Before coming to Boise Valley Adventist School, I, Stephen Stokes, was the Principal and 5-8 teacher at Adventist Education Simi Valley Elementary. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and having attended Union College, I started teaching in Southern California beginning in 1983. I took a 5-year detour, from 2009 to 2014, to teach internationally in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and China. I consider myself a lifelong educator with a passion for building vision in each educational system I have taught. God has given me a life full of adventure that I enjoy sharing in my classroom. Come into grades five and six at any given time; you will most likely see at one time or another the following tendencies:

• Students in a collaborative environment even when many students prefer to work alone. Collaboration fosters the development of new ideas and exposes students to opposing viewpoints.

• Students are working on projects that generate opportunities for creative expression. These projects allow for surprising outbursts of understanding.

• Topics approached in an inquiry-based context. Allowing students to come a new topic as an answer to a question is a cornerstone of my class instruction.

• Journal writing is often considered a dying art, but not in my room. We use writing skills in almost every subject.

• Hands-on learning provides a fantastic opportunity to give the students another anchor for learning.

As the needs continue to change, I will continue to integrate the necessary flexibility to ensure that each child has the best opportunity to gain the highest level of success at the next level.

 

With all the high expectations that academic rigor brings, it is clear to all my students that every skill and talent they have is God-given. By using their talents to the highest degree, they honor God the Creator. We daily rededicate our lives to the highest purpose of service in our commitment to Jesus Christ.