Welcome to OpenLearning@MLC
FREE virtual conference and power hours brought to you by
Martin Luther College Continuing Education.
Join Us for this Summer’s FREE Virtual Conference
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June 11 – 12, 2025
10 am – 2:30 pm CDT
We’ll concentrate on both personal growth and professional growth this year!
Check out our three sessions on personal wellness and three sessions on structured literacy.
As always, it’s free! Sit back and be inspired to make some changes both inside the classroom and out!
June 11 – Teacher Wellness
Are You Pouring from a Full Cup?
Session One: 10:00 – 11:00 am
Presenter: Dr. Richard Gurgel
Description: Serving in public ministry means pouring ourselves out for those entrusted to our care. However, if we aren’t remembering that our primary calling is as children of God who need his constant pouring of grace into our hearts, we can end up with the unenviable task of trying to pour out from far less than a full heart. This session will help us remember and act on the reality that our Savior longs to make our cup overflow (Ps 23:5) so that we can pour comfort and strength into the lives of others.
Presenter’s Bio: Dr. Richard Gurgel spent 13 years as a parish pastor (Oklahoma City, Jackson WI); 22 years at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (teaching doctrine, preaching, education, and overseeing Grow in Grace – the institute for pastoral growth at WLS); and for the last five years he’s served as president of MLC. In each place he’s served – and around the country in numerous presentations – he has particularly enjoyed the privilege of sharing insights on the critical importance of a gospel-centered devotional life of Word and prayer for all Christians and especially for public gospel ministers.
Teacher Wellness
Session Two: 12 – 1 pm
Presenter: Dr. Susan Decker
Description: This session will introduce strategies for long-term teacher wellness (in physical and mental domains). This is currently an age of many challenges facing teachers, from book banning and political mandates to addressing a variety of student needs, including pandemic learning loss and subsequent changes in social behavior. Without proper wellness strategies, teachers will quickly burn out.
Presenter’s Bio: Dr. Susan Decker serves as a professor of English at Martin Luther College. Her research specialties include arts integration, young adult literature, Shakespeare studies, literary criticism, and English pedagogy. She is also a Certified Wellness Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
The Wellness Wheel: A Reflective Tool for Holistic Wellbeing
Session Three: 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Presenter: Joanna Chartrand (National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching)
Description: Let’s face it, “well-being” can feel like a broad, even nebulous target. In reality, it’s a multifaceted set of values often overlooked in the busy life of an educator. This interactive session introduces the Wellness Wheel, a tool to help participants prioritize eight key areas of wellbeing: physical, emotional, social, professional, environmental, financial, recreational, and spiritual.
Attendees will assess their satisfaction in each area and reflect on where care is most needed, equipping them to create intentional self-care strategies and set appropriate boundaries to protect their most valued areas. The session also explores how these practices can foster a healthier classroom culture by providing educators with the tools to model self-care and giving students the resources to build resilience, prioritize their own well-being, and thrive both in and out of the classroom. Discover how the Wellness Wheel can become your framework for a balanced self and a thriving classroom!
Presenter’s Bio: Joanna Chartrand is a board-certified health coach (NBC-HWC) and former educator with over a decade of classroom experience. She currently supports first- and second-year teachers through her work in the New Teacher Induction program, and also serves as a full-time health coach with Omada Health. With over five years of professional coaching experience and a background that bridges both education and wellbeing, she is grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside fellow called workers as they navigate the joys and challenges of ministry.
June 12 – Structured Literacy
Whole & Small Group Instruction
Session Four: 10:00 – 11:00 am
Presenters: Dr. Cindy Whaley and Dr. Jon Roux
Description: Tune in and learn how both whole group and small group instruction are crucial in structured literacy instruction as they provide different but complementary benefits. Applicable for all grade levels.
Presenters’ Bios:
Dr. Cindy Whaley is a professor of education at Martin Luther College. She taught for fifteen years in two different congregations in Wisconsin before coming to (D)MLC in 1993. Her elementary experiences were in multigrade settings, teaching students in various combinations from grades one through six. She currently teaches courses in curriculum and instruction, literacy methods, psychology, and a graduate assessment course in the MLC master’s program. She also oversees MLC’s public school clinical and student teaching placements, the post-baccalaureate licensure program, is the edTPA coordinator, and serves as MLC’s licensure officer.
