School Community Belonging Essay

How have your set text and two chosen texts represented different perceptions of belonging or not belonging?

Administrators must also take into consideration the persons whom the school will serve, including the students, parents, teachers, and community members. Each person who comes into regular contact with the school. Individuals each bring with them a separate sense of person, worth, and culture that is formed by membership in multiple communities consisting of work, school, religion, and social circles. It is within these communities that persons find a sense of belonging which perpetuates the order and cooperative function of schools. When persons lack a sense of belonging, they will resort to their own subculture, which may go against what the school culture is trying to promote.

Children may have to attend a school that is associated with their religion. It is always possible that this gives the child a different quality/balance of education. They may struggle to understand other people‘s religion or lifestyle choices. They may become confused or isolated and

In reading Bill Davis’ book, In All Things Christ Preeminent, it is evident that receiving an education at Covenant College will be a unique spiritual and intellectual experience. With Christ present in all areas of the school, the structure of the college and what it as an institution aspires to accomplish varies greatly from that of the high school I attended. Based on the Christ-like goals, instruction, and student body of Covenant College depicted in In All Things Christ Preeminent, receiving an education from Covenant seems vastly different from my secular experience at LaFayette High School.

In today’s society it is hard to be a teacher; especially, in a secular school. The students in this setting need Christian teachers more than anything. The children today need to have a teacher that has biblical values and understands just how important it is to live by these values. Before stepping foot into a classroom, a teacher really needs to understand that each child’s worldview will make a difference as to how the teacher leads her instruction and how the students processes the instruction that is given to them. We are there to encourage our students to take a good look at them self and really examine what they believe their worldview is. This being said, we really need to understand what a worldview is, why integrating our worldview into the classroom is so important, what it really means when someone talk about integrating, and how a teacher can begin to develop worldview integrative activities in a secular and Christian school environment.

These insights foster a strong personal identity based on mature interpersonal relationships, not based on performance or meeting the expectations of others. When a child realizes that his great value and worth is based on his relationships to God, family, and friends, he strives even harder to cultivate his or her unique gifts for the service of others—finding himself through the sincere gift of himself. Excellence in academics, arts, athletics, “social intelligence,” etc. is the immediate fruit of this strong identity. It also foster a child’s appreciation for the unique gifts and talents of his schoolmates, as well as teamlike collaboration in cultivating these gifts and talents in his

God calls us to serve and to do everything with love (1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 16:14). As a Student Affairs (SA) professional, my main goal is to help students discover their calling and equip them to better serve the world while integrating their faith. Smith (2004), states why it is important to serve as a mentor during a critical adult faith development stage. In The Council for the Advancement of Standards and Higher Education (CAS), CAS has incorporated faith, spirituality and religion into the standards and competencies that they advocate for individuals working as educators in the student affairs field ( Smith, 2004). In the CAS masters-level graduate program for student affairs standards (2004) the authors spoke to the essential need to incorporate spirituality.

Holmes rightly mentions that, often in the past, anti-intellectualism or “cultural escapism” has erupted within the Church; however, the beauty of a Christian college is that it recognizes (and emphasizes) that all truth is God’s truth, and that “in God’s creation every area of life and learning is related to the wisdom and power of God” (Holmes, 1987). Another benefit of the integration of faith and learning is that, when the ultimate goal is to give glory to God, all aspects of examining and exploring His world become exciting and satisfying. Students are in an atmosphere where even the faculty delights in pursuing an education; learning is, according to Holmes, “an act of love, of worship, of stewardship, [and] a wholehearted response to God” (Holmes, 1987). The integration of faith and learning is vital, unique, and exceptionally executed by Christian colleges.

I volunteered at Chiefland Elementary School, under Ms. Sidorenko’s supervision. After doing my twenty hours of volunteering at Chiefland Elementary School, I have gained new knowledge on how religion works in schools. If you grew up in a small town area like I did, you would know that religion around here is not a touchy subject with many people. Many faculty administrators who work in the school system happen to be Baptists or Christians. Therefore, people are able to throw in religious assessments here and there without getting into too much trouble. In this case, at this school, everyone goes to the same church or partners with each other’s churches. Before I go on, let me just say, even though I am a Christian, I think that religion shouldn’t be a topic talked during school hours. My reasoning for this is because children are there to get an education and to learn about the world around them. Teachers barely have enough time to teach the concepts that are mandatory, if we add religion it will just offend students and teachers won’t be able to get their job done. Now that society is changing and is starting to accept individuals more, I have noticed this school is having a hard time accepting that.

Traditionally, Glenwood City School District has organized and sponsored the religious Baccalaureate service on the Wednesday evening preceding graduation weekend. The focus of the service was the religious support by the inter-faith community, but the service also encompassed scholarships and additional awards. As the senior class advisor, I have seen a marked decline in the participation on the part of the students over the past five years; I have seen a marked decline in the participation on the part of the students. Students that chose not to participate in the Baccalaureate service cited the fact that they did not feel comfortable going to ‘church’ or that it was against their own identified religion. In order to appease those involved, especially the parents, the district felt it necessary to separate the service into two distinct events, while distancing ourselves from the religious aspect. The essential question was: How do we replace the traditional Baccalaureate service while celebrating student accomplishments?

Georgetown is located on the coast between the cities of Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina in the Lowcountry. Georgetown has a total population of 60,235, where 51% of the population is female and 49% is male. The median income of all family households is $54,047, however the nonfamily households only bring in a median of $21,986 per year. Approximately 14% of families live below the poverty level, and 42% of single mother households live below the poverty level. Georgetown High School is a public school and is located at 2500 Anthuan Maybank Drive in Georgetown, South Carolina. Georgetown High School includes grades 9 through 12 and has a total of 1,062 students. The majority of students are African American (47.3%), followed by White (45.5%), Hispanic (6.1%), Asian (0.9%) and American Indian (0.2%).

Catholic Schools are educational institutions that are devoted to teaching and developing young individuals under the faith and guidance of Jesus Christ (Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia, 2009). Central to the vision of Catholic schools is the belief that Jesus is in the heart of all young Catholic believers (CECWA, 2009). Therefore in order to fulfil the mission and proclaim the gospel students are required to learn about how to live out the life that God intended through the lessons of Jesus Christ (CECWA, 2009). This paper aims to outline unique features that distinguish Catholic education from that of other educational institutions through linking peer-reviewed sources to a school based analysis. The school that will be

Schools share the desire to engage young people in their education so that they will be prepared to succeed in both school and life. The Catholic Education Office of Melbourne has released a research document in Social Emotional

“After all, a college campus is full of people investing a sense of “us” and a sense of “them,” school spirit is important because it gives us a sense of belonging and being a part of something bigger, David Berreby” David is convinced that there is a structure of belonging in an individual state of self-actualization. He feels that

(2011, 229). The Students gain the understanding that God has given the rules and the truth to