Pastoral musing - over priority of teaching

In Stronks and Blomberg's "vision ; school for responsive discipleship", we are reminded the Christian schools have these roles -

Conserves and passes on biblical story and worldviews

Discerns spirits of our times

Inquires how the tradition it is conserving leads to reforming society

And in carrying out these roles, biblical schooling or Responsive discipleship would call us into these 3 priorities for teachers;

1. Unwrapping God’s gift

We need to nourish lifelong playful and thoughtful learner out of our students. there must be fun in learning (motto of JC Edu Park). In so doing, we must not limit ourselves to nurturing of just intellectual gift. We need to help our students to discover their hidden God's given gifts. We must also help them tap into creativity and imagination within thhem as they are made in the image of God.

2. Sharing burden and joy

School is more than producing scholars. It is about producing learners, learners who are human. This means we must guide them to offer their gifts to serve the body of Christ and society. As guide we must help them to counter the tide of individual gratification and self fulfilment and develop character of perseverance and resilience. i am thinking that we have neglected much about developing resilience in our youth lately. There is much to think about this.

In order to share burden and joy, we must grow to accept all as image of God and not the "naughty boy in my class". It is not easy but we all need to grow in this.

While expressing care and concerns, this caring covenant communities are not soft; forceful and demanding when necessary yet resilient. We must also teach personal failures as new learning opportunities, while endured. All these need not be done only in CIP or YEP. it must be cultivated in class as well.

3. Seeking Shalom

Shalom is biblical peace and justice that heals brokenness and restores creation to what God intends it to be. Shalom peace means both rests in and brings about restored relationship between God and man, community and world. as such, our pedagogy reflects tactfulness and trust, curriculum fosters justice and harmony, discipline redirects to discipleship, evaluation foster self reflective growth. We must Celebrate God's Lordship in creation and lament power of sins in our world. We lament in order to challenge our youth (and ourselves) to action.