Justin Yoder

Mr. Yoder graduated from Cornerstone University and has taught at NPC since the beginning of his career. He loves working with High School students. He is originally from Indiana. Mr. Yoder lives with his wife, baby boy, and dog. Mr. Yoder enjoys visiting National Parks.

Our goal as teachers at NorthPointe Christian Schools is “preparing students to impact their world for Jesus Christ.” As a 5th grade teacher at NorthPointe, my goal is to have my students look at the world through the lenses of the Bible. Every lesson plan I prepare for my students I weave in one of NorthPointe’s three mandates, which are Love, Mission, and Image.

Love Mandate: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22: 37-39

The number one way I teach this mandate to my students is by living it. Showing students my love for God and sharing with them all the amazing things God has done in my life is one of the most rewarding parts of being a teacher at NorthPointe. Setting up a loving classroom environment where students feel safe and where they can be themselves is another way I incorporate the love mandate into my classroom. Having students serve each other and teachers by doing little things everyday such as opening the door, writing thank you notes, and having younger reading buddies is a way we show the love mandate in 5th grade.

Mission Mandate: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you….” Matthew 28:18-20

My goal at NorthPointe is to have my students proclaim Christ to the people they meet. Paul in Colossians 1:28-29 says, “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” After reading and discussing this verse in class, we came up with different ways that we can live out this verse. The students then picked out one of the ways from the list and tried it on the weekend. The following Monday each student shared their experience ofsharing the Gospel.

Image Mandate: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule… fill the earth, and subdue it…”

God calls us to be stewards of his creation. At NorthPointe, the 5th grade students walk around the school property once a week picking up trash. We then discuss what it means to be God’s stewards. We also go around and pick up the scrap papers in the different classrooms once a week. We talk about being good role models for the younger grades in the building that look up to us. Teaching students to take care of what God gives us is one way we live out our image mandate.