I view my role as a teacher as an integral part of my Christian service. Also, I do not view my teaching as separate from who I am: I strive to be both a good Christian and a good teacher. Thus, there is for me a seamless fusion between who I am and what I do. I strive to allow my Christian principles to pervade every aspect of my teaching, every moment of my relating, and every nuance of my practice. My teaching therefore, is not compartmentalized; there are no temporal limitations of how much is 'Christian time' and how much time is 'teaching time'. This is the type of integration I aim to achieve whether I begin class with a formal worship, or point my students to evidences of a Master Designer during class discussions of the mysteries of child language acquisition. In my experience I have found that the most effective means of integrating my faith with my discipline lies more so in being a Christian than in the mere articulation of my faith (important as that may be).
Philosophically, there are four main tenets that govern my teaching in a Seventh-day Adventist unversity. I believe that all teaching should be characterized by (a)joy, (b)rigor, (c) honesty, and (d) hope.
1. Joy. As a Christian I strive to be passionate about my calling, and to cultivate an exciting and stimulating atmosphere in which learning can occur. I believe that as a Christian teacher I should exude the joy of service.
2. Rigor. Because high expectations tend to produce higher levels of performance, I believe that I should encourage all my students to strive for the mastery and assist them all I can in developing their God-given talents to the maximum extent posssible.
3. Honesty. I have found that honesty in the classroom creates an environment where the learning process is genuine, where openness finds comfort, and where errors can be made and sensitively corrected. It is in the context of honesty that both teachers and students can confront their weaknesses, analyze their vulnerabilities, and make meaningful changes.
4. Hope. I see hope as the gift of tomorrow that I can share with students. It is in the context of hope that I can remind students that if they do not succeed today, tomorrow may bring another chance. I can show them that failure does not have to be final, and that the light bulb that did not work today may shine its brightest tomorrow. As a Christian teacher my goal is engender hope.
