Christian Teacher of the Year: Jennifer Tonkinson prepares junior high students to live biblically through Orwell-inspired teamwork

Jennifer Tonkinson knows firsthand the importance of avoiding “groupthink,” especially for middle-school classrooms at Valley Christian Schools (VCS) in Chandler, Arizona.

Instead of allowing students to settle in cozy cliques, Tonkinson uses her English Language Arts class as a training ground for building collaborative skills in challenging environments.

Eighth-graders studying George Orwell’s Animal Farm find themselves on teams Tonkinson has preassigned using a combination of test scores and social strengths.

“They absolutely hate me when I put them in their groups because, ‘Well, we’re not all friends,’” she says, adding, “That’s the point.”

These four or five students must then try to create a sustainable community amid social upheaval involving citizen riots and a “big-old blow-up mess” based on the Russian Revolution, explains Tonkinson.

“They’re taking everything I’ve shown them on paper, and they’re putting it into practice with their groups,” she tells The Lion of her innovative project-based learning approach. “They have to work together and not fight – because they’re very opinionated in junior high.”

Psychologist Irving Janis used the term groupthink to describe a parallel to the “doublethink” concept in another of Orwell’s works, 1984.

Groupthink describes the way individuals try to conform their opinions to “what they believe is the consensus of the group,” explains the NeuroLeadership Institute.

“The satisfaction of belonging to a cohesive group leads people to suppress their inner doubts,” the website notes. “Loud voices overpower quieter ones, dissent is quashed, and the outcome is flawed, sometimes disastrous decisions.”

In contrast, Tonkinson invites her students to think biblically.

“When students read literature, they are encouraged to discuss the character’s reactions to the plot by using the lens of Scripture, which explains how man is innately sinful but also is redeemable,” she wrote in a letter describing her classes. “Students are encouraged to compare characters they read about to our current culture’s mindset and evaluate thoughtful topics, such as responding to conflict.” 

Tonkinson’s heart for students shines through in inspiring them not only to academic excellence, but also spiritual growth. It’s why she is one of 12 educators around the country to be named 2024 Christian Teacher of the Year by the Herzog Foundation, which publishes The Lion. 

“I really value culture because if the kids are not going to respect you in the classroom, they don’t understand the culture of the school, and they don’t respect the teachers in a way that they want to see them as real people,” she says. “So community is huge.” 

She describes her work as the hardest yet most satisfying job she’s ever had. 

“I love that I can walk down the hallway and say, ‘Pray with me. I’m going through something right now.’ And my colleagues are just right there for me. We all have the same mission of pushing kids towards Christ, and we can’t duplicate that anywhere.” 

She also relishes the opportunity to connect on a spiritual level with her students, “to watch a kid go through something difficult and knowing that I can pray with them.” 

Troy Thelen, head of school, praised Tonkinson for her contributions to both students and fellow teachers. 

“Jen is consistently positive and encouraging and ‘speaks victory’ about our school, her work, and her students,” he wrote in a recommendation letter. “Her high emotional intelligence and true care and concern for others has caused her to become a confidant for teachers and students alike.” 

Thelen also highlighted Tonkinson’s work overseeing the school’s junior high student council and ambassador programs, where she helps equip the next generation of servant leaders. 

“I teach the students about the importance of developing community to build relationships with their peers so that modeling Christlike character is something that is expected and encouraged,” Tonkinson wrote of her advisor position at the student council. “Gen Alpha thrives on finding community through their social media networks, and my charge is to bring them back to experiencing true biblical community.” 

Additionally, 7th- and 8th-graders in the school’s ambassador program can “live out the lessons I plan on servant leadership,” according to Tonkinson. 

“In this year-long course, students begin by learning how Jesus served others through listening well to those in need, responding with truth (Scripture) when faced with conflict, and putting others first.” 

Teaching English allows Tonkinson to show children the uniqueness of God-created language in communicating their thoughts. 

“There is a great importance in the fundamentals of English language and how to write, reading the classics and seeing how the words are put together, because then they become better writers when they start seeing that combination,” she says of the way she teaches her students. 

Before Tonkinson joined VCS, she had taught in a public school before staying at home to take care of her children. 

“I’d heard of Valley Christian, but I’d never thought about teaching in a Christian school because I always felt like my faith could come through the public-school classroom,” she recalls. 

However, her perspective changed once she accepted her current position. 

“When I decided to pursue Christian education, I really just thought, ‘I’m just going to teach English in an environment that has Christians in it,’” she said in a video describing her experience. “What I didn’t know is that each and every day is an opportunity to share Christ, and the mission field is huge in the Christian classroom. And so even if I’m sharing in a lesson on subjects and verbs or writing, or even talking about a piece of literature with the kids, I have an opportunity every single day to push in Scripture, to show them who God is.” 

Tonkinson now encourages all parents to consider sending their children to a Christian school as it allows room for considering every aspect of a well-rounded education – spiritual as well as academic. 

“You have people in place of leadership, the teachers, the administrators, who are intentionally praying for your student weekly, daily,” she says. “Your child is going to be loved like you cannot even imagine in a private school, so I would very much advocate for it.” 

The Christian Teacher of the Year honor is part of the Herzog Foundation’s Excellence in Christian Education award series. Each of the 12 winners will attend a special professional development and recognition event in Washington, D.C.