, but as an opportunity to be used by God.”
One of this class’s memory verses, 1 Peter 2:9 sums it all up. “This verse talks about being people who are chosen and set apart by God to go out and be a light to the world,” Tyler explains. The students “go and find their own little niches in areas where they see needs, and it’s really cool to see them take ownership of it and fill those needs”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?