When the Teachers Become the Students: CKCA Heads to Wichita

GREAT BEND, Kan. — Before Thanksgiving break, teachers and staff from Central Kansas Christian Academy (CKCA) will travel to Wichita on Monday, November 23, 2026, for the Christian Educators Professional Development Day. CKCA is one of ten Kansas Christian schools planning to attend. The training will give educators time to learn from one another and bring practical ideas back to their schools.

Keynote speaker Billy Hutchinson, director of Colson Educators at the Colson Center, will lead three sessions on how teachers, curriculum and school culture help shape a student’s Christian worldview. Educators will consider how a biblical understanding of who students are and how they learn can guide everyday decisions, from the questions teachers ask in class to the way adults respond when a student is struggling.

Breakout sessions will cover topics such as supporting neurodiverse learners, engaging elementary students, strengthening instruction in secondary classrooms and handling difficult conversations with truth and care. The sessions offer ideas that teachers and staff can apply in their daily work with students.

Continued education gives CKCA teachers and staff time to reflect on what is working, learn from colleagues and find better ways to meet students’ needs. For students, that can mean more ways to participate in a lesson, support when a classroom routine is challenging and adults who consistently model the patience, honesty and kindness they teach. Those daily experiences help students see how faith connects to what they learn, how they treat others and how they respond to challenges.

Schools planning to attend include Central Christian School (Hutchinson), Tyro Community Christian School (Tyro), Ark City Christian Academy (Arkansas City), Berean Academy (Elbing), Central Christian Academy (Wichita), Elyria Christian School (Elyria), Victory Village Christian Academy (Hutchinson), Heritage Christian School (Topeka), Trinity Academy (Wichita) and Central Kansas Christian Academy (Great Bend).

Taking time to learn alongside other Christian educators is one way CKCA continues to strengthen the education it offers Great Bend families. The work carries into each school day as teachers and staff help students grow academically, deepen their faith and put what they learn into practice.