About Alan Bandstra
Alan Bandstra is a veteran educator, speaker, and author known for blending research, storytelling, and humor to spark meaningful conversations about student behavior, classroom dynamics, and faith-informed education. His relatable style and deep insights equip and encourage audiences ranging from educators to ministry teams.
Drawn to the middle years
Alan Bandstra teaches middle school math and science at Sioux Center Christian School in northwest Iowa. His passion for working with preteens stems from three sources:
the delight of quirky adolescent humor
the challenge of engaging learners who aren’t naturally drawn to school
the desire to support young people through a life stage that was once difficulty for him
A student of behavior
Over the course of three decades, Alan has served as a classroom teacher, youth ministry volunteer, and father. These roles have given him a front-row seat to the ways group behavior—especially negative behavior—can spread like a infection.
His ongoing research explores topics such as social contagion, interpersonal neuroscience, self-determination theory, invitational learning theory, care theory, and the drive for status. What began as a practical need to manage classrooms has evolved into a broader quest to understand human motivation and character development.
Shaped by grace
Alan credits his growth to mentors who saw past his childhood mischief and asked better questions about the “why” behind behavior. They modeled a blend of compassion and accountability that has become central to Alan’s approach. “I am a product of grace,” he often says—and his work seeks to extend that grace to others.
Photo by Alex Shute https://unsplash.com/@faithgiant
Thoughtful storyteller
Colleagues and readers describe Alan as thoughtful and quietly humorous. He’s the kind of person who might be caught reading a book at the shopping center—or wandering the parking lot in search of his car. True to form, he tends to ponder relevant theories before jumping to solutions, and he loves explaining big ideas through stories. His classroom scenarios and writing style often reflect the storytelling cadence he absorbed from his grandfather, a pipe-smoking farmer who loved talking to his cows and watching the corn grow.
Teaching that transforms
In his teaching, Alan is driven by more than academic achievement. He wants students to care deeply about the world beyond the classroom. That’s why he embraces the Teaching for Transformation (TfT) framework, a model that encourages students to do real work that meets real needs for real people.
Learning that reaches beyond
At Sioux Center Christian School, Alan has helped lead a rich, ongoing partnership with Oak Grove Park. Their collaboration has yielded projects such as :
Building and maintaining a mountain biking trail
Researching and curbing the spread of invasive species
Designing solutions to mitigate destructive erosion
Proposing plans for adaptive-friendly mountain biking paths that remove barriers for riders with mobility challenges
Watch a story of student transformation here.
Grace, insight, and impact
Through his teaching, speaking, and writing, Alan Bandstra continues to explore what it means to teach and lead with both insight and empathy—equipping others to do the same.