26 August 2019 Bracknell, United Kingdom [Clive Malcolm]
If God is an integral part of your life, then your faith is integrated into your teaching by default. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, your faith becomes a part of your deoxyribonucleic acid – your DNA, or if you prefer, your spiritual DNA. You cannot contain it nor hide it even if you tried, which explains why Jesus said, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Note that Jesus said this after telling his followers, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
Whether you work in a secular or faith-based school, college or university, one way or another, your relationship with God will be reflected in the way you talk and interact with students and colleagues alike. I have had people approach me to ask, “Are you a Christian?” Whenever I say yes, they respond, “I thought so.” My students often ask the same question and they seem content and reassured when I say, “Yes. I am a Christian.” I find this quite fascinating and wonder what is going through their minds.
Nonetheless, I take nothing for granted. Being a teacher means you are under constant observation by your students. They watch your every move; every gesture and they are witnesses to all your idiosyncrasies. If you are in doubt, just ask your students to do an impersonation of you. You might be surprised by what you see and hear. However, the real test comes during those days when things do not go to plan, when you are having a “bad day.” The important question is, does “your light” continue to shine during those moments? While you are pondering over the question, such situations underline the importance of starting each day with a prayer.
So, integrating faith into teaching starts at home before you step out of the front door. It begins with prayer, thanking God for life, health and strength and asking Him to give you the wisdom and determination to help your students to learn more each day, to improve and excel academically, and even to find a purpose in life. It is about giving that little extra to add value to your students’ experience.
A student came to me after class one day and said, “I like those little anecdotes you tell during the class. I find them helpful. Whatever you do, please don’t stop telling them.” I discovered those “little anecdotes” were adding value to my students’ classroom experience. I spent many years in the industry before I became a teacher, so I share relevant experiences, connected to the topics covered in the students’ textbooks to illustrate valuable lessons from everyday life.
While Jesus was on this earth, He was [and still is] the master teacher who did all He could to build up people’s faith and self-confidence through words and action. As teachers, we can draw inspiration from the examples He gave us to help students to achieve success in all areas of their lives.
Clive Malcolm teaches English and British Culture at Newbold College of Higher Education. This article was first published in the Adventist Educators blog.
Cover photo by Siora Photograph, Unsplash
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