Dr. Whaley is president of the Southwest Minnesota Reading Council and serves as MLC’s chief institutional
Dr. Jonathan Roux currently teaches language arts and literacy-related courses in the education division (Teaching Reading, Teaching Language Arts, and Children’s Literature) and serves on the graduate faculty at Martin Luther College.
He is involved on the executive board of the Southwest Minnesota Reading Council and is an active member of the Twin Cities Reading Council, the Minnesota Reading Council, the Minnesota Reading League, and the Higher Education Literacy Partnership of Minnesota (HELP).
He frequently presents at conferences throughout the United States and the Caribbean on topics related to literacy.
The Phones
Session Five: 12 – 1 pm
Presenters: Dr. Cindy Whaley and Dr. Jonathan Roux
Description: Tune in and learn more about instructional ideas for these critical elements of foundational instruction: Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, and Phonics. Applicable for all grades, but mainly focused on the primary grade levels.
Presenters’ Bios:
Dr. Cindy Whaley is a professor of education at Martin Luther College. She taught for fifteen years in two different congregations in Wisconsin before coming to (D)MLC in 1993. Her elementary experiences were in multigrade settings, teaching students in various combinations from grades one through six. She currently teaches courses in curriculum and instruction, literacy methods, psychology, and a graduate assessment course in the MLC master’s program. She also oversees MLC’s public school clinical and student teaching placements, the post-baccalaureate licensure program, is the edTPA coordinator, and serves as MLC’s licensure officer.
Dr. Whaley is president of the Southwest Minnesota Reading Council and serves as MLC’s chief institutional
Dr. Jonathan Roux currently teaches language arts and literacy-related courses in the education division (Teaching Reading, Teaching Language Arts, and Children’s Literature) and serves on the graduate faculty at Martin Luther College.
He is involved on the executive board of the Southwest Minnesota Reading Council and is an active member of the Twin Cities Reading Council, the Minnesota Reading Council, the Minnesota Reading League, and the Higher Education Literacy Partnership of Minnesota (HELP).
He frequently presents at conferences throughout the United States and the Caribbean on topics related to literacy.
Vocabulary Instruction
Session Six: 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Presenters: Dr. Cindy Whaley and Dr. Jonathan Roux
Description: Tune in for ideas to engage students while developing vocabulary skills and strategies to support and improve reading comprehension. Applicable for all grade levels.
Presenters’ Bios:
Dr. Cindy Whaley is a professor of education at Martin Luther College. She taught for fifteen years in two different congregations in Wisconsin before coming to (D)MLC in 1993. Her elementary experiences were in multigrade settings, teaching students in various combinations from grades one through six. She currently teaches courses in curriculum and instruction, literacy methods, psychology, and a graduate assessment course in the MLC master’s program. She also oversees MLC’s public school clinical and student teaching placements, the post-baccalaureate licensure program, is the edTPA coordinator, and serves as MLC’s licensure officer.
Dr. Whaley is president of the Southwest Minnesota Reading Council and serves as MLC’s chief institutional
Dr. Jonathan Roux currently teaches language arts and literacy-related courses in the education division (Teaching Reading, Teaching Language Arts, and Children’s Literature) and serves on the graduate faculty at Martin Luther College.
He is involved on the executive board of the Southwest Minnesota Reading Council and is an active member of the Twin Cities Reading Council, the Minnesota Reading Council, the Minnesota Reading League, and the Higher Education Literacy Partnership of Minnesota (HELP).
He frequently presents at conferences throughout the United States and the Caribbean on topics related to literacy.
Registering for the conference allows you access to any of the sessions you wish to attend. Come and go as you like.
After the conference is over, you may access recordings of the sessions.
We will contact those who registered to let them know when those recordings and resources are available.
You may earn clock hours on the sessions until September 2.
