Christian Philosophy of Education Essay

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.

“What makes the Catholic school distinctive is its religious dimension, and that this is to be found in (a) the educational climate, (b) the personal development of each student, (c) the relationship established between culture and the Gospel, (d) the illumination of all knowledge with the light of faith (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School: Guidelines for Reflection and Renewal, paragraph 1).” Catholic schools must be welcoming to all students regardless of differences. Catholic schools are communities of diverse people who through dialogue come to know and love each other. Catholic schools have an environment that is growth-oriented and where all are comfortable in being vulnerable in order to learn. Catholic schools leaders must see to the personal development of every child through differentiation but also by having an authentic and good relationship with each student so as to understand them more fully. I should be able to tell a Catholic school apart from another school as soon as I walk in. Not only because of the way the school is decorated, but because each student and teacher I meet should be a living example of the Gospel values. As Francis once said, “Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary.” Every academic subject in Catholic Schools should have the faith integrated within it. Our students must learn to look at everything through the

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.

Broadly speaking, a liberal arts education is concerned with the pursuit of knowledge as an end in itself, rather than for the sake of acquiring skills targeted at a career. The liberal arts philosophy is traced to the Greek philosopher Socrates, who famously proclaimed that the “unexamined life is not worth living”. To that end, traditional liberal arts education emphasizes the scholarly, the gentlemanly and the liberating. However, contemporary liberal arts education is marked by the integration of liberal and practical education. Consequently, a Christian liberal arts education should provide knowledge and intellectual skills to help students become functional and capable of

Human viewpoint differs and leads to diverse worldviews. Several factors contribute to the creation of worldviews; the environment, experiences and most importantly the education that a human is exposed to. The question is often asked if there is such a thing as a right or wrong worldview, since it can consist of subjective opinions on life, love, family and religious philosophies. These worldviews create philosophical questions regarding how society truly functions and different human principles. As educators it is critical that one nurtures the Christian mind in order to fulfill the Christian worldview. It is also absolutely essential that the education system and learning objectives put forward are relevant because they make significant contributions to worldview.

Pedagogical Idea - When students question their faith because it feels like the world is against them, students need to show the love of God and follow His commands by honoring those in authority over them.

The teachers, as true servants of God, should act as role models for students to follow to establish their godly character and to live a united community that loves God and

Education does not exist in a vacuum, but is a part of overall existence. Therefore, in order to be consistent with other elements of our lives, a robust philosophy of education has to start with some answers to basic questions of existence. The four primary questions of philosophy that most closely relate to education are: “What is knowledge?” (epistemology), “What is reality?” (metaphysics), “What is valuable?” (axiology), and, “What is man?” (anthropology). The Bible addresses all of these questions and thereby guides us in our philosophy of education.

This section would give special attention to five key areas of growth: The Lordship of Christ, identity in Christ, worship, scripture, and prayer. The class sessions would be designed in a way that gives special attention to these five key areas of growth, and they are also represented in the key objectives that each student must meet at the end of the section.

is to bring a student to a place where they understand they were created by God with unique talents, all of us have fallen, but through Jesus there is redemption and there is where God begins to work in our hearts.

Nonetheless, this article expressed our purpose as teachers is to get the students involved in classroom discussions by asking the right questions. Discussion is not conducted for the sake of therapy but rather for the sake of pinpointing answers to questions for solutions. Ordinarily, teacher and students are engaged in a cooperative effort to seek for truth, knowing in advance that truth also its application to life can be found in God’s Word. Furthermore, I can relate to this article

I believe that it is vital that as a Catholic School educator, I live as Jesus did, setting the tone and modeling my faith. I am called to serve my faith as an educator. Catholic school education is not about the money, you are there because you love and believe in the mission. I need exposure of the students, families, faculty and staff to the teaching through the Gospels; all while provide an excellent foundation for all students and while also evangelizing the larger faith community. In order to evangelize I need to look to inspire and take from the religious leaders of the past. If I expect to spark faith in others, I have to show how my faith is “burning” in

As an “architect” in a Catholic school, the principal bears the load of responsibility for setting the tone for each school year and “ as an architect of Catholic culture, is to connect the school’s core values and beliefs to Christ and the Gospel intentionally, deliberately, and continually.” (Cook, 2001, p. 20) The principal, being the spiritual leader of the school, helps support the Catholic school’s mission and the xxxx of the Catholic identity of the school. They must lead through example and build the faith community. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops states that “ Within such communities teachers and pupils experience together what it means to live a life of prayer, personal responsibility and freedom reflective of Gospel Values.” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1973, p. 30) During the first week of school is when the mission of the school and the Gospel Values or the “ core beliefs and values of Catholic schooling,” should be reveled and xxx to the faith community. My vision would be to reveal the Gospel values of Faith and Love and the greatest link for those is prayer.

Truth must be apprehended by every part of the person, or every faculty of our being, which means that truth must be perceived, comprehended, and applied in each area. As the truth is apprehended by the mind, the spirit, the heart, and the body, the whole person is conformed to the image of Christ—seeing him as he is and, invariably, becoming more like him, becoming more true. But this also has the further effect of creating agents of the Kingdom of God, who by faith live in accordance with eternal reality, and who naturally shape the world around them to become communities that conform to the truth. In other words, Christian education aims to produce knowledge, attentiveness, beauty, virtue, and justice. These are produced when truth comes in contact with the mind, spirit, heart, body, and world, respectively.

At first glance, it may seem as if the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Thomas Groome’s Shared Christian Praxis have nothing in common with one another, but while they do share many differences, they also share some similarities. In terms of teaching the divine pedagogy, the two catechetical approaches of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Shared Christian Praxis have some similar and some different theological, philosophical, and educational principles, which aid in the effectiveness of their practice for their specific target age group.