When God called me to work in a Christian School in 1987, I obeyed the Lord’s call but did so very reluctantly. I loved teaching the children in the school where I was and mistakenly assumed that a Christian School was just a place of protective custody. How wrong was I! As a result of the impact of Godly educators and mentors, I discovered that as a teacher I was to unfold the glorious Gospel story, the story of God’s word, through the task of education.
The answer to the question, ‘What does it mean to be human and how does a human being flourish?’ is fundamental to providing an effective education because education links knowledge, learning and living. All education is shaped by a vision of the good life. The question is ‘Which story of the good life is true?’ God’s word reveals a transformational vision of the good life and so our children are to be taken on a journey, the pathway we call the curriculum. This is the journey to shalom, the wholeness of life where all teaching and learning is related to loving God, loving ones neighbour as oneself and being a culture builder that makes a redemptive difference in the world. Christ not only forgives but also restores our true humanity. This journey happens in a school community that embodies the Kingdom of God and children can flourish in their character formation, gifting and service.
Research shows that the quality of the teacher is key to the effectiveness of the learning for students. Jesus said when a student is fully trained he will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40). As learning by modelling is integral to Christian Education, teachers are to be “those who offer their lives as worthy of imitation” (R. Thompson, Morling Lecture). As a storyteller, the teacher is the unfolder of truth, which is at the heart of teaching – unfolding the wisdom and wonder of God’s design through the curriculum. Teachers need to ask how they are studying form, deform, reform and transform learners to live lives orientated to their Creator whom they are called to worship and serve.
God has called me to train Christian teachers to be effective teachers and leaders in the context of Christ-centred learning communities in both Australia and developing countries. I am passionate about inspiring and equipping teachers to be storytellers who are deeply immersed in the Biblical story so that they may embrace and practice a Gospel shaped education that meaningfully engages with young people in their cultural context.
Christian Education is so important to our nation. The good news of Christ is that we are trusted and empowered to live a new kind of existence where meaning replaces emptiness, true identity replaces anxiety, peace replaces brokenness and courage replaces apathy. As sons and daughters of God our teachers can unfold the story to our children that speaks of the old and the new, being lost and now found and abandoning slavery and embracing freedom. The heart of TEC is to assist teachers to be effective storytellers who unfold God’s story through their lives and teaching.
By Helen Blanch