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How do your answers to “the big questions of life” discussed in this lesson influence you in your role as an educator?
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While working as a special education paraprofessional, I took a course that certified me as a youth mental health advocate. I truly believe that the answers to this question is answered in the fact that we need educators in the schools who have these certifications. When my oldest girl went through her teen years, I lost my connection with her. she has since fallen away from the Lord, turned to a life of her chosen alternative lifestyle, is on medication for depression and anxiety, and is supposed to be seeing a therapist regularly. I admit that I was not very good at ensuring my own children knew God’s answers to these questions, but I have learned how to ensure that now. I am currently a senior at University of Wisconsin Superior about to begin student teaching in a couple weeks. Throughout my schooling, I have done all I could to incorporate what I have come to know about my own walk with the Lord and what I want my students and children to know about the Lord into my lesson plans. Although it has not been easy, I was blessed with a clinical in a local Christian school last semester that shared their Bible Standards (which addresses these big questions and more) that I was able to incorporate into my lessons for my course. As an educator, I feel that through my own journey of discovering who I am, what my purpose is, why I am here and how I got here is relevant to all I will teach my students. I am focused on special education, so it is of even more importance that I ensure that my students know who they are from His perspective.
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Knowing who I am in Christ, recognizing His calling and experiencing His on-going support, greatly impacts one’s perseverance during the “tough” teaching days.
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I know my purpose and my calling is to teach in light of the Christian philosophy of education. It is the way to impart knowledge as ordained by God with the ultimate goal to lead souls to Christ and to prepare them for their future in eternity.
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To help my students better understand they have been created by God, in His image and He wants a relationship with them.
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These answers steer how you respond to children in your classroom. They also help you decide how to respond/teach material presented in your classroom.