Teacher Spotlight: Princess Gwature

Princess Gwature, third grade teacher at NTCA, found her calling at a young age. Starting in middle and high school, she gravitated toward teaching positions in church and vacation Bible school. At that time, she discovered she had a gift for teaching others and decided to pursue a career in education. She recently graduated from Southwestern Adventist University with a degree in Elementary Education. This August, she’ll celebrate her first full year as a teacher. 

Gwature grew up in Rowlett, Texas, and before discovering her love of teaching, she considered one day becoming a fashion designer. During her time away from the classroom, Gwature enjoys shopping, exploring new places and foods, and spending time with her terrier/lab Cash. Of the places she’s explored, London is one of her favorites; the Maldives is on her list of places she’d love to one day visit. 

Even though she has only been teaching for a year, Gwature has learned valuable lessons in the classroom. One of those lessons is that she has a great deal of grace to give her students, and she hopes they know that even on the difficult days, she’s there for them. At NTCA, she feels like she has plenty of support from other teachers when she needs help getting through to her students. 

“I love how the campus is a loving community of aid and reassurance from fellow teachers,” Gwature said.

To engage students in the classroom, Gwature finds ways to relate every topic to students’ lives. She applies the subjects to music, shows and other references that make the content more relatable and easier to understand. The most rewarding part of teaching for Gwature has been seeing students’ faces when they finally understand the lesson they’ve just learned. 

As a student, Gwature often hid in the background, and she realizes now that it created learning gaps for her. Now, she makes an effort to check in on every student to ensure that they are seen, noticed and understand what she’s teaching them. This is one way she tries to make her classroom a great place for her students. 

“I hope they are able to take away that school is a place you learn, but your classroom family is how you create memories,” Gwature said. “I want to help them forever relive my grade as the best grade.”

Get to Know Princess Gwature

What’s your favorite book? Esperanza Rising

What's your favorite movie? One Day 

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Romans 8:18, “For the pain you are going through will not compare to the joy that is coming.” 

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? I can eat Pho for the rest of my life! 

Students at North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

4 Tips for Helping Your Child Master Group Projects

At some point in your child’s education, they will be participating in group projects. This special type of assignment is meant to inspire collaboration and camaraderie among students. However, it doesn’t always work out that way. In many group projects, someone gets sick, someone procrastinates, and someone — often one or two people — ends up doing all the work. If your child needs help getting motivated to work on group projects or needs help getting their classmates involved, here are some tips to set them up for success. 

Understand the Assignment

Make sure the instructions for the group assignment are clear. Take time with your child to review the guidelines set by the teacher to ensure that everyone in the group knows what needs to be done. Encourage your child to review the instructions in depth with their classmates so no one feels left out or in the dark. This is a great way to ensure that each student will be held accountable for their role. 

Create a Schedule Together

Most students start out with good intentions when assigned a group project. They plan to do their part to make the project successful. However, some students have a tendency to procrastinate and, in some cases, forget what needs to be done. Others get frustrated by this behavior and decide to do everything themselves. Helping your child build out a schedule that includes all the tasks at hand will make delegating those tasks easier. 

Encourage Communication

High-achieving students often feel like they need to do everything themselves to get it done right. Therefore, even if they’re great when working individually, they can struggle with group projects. If your child does everything on their own, encourage them to use that energy to delegate tasks. If your child is more of a procrastinator, have them ask the group leader about their deadlines if they’re unclear. The more the group communicates, the more engaged each child will be in the experience. 

Prepare for the Worst

You could also call this preparing for all outcomes. No matter how much planning happens in the initial phase, there’s always a chance of plans falling through. One child could get sick during the project and not be able to complete their part. Everyone could get swamped with other obligations, and deadlines may have to move. Children often get discouraged when things change in the middle of a project. Encourage your child to be flexible and plan ahead. By making contingency plans and collaborating, your child and their classmates can complete just about any project successfully and on time.

Collaboration is the name of the game for students at North Tampa Christian Academy. At our Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Teacher Spotlight: Luke Fogg

Luke Fogg, one of our physical education teachers at NTCA, began teaching last fall after graduating from Southern Adventist University with a degree in kinesiology. Becoming a teacher wasn’t always part of the plan. During his freshman year of college, Fogg felt called to do the work of being a teacher. 


As a recent college graduate, Fogg feels that he has an easy time relating to his students. He understands what they’re going through because not too long ago, he was going through some of the same things. With this experience, he’s able to see from their perspectives, which has helped him have more sympathy for students when they struggle. Fogg makes an effort to be there for his students and give them grace, just like Jesus would have.  


“The Bible talks a lot about grace and the grace that Jesus gives us,” Fogg said. “I try to do that for my students, as well.”


Of all the verses and passages in the Bible, Fogg’s favorite is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 


Fogg, who only recently moved to Florida, grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a child growing up in Indianapolis, he wanted to be a professional basketball player. He still plays basketball, as well as golf, during downtime. Sports are still an integral part of his life, even if he chose not to pursue sports stardom. If he was given the chance to have dinner with any three people, alive or dead, he would dine with three sports icons: Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. 


When he’s not in the classroom, on the green or on the court, Fogg enjoys going to the beach, shopping and spending time with his friends. He loves staying active both on and off campus. 


Project-based teaching at NTCA has been a great experience for Fogg. He appreciates being able to teach in an environment where students are actively engaged in learning through hands-on activities. Teaching at this school also gives him the opportunity to make connections with amazing students and share the love of Jesus with everyone in his classroom. 


