As an educator, I feel God has called me to be a thought leader in public
school education. The educational system is in a dismal state and is
heavily influenced by politics, media, and current trends, all of which
influence what is taught. Sadly, public school educators do not have the
liberty of outwardly professing or talking about their faith and need to
tread lightly on certain topics. After reading about the five viewpoints
addressed by Johnson et al. (2010), however, my eyes were opened to
new possibilities. Just as the Transformational Psychology view seeks to
unite contemporary Christian theology and contemporary psychology, I
too can unite my faith and work environment. Unfortunately, we live in a
world where even some churches embrace cultural ideas that the Bible is
staunchly against. As Christians, we are called to witness to others (Acts
1:9). We can’t allow popular ideologies or trends to prevail over Scriptural
truths. This happens all too often in our schools and churches. Sproul
(2000) writes that ideas have changed over the years and that society no
longer relies solely on the word of God as the basis of truth. If we are truly
faithful to God then He should be revered in every aspect of our life. God
is calling me to be a stronger leader in this area, at work. He wants me to
step out of my comfort zone and rely on the Bible for the truth. In the
past, I have feared the consequences of being “too Christian” at work and
the possibility of losing my job for sharing the word of God within the
public schools. I’ve realized, however, that by showing kindness, love, and
grace I am sharing the word of God.
As I progress in the doctoral program, I would like to research topics that
are relevant to teenagers specifically within high school and language
acquisition. As mentioned in my original post, our school encourages
project-based learning (PBL) and I want to research if this instructional
type is beneficial to students or if other methods are more effective. In
addition to PBL, I plan to research communicative language teaching (CLT)
which is my current method. CLT encourages communication through the
use of language instead of focusing on grammatical structures. It is
important to not only keep up with the latest teaching models but to
ensure that it’s beneficial to students and helps them with the learning
process. I want to be able to incorporate the best instructional methods
for my content area. In addition to studies on language acquisition, I’m
also interested in the topics of gender dysphoria and the influences the
home environment can have on the learning process.
No matter the field in which we work, Christians must be different on His
behalf. Johnson et al. (2010) said a good scientist must be in a constant
relationship with God. I believe this to be true of any profession and in
every aspect of life. If we are to be at our full potential we must rely on
God for guidance. Each of us will face difficulties and trials throughout life.
I understand how difficult adolescence can be and I want to be an
encouragement to others, especially my students. Whether God is trying
to make a difference in me or someone else such as a student or
colleague, it’s important to remember that He is working out all things for
His good (Romans 8:28).=
References
Holy Bible: New International Version. (2020). Zondervan.
Johnson, E. L., Myers, D. G., & Jones, S. L. (2010).=Psychology and
Christianity Five Views. InterVarsity Press.
Sproul, R. C. (2018).=The consequences of ideas: Understanding the
concepts that shaped ourworld. Crossway Books.
