#8 - Religion

This week our class discussed a variety of widely-held belief systems in relation to the education system in America.  Our country has been blessed with people from all around the world.  We have ongoing encounters from other cultures, religions, and people who have a rich foundation from which we can learn. A question that arises often in the education world is: How we can balance these encounters while not interfering with the curriculum and learning goals set before us?

I have a belief that I hold to be true, and it affects every area of my life.  For example, I am in the middle of a career shift from being a pastry chef to teaching middle school Spanish.  This transition did not come lightly, but only after seeking the advice and counsel from many wise people in my life.  I even chose those people based on the sameness of our beliefs.  If my future is going to change in a major way, I want to be sure that those informing my decisions believe the same thing I do.  I have friends from many religions, but for me when it comes to making such changes I want my closest input to be from others who are like-minded.

I know that there is a separation of church and state, but there cannot be a separation of my beliefs and my actions.  I believe that God created earth and man and everything we see, and created a perfect world.  When man decided to go against what God had put into place, sin entered the picture for all mankind.  There was only one way for man to be made right with God again, and that was only something that God could do.  He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for all of our sins and rise from the dead on the third day...just as He and prophets for hundreds of years had proclaimed He would do.  Both Christians and non-Christians saw Him after He rose, and both recorded their interactions with Him.  I am so thankful that there is not a way that I can work my way into heaven or earn God's forgiveness -- I can only trust God and accept His payment for my sin.  

Believing this has revolutionized my outlook on life - how I interact with my family, friends, neighbors, and anyone else I encounter.  I have a joyful attitude instead of anger, thankfulness instead of jealousy, and forgiveness instead of bitterness.  Knowing God and having a personal relationship with Him has changed my selfish heart to a servant-heart.  He has given me a growing desire to know Him more, and my actions and words reflect my relationship with Him.  In my classroom, I will do my best to love my students unconditionally the way that Jesus has loved me -- it's not about what they can do for me, the scores they will earn, or the way they treat me.  I will extend grace to them like Jesus has extended to me -- it's not about being perfect, but about being willing to improve and understand.  I will use every opportunity to teach -- every situation offers teachable moments where students can learn about character, integrity, morals, and how to become better citizens.  I will forgive -- we all make mistakes and need a second chance, we need to learn conflict resolution, and we can amend broken relationships in and out of the classroom.