In the two previous posts I discussed the discord in my students that led me to teach an atonement unit, as well as the transparency I shared about my own struggles and some of the initial questions that I, as well as my students, asked and to which we desired answers. In designing the means by which I would instruct these students—that is, the question … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 3: Pedagogy
I have found that one of the most effective things I can do as a teacher is be transparent with my students. When I am willing to share with them areas of struggle in my own thinking, I think they gather encouragement that they are not alone in their confusion. I can sympathize with their intellectual weaknesses. But I think they also find encouragement in … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 2: Transparency
As we enter April and Good Friday and Easter are only a few away, it seems a good time to share some experiences from a recent unit I taught on the atonement. I hope this four-part series proves helpful for you in your teaching, but I also hope it serves as a way to prepare your heart for the remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice and the … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 1: Discovering Discord in My Students
Classical Christian education rightly places God at the center of the student’s education. Yet the emphasis on God in the education could have the unintended consequence of causing students to think that their education in Scripture and theology makes involvement in the local church unnecessary. Few go to such an extreme position as to have no involvement, but I have seen students who begin to … Continue reading The Necessity of Community (Reflections on B. B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students #6)
In their pursuit of the American dream, many often speak of jobs and careers that will help them achieve their goals. What we have lost in this pursuit, however, is the older notion of vocation. A vocation, a calling, has much richer and deeper biblical roots than careers. One of the important roles of classical Christian education, I believe, is recapturing the notion of vocation, … Continue reading A Vocation of Education for Teachers and Students (Reflections on B. B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students #5)
By Nathan Carr Tim Wu, a Columbia professor who has written an editorial or two for The New York Times, is concerned that America is losing her hobbies—more alarming, leisure altogether. To blame: “We’re afraid of being bad at them….if you’re a jogger, it is no longer enough to cruise around the block; you’re training for the next marathon. If you’re a painter, you are no longer … Continue reading Mere Mediocrity
I’ve been reflecting recently on the essential work of storing up language in children. I don’t mean merely learning individual phonics sounds or word families or even isolated vocabulary words. No, this important exposure to words is deeper than that. In her book, Proust and the Squid, author Maryanne Wolf highlights the significance of a child’s exposure to the language of ideas at a young … Continue reading Storing Up Treasures in the Grammar Stage
