2025
Saturday: 8am-5pm
West Des Moines, IA
Transformational Teaching Conference
The Transformational Teaching Conference '25: Imagine Your Classroom as a Sacred Space is dedicated to helping educators see their classrooms as spaces for spiritual and academic transformation. The conference emphasizes the teacher’s role in God’s plan to foster genuine heart-mind change in students.
Through sessions, workshops, and connection with fellow Christian educators, attendees will feel refreshed and encouraged in their calling, leaving equipped to cultivate a transformational classroom culture. This event will highlight the impact of teacher values and relationships in inspiring students to strive for their God-given potential.
What to expect
During the Transformational Teaching Conference, discover how to see your classroom as a space where God’s transformative power is at work.
- Learn to create sacred spaces that foster heart-mind transformation.
- Explore your role in God’s plan to transform students.
- Cultivate a culture that counters negative influences and embodies Christlike values.
- Engage with like-minded educators to foster relationships in your area.
Join us to equip yourself with tools to help students know God and realize their God-given potential!
Who you'll hear from:
David Durance
David currently serves as the president of TeachBeyond. David and his wife Nancy joined TeachBeyond in 2011and moved to Asia, where he worked in a number of capacities, including National Director and Regional Director. During his time there, David led the work to establish what is now a network of educational institutions serving students through various initiatives. In April 2019, he was appointed as TeachBeyond's second president. David enjoys reading, singing, listening to music, playing soccer with his kids, and running with his wife.
Diane Peneycad
Diane has been a K-12 educator in Christian, and public-school settings in the United States and an international MK school in Europe. She holds an MA in curriculum and instruction and an Ed.S in educational leadership. Diane served on TeachBeyond’s Canada/US Board and Global Committee and now serves as the Associate Director of Global Organizational Development and Partnerships. Her role involves serving in a variety of ways to support our national entities and global transformational education centers, and leads our school start up teams. She enjoys mentoring teachers and supporting leaders.
Russ Kraines
Russ is a 30+ year veteran of teaching in middle and high schools both in the US (public) and in Germany (private, Black Forest Academy (BFA)). He has most recently taught the senior level class Worldviews course at BFA for 11 years. Russ and his wife Diane have served with TeachBeyond since 2001 and currently work from home in the U.S., with TeachBeyond’s Informal Education efforts and work in the West Asia region.
Kevin McClintock
Kevin is an educator and social media personality with a passion for mentoring students. He has a gift for connecting with students and teaching them that they matter. His six year teaching career at the Rock Academy in San Diego saw him teaching AP US History, Bible, Health, English, Speech, and coaching soccer and surf. At any given lunch period, you can be sure to find his classroom full of students seeking advice or time with this dedicated teacher. Kevin started working with kids in the summer of 2010 where he honed his pedagogy and eventually served as the after school program director at Horizon Youth Programs until 2017. He believes that when students know they are safe and loved in the classroom, they will develop a love of learning.
Bob Adams
Bob is a former Christian school teacher and principal. He has worked with TeachBeyond for six years in the School Services department. He is especially interested in the area for teacher education and how to prepare teachers to make a difference in helping students be all that God created them to be. He and his wife Shirley now live in the Vancouver area of Canada but spend 3 months in Guatemala where they worked in Christian education for 20 years and where their daughter runs a Christian school.
Carolyn Oakes
Carolyn is passionate about teaching and discipleship, bringing more than three decades of experience in education from Christian and public schools, as well as international settings, as a bilingual classroom teacher, Bible teacher (honored as Educator of the Year), and School Counselor. She currently teaches and mentors under-resourced children in Des Moines, Iowa. She holds a Master Educator’s license with degrees in both Education and Counseling. Carolyn and her husband, Scott, serve in their church as Connection Group leaders, mission trip leaders, and she teaches Bible in Women’s Equip and Keystone Kids. She enjoys reading, discipling women, walking the trails by Saylorville Lake with her husband, and spending time with family and friends, preferably over a steaming cup of strong coffee.
Ruth Postma
Ruth currently lives in Grand Rapids, MI with her husband and two dogs. She graduated from Taylor University in 2017 with a degree in Secondary Math Education and a minor in Music. Ruth has teaching experience in the United States (Michigan) and internationally (Senegal). She currently serves with TeachBeyond in their Mobilization and Communications department. Ruth enjoys singing, playing games, and spending quality time with family and friends.
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Information
Yes, we will offer 5.75 ACSI/TeachBeyond CEU credits (5.75 instructional hours).
Yes, Friday dinner, Saturday lunch, and snacks are included in this conference. Please note any dietary needs in your registration form.
No, this conference is available in-person only.
TownePlace Suites Des Moines West/Jordan Creek
125 South 68th Street, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA, 50266
Tel: +1 515-223-8015
Baymont by Wyndham Des Moines Airport
6221 Willow Creek Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50321
+1-515-285-0654
Feel free to reach out to us via email at [email protected]
TeachBeyond is global community providing transformational education services as part of God’s ongoing mission to transform individuals and communities into all He intends.
We serve K-12 schools, language centers, universities and seminaries, in teacher training, English camps, and in many other places where teaching and learning occurs, formally or informally. You can learn more about us at teachbeyond.org.