Philosophy of Christian Education
I believe that home, school, and church all play significant roles in training children in the way God intended. Growing up in a Christian home, I came to accept Christ as my personal savior at a very young age. I had been attending Bible Study Fellowship with my mother when at the age of five, I decided to follow Christ. I do not believe this would have happened at such a young age if it weren't for the reinforcement of Christian values I was receiving from my home, church and pre-school Bible study program.
Children need love, support, discipline and boundaries in their lives. It is extremely important that children are shown at a young age what it means to live a Christian life. I believe that children need structure and good role models. Parents, family members, teachers, pastors, and Sunday school teachers all play a role in this. We show children the love of Christ by living Christian lives in front of them. We pray with them, read the Bible with them, and love them unconditionally in hopes that they too will accept Christ as their savior at some point in their lives.
I have always wanted to teach in a Christian school so that I can freely share my beliefs with the children I am teaching. I believe that education in a Christian setting is optimal for a child's emotional and intellectual growth. In a public school setting you are always worried about saying too much about what you believe. I love that I am able to teach in a place where that is not the case. When you are teaching children, there are many times when questions arise that can only be answered through scripture. The use of scripture in the classroom reinforces the belief that God's word is truth. The answers to all of life's questions can be found in scripture. I think it is important for God's word to be an integral part of a child's classroom experience. I believe that in order for children to feel secure enough to take risks in their learning, the classroom environment must be one that is supportive and encouraging. I structure my classroom in a way that children feel like part of a family. When you feel safe and confident that you will not be made to feel inadequate, you are much more willing to ask questions and offer answers. A Christian school environment should be one in which children have respect and love for each other and for their teacher.
