“Christian … School … Teachers … Not a Hope in Hell” by Brad Jersak

“Christian … School … Teachers … Not a Hope in Hell”

 

 

While on tour in New Zealand, Helen Pearson (the principal) invited me to facilitate a discussion with her teachers as they prepare for their upcoming term at Horizon School in Snells Beach. When I messaged my wife back home about the day event, she responded with a brief text: “Christian … School … Teachers … Not a Hope in Hell.” 

 

Eden graduated from a Christian school in Canada almost 40 years ago and while she did have a very good experience, we nevertheless chose not to enroll our children in Christian schools, and we have no regrets about that decision. So, you can imagine that we were both a bit dubious about how I’d do in that environment. 

 

Spoiler alert: I loved it. And I want to describe why Horizon’s approach appealed to me because I see them as an example for others to follow. Here’s what I saw:

 

Constructivism with a Centre

 

I’ve long forgotten much of what I learned in my brief forays into philosophy of education. I don’t recall ever hearing “constructivist with a centre.” It may not have existed in Christian schools in those old days. But I’ve done a little research and by way of explanation, we might contrast two philosophies: foundationalism and constructivism. 

 

First, what I’ll call “foundationalist Christian education” typically trains children “principles and guidelines gleaned from the Bible [and] cast into a coherent and all-embracing theory that is deterministically applied to ensure certain pedagogical outcomes” (Van der Walt, “Education from a Post-Post Foundationalist Perspective…”).   

 

By contrast, one Canadian school board site describes “constructivist education” this way: “Constructivist teaching is based on the belief that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction as opposed to passively receiving information. Learners are the makers of meaning and knowledge.”

 

What I observed at Horizon was what Carl Becker, a Christian education consultant in New Zealand, describes as “constructivism with a center.” That is, Horizon avoids stereotypical top-down indoctrination wherein children are told what they must believe and how they must think. If that sounds harsh, I can assure readers I’m only sparing you the current cringe-stories I’m hearing through parents involved in several other Christian schools.  

 

But neither does Horizon hold that truth and meaning are entirely human constructs. They believe in the reality of a centre around which discovery and meaning-making occur. From my observations and perspective, Horizon’s centre is the student and a God who loves them and is embodied in their teachers.  

 

Experiential Education 

 

Based on this conviction, Horizon’s constructivist flow occurs in beautiful open classrooms with teaching partners who collaborate to facilitate experiences that incite wonder, encourage exploration, allow for discovery and inspire creativity. 

 

God’s nature is best revealed by personal discovery and direct encounters with the beauty of our world rather than by rote learning of inherited “biblical truth” and an unhealthy dose of moralism. The students are far more apt, in my opinion, to overcome the old, “How do I get this from my head to my heart?” dilemma when truth is experienced and enters their minds via all five senses and processed in relationship with fellow students, creative instructors and the world around them.     

 

Christian Love

 

I think we’ve learned from the history of private Christian schooling (and Christians in general), that identifying with the label “Christian” means virtually nothing. Signing off on an institution's doctrinal statement does not a “Christian disciple” make. “On that day, many will say, Lord, Lord…,” etc., etc.  

 

So, I asked the teachers, “What is it to BE Christian teachers in the classroom?” Again and again, the teachers spoke about seeing their children through God’s eyes as individuals to be treasured. And they saw the importance of embodying that loving gaze for their students, particularly in moments of classroom tension when the teacher’s response becomes the major lesson. One teacher spoke about her willingness to acknowledge poor responses and ask the children involved for forgiveness. 

 

Further, contrary to much popular Christian curriculum, the children at Horizon are taught that God is Love and that every one of them is a unique and precious gem. That should be a no-brainer, but I think of a friend of mine who had to pull her elementary school child from a school where the Reformed foundationalism taught first-year children, “Your hearts are dark” and that “God punished Jesus for your sins.” Do you see why I might prefer my kids to learn in a secular humanist institution? At least I wouldn’t have to unteach them 16th-century heresies that produce atheists. 

 

Not so at Horizon, Helen told me that her hope is that each child would remember through real experience the constellation of these words: Horizon, God and Love as their primary takeaways. And that’s something I could endorse.   

Comments

[D]

Great to see teachers bringing a new perpective to social constructivism. The safest place to learn is at the centre of the trinity relationship.