Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am excited about our new school year at Cross Creek Christian School! 

2021-22  is my fifth year to serve as a teacher and as chaplain at Cross Creek. I sincerely appreciate your prayer support!

Personal Background Information

Here’s a bit of information to help you get to know me better.

I am married to Vickie Hall, who is a Pharmacy Tech Compounding Specialist at Little Drug in Sweetwater. We have six living sons and one son who has gone to be with the Lord. We have 14 grandchildren and 1 great grandson. All are wonderful blessings from the Lord! There’s never a dull moment!

Vickie and I are both strongly committed followers of our Lord Jesus Christ and are members at Fairview Baptist Tabernacle in Sweetwater. We sing in the choir and are on the praise team. From time to time I do substitute Sunday School teaching. Many of my previous Bible studies are recorded and posted as podcasts. Some Bible studies are also available as YouTube videos. If you wish, you can watch or listen to them on our web pages at aboundingjoy.com, or on our YouTube pages, or through your preferred podcast app. I’ll be happy to help you if you need help finding them.

I was raised in Tellico Plains, Tennessee. My grandparents led me to the Lord when I was ten years old.  In 1967 I graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a Liberal Arts Physics major, plus a very strong minor (almost a double major) in math. From 1967-1970, I taught at Tellico Plains High School and at McMinn Central High School (mainly algebra and physics). I received a Master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1973, after which I spent 14 years in full-time Christian ministry in churches in Tennessee, Florida, and Texas (as Minister of Education, Associate Pastor, and Senior Pastor). I have a total of 23 years of high school teaching experience in public high schools in both Texas and Tennessee in addition to the 5 years I have served at Cross Creek for a total of 28 years teaching experience. I retired from public high school teaching in 2014 after 15 successful years of teaching at Tellico Plains High School from 1999 to 2014. I taught various math courses there, including Algebra 2 and precalculus, as well as Physics and ACT Prep. Twice (2005 and 2012) I was honored to receive the Monroe County High School Teacher of the Year award from the Little Tennessee Valley Educational Cooperative. Also, from 1994-1998, I joined my wife, Vickie’s  midwifery practice in Dallas, Texas, where, during the 1980s and 90s, she delivered hundreds of babies and served as president of the North Texas Midwives Association. I served as her business administrator until we moved from Texas to Tennessee in January, 1999..

In 2006, out of a burden for the large number of high school graduates who were dropping out of church,  I founded a new Christian club at Tellico Plains High School called the Veritas Club. It is essentially an introduction to Christian apologetics. It has been a highly successful club at TPHS. When I retired, a fellow math teacher agreed to sponsor the club. If other high schools or middle schools wish to try having Christian apologetics clubs, I would be delighted to help get them started. Also, at this point I have eight Veritas apologetics presentations that I have presented in several churches in Monroe County, at SHBC, and at a few summer youth retreats. You can learn more about Veritas by going to our web site at aboundingjoy.com.  You may also wish to watch some of the Veritas YouTube videos. There are links to our YouTube videos at aboundingjoy.com, or go to YouTube and search “Steve Hall Veritas Series.” You will also find links to playlists of videos Vickie and I have uploaded especially for our grandchildren that you might find useful for the spiritual growth of your own children and grandchildren.

As I write this, I am scheduled to be teaching New Testament, U.S. History, ACT Prep, 7th Grade Math, Dave Ramsey’s Personal Finance course, and our new course entitled “Warriors of Christ.” Course descriptions are included below.

My goal is to record all my classes and upload the videos to YouTube. This will serve three purposes. Parents can know exactly what is happening in my classroom. Students who are absent can watch any classes they have missed. And students who need review or who “didn’t quite get it” in class, may watch the class again. 

If your son or daughter is taking one or more of my classes, I look forward to getting to know both you and your child. I also pray that, together, we will be able to give him/her every opportunity to become as well prepared as possible for the next step that God has for him/her.

As chaplain, I have shared several chapel messages at Cross Creek in the past. There is a link to these messages on my personal website, aboundingjoy.com. 

If we need to communicate, you may email, call or text me. My email is steve@aboundingjoy.com or mr.hall@crosscreekschool.org. My cell phone is (423) 261-5562.

Evaluation Procedure

Each student will be evaluated as follows. Percentages are approximate and may vary. I will notify you of any changes. Exceptions are ACT Prep and Warriors of Christ. These two classes are “Pass/Fail” classes and students will be graded on the basis of classroom attendance and participation.

Tests 80% of classroom grade

Assignments 20% of classroom grade 

Class Rules

1. Respect and be polite to all people. (Listen carefully. Do not interrupt the teacher or other students. Do not use the names of “God” or “Jesus” carelessly. Rudeness and disrespectful language will not be tolerated.)
2. Respect the property of others. (Put litter in the trash can. Return borrowed items. Do not write on desks, walls, etc.)
3. Bring all needed materials to class every day (pencil, paper, text, assignments).
4. Use the restroom before coming to class. “Emergency” restroom passes will be given if necessary, but unless there are unusual problems, students should be able to make it through class.
5. Exercise self-control at all times. Crude and offensive language will not be tolerated. Keep hands and feet to yourself. No items (e.g. pencils, paper wads, etc.) are to be thrown or tossed inside the classroom. Tone and volume of voice will be controlled at all times.
6. Obey all school-wide rules. e.g., dress codes, cell phone policy, etc.

Classroom Discipline

Normally, I expect few, if any, classroom discipline issues. If necessary, I will ask to talk privately with a student just outside the classroom door. Occasionally, I may see the need for an office referral. Parents and guardians will be notified if there are any issues.

