The Shepherd's Academy for Teaching Excellence

02/02/2026

This February, we aren’t just celebrating "The Month of Love"—we are celebrating the Courage to Love! ❤️✊🏾

Introducing The Brave Priest with a Heart Full of Love: The Story of Saint Valentine—a powerful, beautifully illustrated journey that teaches our children that love isn't just an emotion, its an action word. Love requires bravery which isn't just about strength; it's about standing up for what is right, even when it’s hard.

How do we teach our children to be "loving" this February? ❤️✊🏾

Whether you are honoring the peace of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the leadership of our Presidents, or the sacrifice of St. Valentine, this book is the perfect companion for your February discussions.

✨ Choose Your Format:
📕 Paperback & Kindle: The English edition is perfect for easy on-the-go reading!
📖 The legacy Bilingual Hardback: Our special dual-language (English/Spanish) edition! Built to last in classrooms and church libraries. Perfect for building vocabulary while teaching core values.

This isn't just a book—it’s a toolkit for raising the next generation of courageous leaders who lead with faith and integrity.

👉 Shop the Collection here: [https://a.co/d/cR4mw22] or any online book retailer
📚 FEBRUARY "BRAVE LOVE" ACTIVITY GUIDE
1. The Language of Liberty (Black History Month)
The Lesson: Dr. King spoke for everyone. Bravery means making sure everyone is heard. He once said Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love
Activity: Use the Bilingual Hardback book to compare words. Look at the word "Justice" (Justicia) and "Peace" (Paz). Have children write a "Brave Prayer" for their community using words from both languages.

2. Heart-Work (St. Valentine’s Day)
The Lesson: St. Valentine showed us that love requires courage.
"Secret Service" Hearts. Instead of traditional cards, have children create "Service Valentines" for community helpers (firefighters, librarians, or priests). On the back, write one way that person is "Brave like the Priest."

3. Leading with Integrity (Presidents’ Day)
The Lesson: Great leaders are "Brave Priests" in their own way—they serve the people and stand by their convictions.

Activity: "If I Were Leader..." Crown. Decorate a paper crown with words from the book (Faith, Courage, Love). Ask the child: "If you were the leader of your school or home, how would you use your 'Brave Heart' to help someone today?"

✨ PRO-TIP FOR PARENTS: Use the "Think, Say, Do" method from the book.

Think: What is the right thing to do? What would Jesus think?
Say: Speak up with kindness. What would Jesus say?
Do: Take action! What would Jesus do?

Tag us in your photos using and activities! 📸


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provides a Christ-centered perspective on the history of Saint Valentine, reframing the holiday through the lens of biblical love and sacrificial service. The book addresses a critical need for Christian educators to move beyond secular symbols like Cupid, which is rooted in unbiblical idolatry...

11/29/2025

Unlock the roadmap to an Inclusive Early Learning Center, focusing on birth-to-age-five success. This essential guide covers everything from the core responsibility of inclusion and evidence-based strategies like differentiated instruction to utilizing Georgia's comprehensive network of resources like Child Find, Children 1st, and Babies Can't Wait. Learn how to support children with diverse needs—from complex food allergies to early signs of autism—and leverage federal IDEA categories to ensure every child thrives. Learn more at

Student needs today are highly diverse, ranging from complex food allergies to early signs of autism. For early educators and leaders, inclusion is not an elective but a core responsibility, ensuring that children aged birth to five, regardless of their developmental path, are integrated into all le

11/08/2025

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to invest in your professional growth while making a difference in the lives of young learners. Ready to earn your Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential?
Gain the 120 required training hours for this nationally recognized designation! Our face-to-face program is designed to fit your busy schedule by meeting exclusively on Saturdays. You'll cover essential topics in child growth, development, and early childhood best practices.
🗓️ SATURDAY SESSIONS (Jan 17 – Aug 25) ⏰ Time: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 📍 Location: O’Reilly Early Learning Center, Covington, GA
Don't miss this opportunity to advance your career and commit to excellence in early childhood education. Space is limited—secure your spot today!
Register at: https://www.pennconsulting.org/course-catalog
Order Essentials and Competency Standard Textbook at: https://yourcouncil.org/cfprssa/ecssashop.show_home_category?

06/05/2025

Dive into a summer of adventure and learning with exciting books! Access incredible tools and resources for engaging young readers and making summer reading a success. Let's foster a love for reading in our youngest learners all season long!

The Get Georgia Reading Campaign is designed to nurture and facilitate collaboration so that, together, we create the conditions necessary for each and every child in Georgia to be on a path to reading proficiently by the end of third grade. We aim to provide partners and stakeholders with useful re...

02/01/2025

09/11/2024

First time homebuyers, this new resource will help you navigate the minefield. Check it out! Produced by DrMarva Brewington

Unlock the path to homeownership with our digital guide, “Unlock Your Dream: The Ultimate Checklist for First-Time Homebuyers.” Gain confidence and clarity in t

08/29/2024

Notetaking and reviewing notes can help you to retain 100% of what you are learning or hearing. Reviewing information three times should give you a good start at overcoming the Forgetting Curve.

07/30/2024

School choice improves learning for all. The number of Arizona district schools has expanded by over 800 since 1993, the number of students by more than 200,000, and the total revenue for Arizona school districts approximately quadrupled in nominal dollar terms. Even adjusting for inflation, the total revenues of Arizona school districts more than doubled between 1993 and 2022.

In the imaginations of choice opponents, this is what the “destruction” of public education looks like. During this period, Arizona’s choice programs took the edge off of district enrollment growth, created a more diverse system of schools and delightfully led to Arizona students leading the nation in the rate of academic growth.

    Rarely does a day go by in which your author does not come across yet another would-be Cassandra predicting the death of public education.