Faith Christian School Newsletter

Faculty Spotlight - Stephanie Hopkins With gratitude and love, we celebrate Mrs. Hopkins as she retires after 27 years of faithful service to Faith Christian School. In this special interview, she reflects on her journey, the heart of classical Christian education, and the legacy she leaves behind. 1. How has your teaching approach evolved over the years? I’ve increasingly embraced the classical idea of multum, non multa—“much, not many.” Focusing on fewer topics in greater depth helps students students apply the skills learned in future lessons. What hasn’t changed is keeping expectations high and supporting students along the way. 2. What aspects of classical Christian education shaped your teaching style? A focus on discussion and asking open-ended questions has helped me because this type of inquiry both helps students think more deeply and helps me know where their gaps in learning may lie. 3. How did you begin teaching at FCS, and what’s kept you here? I was originally hired as an administrative assistant in 1998. When a need for a Latin teacher arose, I offered to help. Though I didn’t yet have a degree, I felt the Lord calling me to teach. I started my degree in Classical Studies soon after. The FCS community has become like family, and that’s what’s kept me here all these years. 4. How do you integrate faith in your classroom? Faith often comes into discussions naturally—even in pagan literature. These texts give us opportunities to reflect on truth, grace, and God’s love. 5. What’s a moment when you saw the impact of Christian education? One student’s senior thesis on quantum indeterminacy explored both science and God’s sovereignty. Watching him clearly articulate these ideas with humility and awe was deeply moving.

6. How does the classical model benefit students? The Trivium—grammar, logic, rhetoric— forms a solid foundation for critical thinking and communication. It also teaches students to see the world through the lens of God’s truth and grace. Students learn to communicate their views in speaking and writing, making them more mature believers and winsome defenders of their faith. 7. Any advice for future teachers? Stay with it! Talk to other teachers, keep learning, and lean into the calling God has placed on your life. This work is hard—but it is holy. Final thoughts? Stay the course. The road less traveled is often the most rewarding. I’m grateful for every step I’ve taken here.

The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

For Stephanie’s full interview visit www.fcsva.com/stories

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