Assignments, Late Work, and Missed Tests

I will provide URL links for assignments for all subjects. Student progress and missing assignments or tests are easily found at ccgrade.com. Students are expected to complete assignments in an up-to-date and timely manner. However, knowing the uncertainties of life, late work will be accepted with an appropriate parental explanation at any time during the quarter. Late work will not be accepted after the conclusion of the quarter (9-weeks period).  I expect parents to check all assignments carefully for accuracy and understanding. Please initial or sign assignments in the upper right hand corner to indicate that you have checked them.  I check only for completion. Of course, in the event of any confusion or questions, I will be glad to provide clarification.  In the event of student absences on test days, I will work with the student to find a prompt and appropriate time for a make-up. I, or a designated CCCS staff member, will personally administer make-up tests.

Please make sure I have your name and cell-phone number. I will text you links to lesson plans and other relevant information. Please refer to online lesson plans frequently. I sometimes find the need to change them!

2021-22 Course Summaries

(Periods and times subject to change!)

Warriors of Christ (1st Period 8:30-9:30)

The goal of this class is to help students be able to obey 1 Peter 3:15 in the midst of a culture of secularism and unbelief. 

We will look carefully at what the Bible has to say about the Gospel. We want each student to genuinely understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

We will also learn Scriptures that help us make sure that we know how to do effective Spiritual Warfare.

We will also  look at evidence that God has seen fit to give us for the resurrection of Jesus, as well as evidence from archaeology, from fulfilled prophecy, from New Testament Manuscripts, and from early church history. We will also consider evidence for creation from molecular biology, the second law of thermodynamics, and the fine tuning of the universe. We will study some of the strange conclusions that many people reach about Jesus. We will also study some of the world-views and belief systems that overwhelm many Christian students–like secular humanism and critical theory. We will deal with some of the tough questions often asked by secularists that students need to be able to handle. Such as:

How do you know that the Bible can be trusted?

How can you be so sure that Jesus really rose from the dead?

Why are you Christians so intolerant?

Don’t you know that the Bible is full of errors, inaccuracies, and contradictions?

How can there be a good God with all the evil that is in the world?

How can you be so arrogant and unkind as to tell someone else that what they believe is wrong?

Don’t you realize  that all real scientists recognize evolution is an unquestioned fact?

Did you realize that the Bible is actually an evil book? It even advocates the slaughter of babies.

Why are you Christians so judgmental? Can’t you recognize that the beliefs of other people are just as valid as yours?

Don’t you realize that Christians have been responsible for most of the world’s problems? Have you ever heard of the crusades? Or the witch trials? Or the inquisition? Or slavery?

7th Grade Math (2nd Period 9:30-10:30)

Our primary goal is to continue to lay a good foundation that will enable students to succeed in future pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and advanced math courses. I will work many sample problems in class. Before tests, I will work problems that will be similar to test problems. Please make sure your student takes good notes and is able to explain these problems to you as they complete assignments and prepare for tests.

TEXT: SAXON Math Homeschool 8/7 with Prealgebra

ACT Prep  (3rd Period 10:30-11:30)

I have several years experience teaching ACT prep at Tellico Plains High School and here at CCCS. I teach all four of the ACT areas of testing: Math, Science, English, and Reading. The focus will be on math, since many students need more help with math topics. I’ll teach students the best ways to tackle different kinds of ACT questions. Success in a course like this depends on how seriously students have taken their academic courses up until now. There’s no magic formula that will guarantee a high ACT score, but if students take it seriously, this course will make a significant difference. Since classroom time is limited to 2 hours a week, I will not take classroom time to take practice ACT tests. Sample tests (both online and in ACT prep books) can be done at home. Classroom time will be used to teach strategies for success, best ways to tackle specific ACT test questions, and answering student questions. This is a pass/fail course. Students who take the course seriously and engage in classroom participation will receive 100s (pass). 

Dave Ramsey Personal Finance (5th Period 1:00-2:00)

This is Dave Ramsey’s course on Foundations in Personal Finance for Homeschool. This course  teaches students how to manage money wisely and make good financial decisions in life. 

The course includes chapters on: Saving, Budgeting, Debt, Life after High School, Consumer Awareness, Bargain Shopping, Investing and Retirement, Insurance, Money and Relationships, Careers and Taxes, and Giving.

We’ll be watching video presentations in class and discussing the material. Students will have to answer work-book questions about the material, complete activity hand-outs,  and pass tests over each chapter.

TEXT: Foundations in Personal Finance Workbook

U.S. History (6th Period 2:00-3:00)

The aim is to give the students a solid foundation of knowledge about the heritage of the U.S.A. from a Christian perspective– which, nowadays, often gets slighted or ignored altogether in the public school setting. Learning from the lives of people of the past who did, or who did not, follow God’s principles. The goal will be to see God’s leading in the different eras of U.S. History and the major periods within each era. 

Due to time limitations (we only meet for class 2 hours per week), we will focus on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 20th centuries.  And even though it is obviously tremendously important as well, we will only cover highlights of the 19th century. Some of you may choose to spend extra time on homeschool days to cover the 19th century in more detail.

Students will have written assignments based on questions found in the text. And of course they will have to pass the tests. Since there is so much material, I will try to make sure I focus on material in class that is likely to show up on tests. 

My prayer is that all of us would grow stronger in our Lord Jesus Christ as we seek to bring Him great glory this year!

In Christ,

Steve Hall