Crossroads Students Experience Lesson Plans by Trinity Students!

February 23, 2026

Elim Christian Services and Trinity Christian College have maintained a strong partnership through the Alexander DeJong Center for Special Education (CSPED) since 2006. Both being organizations on the South Side of Chicago with strong roots in education and the Christian Reformed community, collaborating makes perfect sense!

The partnership extends to classroom collaboration between Elim students and Trinity preservice teachers.

This past Fall, a group of Elim students from our Crossroads Program visited Trinity once a week to experience Community Living lesson plans from future special education teachers at Trinity through CSPED.

During these 45-minute sessions, Elim students are partnered one-on-one with Trinity students to explore real-life skills and participate in lessons designed around Trinity’s campus.

“So far, students have experienced lessons on how to check out a book in the library, order food at the BBC café, enjoy wellness activities in the gym, and even mail a letter at the mail and print center”, shares Christine Schloma, Co-Director of the CSPED. “Elim students are getting the opportunity to engage on a college campus with their peers of the same age. Trinity preservice teachers are getting the opportunity to plan and implement lessons and reflect on what went well and what could go better the next time.”

For Elim educators, the collaboration has been just as rewarding. “The variety of learners in my class are at all different levels,” Dave, one of Elim’s teachers, shares. “I think the array of teaching styles benefits our students by exploring different instruction. It’s helped me to see these different styles and how my students engaged with them.”

Trinity’s preservice teachers have found this experience to solidify their reasons for pursuing a career in special education.

“Working with the Elim students is the highlight of my week,” said Trinity student, Seneca Supan Lobrano. “No matter how rough life seems, my worries vanish the second our Elim friends are in my presence. Each and every student is filled with so much joy and personality, and I am reminded of why I am going into special education.”

Another Trinity student, Emily Hawkins, echoed that sentiment, adding, “It is a blessing to see the growth that the students have every week, and I truly believe I’m learning and growing just as much, if not more, as the students themselves.”

Other students, like Kuba Debowski, love the opportunity to bring classroom instruction to life. “Working hands-on with students with disabilities is the best way to apply what you learn in class to the real world,” he said. “You get to see what works, what doesn’t, and how you can improve. It may be a struggle at times, but our career is like that. We learn how to adapt and work around challenges!”

As Trinity Christian College prepares to close its doors this spring, the future of its preservice teachers remains bright. These experiences formed between Elim and Trinity’s partnership will go on to classrooms across the country, bringing with them the empathy, adaptability, and insight they learned alongside Elim students. Even as this one chapter closes, the story of impact will continue.