Christian Philosophy of Education

Introduction

How was the world created? What is life? Is God real? How can you prove that God is real? These are lingering questions that have been around for ages. As a Christian, it is essential to lead a life that is reflective of your Christian beliefs. In the workplace today it is difficult to judge the level of Christianity you can push into your work without fear of punishment of judgment. As a teacher, it is important that one models the correct Christian lifestyle for your students to follow. While also being open to other opinions that your students may have about Christianity without forcing your viewpoint onto your students.

Biblical Worldview

Worldview refers to a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint (Webster, 2018). As a Christian, the worldview I should reflect is one that relates to and imitates the life of God. Colossians 3: 11-14 states, ‘Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all and in all. Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness’ (Colossians 3:11-14, King James Version).

The worldview in recent years has been changing with the times and openness to differential views becoming more prevalent. In recent years it has been more common to see that Christians are asked to be more open-minded in their views and beliefs to accept lifestyles that previous viewpoints would not have accepted. News and social media in recent years have been a primary source of information for students and adults to look for information and opinions to back up their viewpoints. The President can make an announcement on the news and within minutes his words can be changed and interpreted in a thousand different ways. With the news being able to change and alter the true message you have a wider viewpoint of people. Individuals will read one piece of news and believe that and not be open to new knowledge from other sources.

In today’s world, more than ever before viewpoints are changing and diverging away from one another. If someone doesn’t fully agree with a major viewpoint they will create their own and put a name on it. This is much like how we came to have so many different denominations in Christianity today. It is imperative that we aim to teach our students about how to love Jesus without engaging in all the various viewpoints of the world, which can lead them down a negative pathway.

Christian philosophy of education refers to the values and morals we believe, as a Christian should be incorporated into the learning environment (Knight, 2006). As a Christian, it is essential that we look to the Bible for guidance on how to teach our children in a way that is conducive to the Christian lifestyle. When you implement a Christian philosophy in your classroom you are relying on God for the basis of the learning that is taking place in the classroom. Your education and teaching style revolves and focuses around God and his teachings and how you can place a biblical aspect into all of your teachings. When a teacher has and functions correctly using a Christian philosophy of education you can see students in the classroom being able to find and relate all areas of study back to God and the Christian aspect of how all of those areas focus under God. ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for correction, for reproof, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.’ (II Timothy 3:16-17).

Dayspring Christian academy describes that the when using a Christian philosophy of education the goal for your students should be to have a biblical worldview (). Being a light and a positive role model in someone’s life is essential to ensure they are seeing what a Christian lifestyle looks like. Some students may not be exposed to Christianity in their home or community. This means that you are the only person they have to be a light and the walking bible for them to view. The purpose and meaning of implementing a Christian philosophy inside the school setting are to not only prepare students for their future on earth but also prepare them for their future in heaven. Christian education described by D’Souza is a growing realization that is held together by a spiritual foundation (D’Souza, 2000).

Implications for Educational Practice

Finding a successful way to combine our desire for God and the educational system can be difficult. This is a concept that Christian teachers find it difficult to master. Being that freedom of speech is a law that governs our nation, educators should have equal opportunity to express their faith and opinions about Christ to others. It should be a foundation of our curriculum to implement the teachings of Christ into our curriculum. Christ teachings are building blocks and can be related to various subjects. Allowing students to relate their education and knowledge to Christ opens up their minds to think beyond the basic textbook education. Some strategies that I find useful in being a special education teacher are modeling.

Modeling is something that is commonly used in the educational field, but predominately in the special education classroom. The bible also speaks of the modeling God provides to his people of how they should live their lives. Modeling an appropriate and Christian lifestyle is essential to teach my population of students the correct way to act. Some students don’t have equal access to the Bible or a Christian lifestyle. This is why it is essential to teach through modeling to our students. Often times they will not listen to what we say, but they are always watching us. Kids are sponges and they absorb everything so it is imperative that you provide your students with a good role model for them to follow in their daily lives.

Another way that I implement the Christian philosophy is to teach the fruits of the spirit such as love, gentleness, and long-suffering to name a few. We implement these teachings into our daily teachings of social skills. My students are taught to treat others how they expect to be treated.

I also implement the Christian philosophy in my classroom by always showing that I care for my students in every aspect. This may mean lending them an ear when they are having a bad day, or letting them have a pass when they need a break or are overwhelmed. It is the little things that mean the most to our children and we should care for them and show them that we care.

Conclusion

In the world we live in it is impossible to have everyone in the same frame of mind and on the same page. That is why it is so important that we provide our students with a good Christian role model while they are at school. If we can provide our students with a small seed of interest in Christianity we will be amazed by what they will grow to be.

References

1. Worldview. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2018, from https://www.merriam
2. webster.com/dictionary/worldview
3. Knight, G. R. (2006). Philosophy and education: An introduction in Christian perspective. Andrews University Press
4. D’SOUZA, M. (2000). The Christian Philosophy of Education and Christian Religious Education.The Journal of Educational Thought (JET) / Revue De La Pensée Éducative, 34(1), 11-28.Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23767139

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