To Those Who Teach In Christian Schools

Christian teachers have long been thinking about what content to teach, but little scholarship has been devoted to how faith forms the actual process of teaching. Is there a way to go beyond Christian perspectives on the subject matter and think about the teaching itself as Christian? In this book David I. Smith shows how faith can and should play a critical role in shaping pedagogy and the learning experience.

In Teaching and Christian Practices several university professors describe and reflect on their efforts to allow historic Christian practices to reshape and redirect their pedagogical strategies. Whether allowing spiritually formative reading to enhance a literature course, employing table fellowship and shared meals to reinforce concepts in a pre-nursing nutrition course, or using Christian hermeneutical practices to interpret data in an economics course, these teacher-authors envision ways of teaching and learning that are rooted in the rich tradition of Christian practices, as together they reconceive classrooms and laboratories as vital arenas for faith and spiritual growth.

Newspapers are filled with stories about poorly educated children, ineffective teachers, and cash-strapped school districts. In this greatly expanded treatment of a topic he first dealt with in Rediscovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Douglas Wilson proposes an alternative to government-operated school by advocating a return to classical Christian education with its discipline, hard work, and learning geared to child development stages. As an educator, Wilson is well-equipped to diagnose the cause of America's deteriorating school system and to propose remedies for those committed to their children's best interests in education. He maintains that education is essentially religious because it deals with the basic questions about life that require spiritual answers-reading and writing are simply the tools. Offering a review of classical education and the history of this movement, Wilson also reflects on his own involvement in the process of creating educational institutions that embrace that style of learning. He details elements needed in a useful curriculum, including a list of literary classics. Readers will see that classical education offers the best opportunity for academic achievement, character growth, and spiritual education, and that such quality cannot be duplicated in a religiously-neutral environment.

Christian education has all but disappeared from the majority of educational systems around the world. As governments limit or banish God from among our schools in the name of "separation of church and state," we find the very foundation upon which many schools began disintegrating before our eyes. This is not a new problem. Over the centuries people have had the same concern of what is true education and the place of religion in the educational system. Among these were the newly devoted Christians arising from the Great Advent movement sweeping North America during the 18th and 19th century. Author Alonzo T. Jones, an important figure in Great Advent movement, felt that Christians should take a solid look at the educational systems of that day. Jones believed that true Christian education was the only becoming choice to Christians. In The Place of the Bible in Education, he outlines according to the Bible what exactly Christian education looks like. He also explores the true meaning of the separation between church and state and how Christian education does not fall under such discrimination. In this book, he discusses how secular education falls short of even the true meaning of education and how this has an adverse affect on our young people. Jones shows how there is a Biblical precedent for true education and how the Bible should and can become part of the educational system.

How many Christian "school teachers" are fully familiar with God's biblical mandates for their vocation? School teachers inherently hold a powerful influence over students, for good or bad. This sobering reality should motivate all school administrators, especially in Christian schools, to ensure that their teachers are spiritually qualified. Academic qualifications for teachers are essential, but spiritual qualifications are critical for meeting the biblical goals of education. In fact, it is the spiritual motivation and qualification of teachers that should be the greatest area of concern during the process of selecting faculty members to serve in Christian schools. Veteran teacher and Christian counselor Hooper offers twenty-one defining principles that separate Christian teachers from those who are not Christian. Do today's school teachers make the grade? This book is a must read for all who aspire to serve God effectively in the school classroom. Duane Hooper is a school teacher, principal, ordained minister, and board certified Christian counselor. His ministry was providentially redirected from the pastorate to education in 1990 when he began serving as teacher at Bay Area Christian School in League City, Texas. While serving as teacher and junior high principal, his passion for Christian education intensified. Concerning the influence held by teachers, especially in light of Christ's love for children, Duane was burdened regarding the need for Christian teachers to model not just Spiritual fruit, but Christ's express love for children. Duane's love for students is manifested in his several nominations to Who's Who Among America's Teachers. With both masters and doctoral degrees in Christian education and a Ph.D. in Christian Counseling, Duane has an ardent passion to share what he believes to be a Bible-based vision for the ministries of Christian school teachers-whether serving in Christian or public schools.

How does teaching Christianly differ from other forms of teaching? How might a Christian teach, in a biblical way, some commonplace set of facts from a mandated secular curriculum? This book considers what a biblical approach to teaching may involve as it emerges from a biblically grounded life and what that might look like in the classroom. Rather than speaking of integration of faith and learning, it starts from a foundation of Christ, the Truth and Lord of all, and moves to the development of a framework for classroom practice that includes a need to try to see things from God's perspective. All truly Christian education is seen, therefore, as a profoundly biblical pursuit leading to the revelation of God. To do this, the book explores the underlying theology and principles out of which our education should flow. These principles then allow us to examine such areas as the consideration of a Christian way to teach subjects such as geography and mathematics, or even what might be distinctive about the way a Christian teacher may do something as mundane as picking up a pencil.