Since Fogg only recently started teaching, he feels like he’s still learning about all the best parts. Based on his experience so far, he believes the most rewarding part of the experience will be seeing what his students take away when they graduate and how they use those lessons in life after NTCA. His students constantly impress him, and he hopes that after leaving his classroom, they will walk away with a sense that they’re valued and that they should value and respect others. 


“The two things I always tell my students are to be yourself and be happy with who you are, and also to be kind to everyone,” Fogg said. “To me those two things matter more than anything I can teach.”

Get to Know Luke Fogg

Do you have any pets? I have a 2-month old Cavachonpoo (a cavalier King Charles spaniel and bichon frise mix bred with a miniature poodle)

What are your favorite books? “The Last Season” by Phil Jackson and “Underdawgs” by David Woods 

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? I think it would have to be pizza.

If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do? Hire a financial adviser.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I would love to be able to fly!

Students at North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Creating Screen Time Balance as a Family

In today’s world, you can’t stay away from screens. However, it’s important to be away from them for at least a few hours a day. Spending too much time with technology leads to higher stress levels, lower quality sleep, eye strain and a feeling of dependence. Our devices have the power to keep us informed and connected, but like everything in life, moderation is key. Here are a few ways you can create screen time balance with your family:

Enjoy Analog Activities 

When we’re constantly connected to our devices, it can be easy to forget about activities our families can enjoy together without the help of a screen. Break out your favorite board games from your childhood, and create new memories for the family. Encourage everyone to lace up their walking shoes to go out and explore the local park. If you can get the family away from screens for just a couple hours a day, you’ll notice that you all become less reliant on technology for entertainment. 

Have Dinner Without Devices 

Ever look around the dinner table and notice that everyone’s either on their phones or has them out just in case? Staying away from devices for an extended period of time can be difficult, but dinner is the perfect time for a technology break. Make dinner a dedicated time for communicating with one another and enjoying each other’s company. Dinner time creates a great opportunity for daily family bonding without the help of devices.

Set Time Limits for Everyone 

Keep in mind that not only children feel the impacts of too much screen time. Adults often find themselves mindlessly tuned into their devices just as much as children do. Consider setting limits that the whole family can abide by. This is also a great way to lead by example. If your child sees that you can rely less on technology, they will feel more empowered to do so themselves. 

Enforce an Electronic Curfew

One way to set time limits is by setting a curfew for use of electronic devices. Powering down devices after a certain hour has a positive effect on health for people of all ages. The most visible impact is on sleep. Children and teens need to get 8-10 hours of sleep to maintain their health, and adults need about 6-8 hours. It’s recommended to power down your devices an hour before bed so you can more easily fall asleep.

Charge Devices Outside of Bedrooms

How do you keep your child or teen from bringing their phones into the bedroom at night? Set up charging stations outside of the bedroom. This is a great way to hold everyone accountable and to remove the temptation of losing yourselves in late-night infinite scrolling. Consider a dedicated area where all devices are charged outside of bedrooms so everyone can rest a little easier at night. 
At North Tampa Christian Academy, we view technology as a powerful tool that brings us together, as long as we’re not too dependent on it. Students at our Tampa private school thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

5 Ways Faith Can Help Children Thrive

What children learn when they’re young builds a foundation for the rest of their lives. Faith provides guiding principles that can steer them in the right direction. However, the benefits of faith for children go far beyond discipline. Spirituality has been shown to positively impact mental and physical health for people of all ages. Learn about a few of the ways faith can help children live more meaningful lives.

Connection to Community

As someone who practices a religion, you have a built in community at church, or perhaps at a faith-based school. In many cases, the connection goes deeper than that. When you find another person who practices the same faith, you know you have something in common with them. This can be especially impactful for children as they seek friends with common interests. Along with meeting other children through their faith, they have the opportunity to interact with spiritual leaders who can guide them and help them through hard times. 

Sense of Hopefulness

Spiritual faith often includes a belief that there’s something good waiting for you. This can give children a sense of hope when things aren’t going their way. Knowing that something good will happen eventually can ease thoughts that lead to depression or quiet feelings of anxiety. Belief in a higher power is shown to lead to better mental health overall and also better response to mental health treatments.

Feeling in Control

Being hopeful can help people of faith with external stressors, while feeling in control can help on an internal level. Most faiths have guidelines that believers follow, which provides a moral compass. This can make life easier for children, especially as they grow older and start facing peer pressure. It’s easier to say “no” to drugs and unsafe behaviors when you have a compelling reason to resist the temptation. Children of faith also may find it easier to bounce back when they do give in because they tend to surround themselves with people who can guide them through difficult times. 

Stronger Family Ties

Younger children generally feel attached to their parents and siblings, but that can change as they grow older. Teens often feel like they can’t relate to their parents or like they’re too cool to hang out with the other kids in their family. Through a common faith, however, children often feel more connected to their family members. This leads to stronger relationships that children carry with them throughout their lives. 

Better Health Outcomes

Mental health isn’t the only area that faith can directly benefit. In many ways, faith can lead to better physical health. The built-in community faith creates keeps people of faith more accountable to each other. With less likelihood of falling into unsafe and unhealthy behaviors, children are more likely to have better overall health as they grow older. When a person of faith does become ill, they often have more hope that they’ll recover, which can aid in the recovery process. 

At North Tampa Christian Academy, we believe faith can help people of all ages live abundant lives. At our Tampa Christian school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.