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Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 Ethnography Final Draft Teachers play an important role in students lives. At a private Christian school, there is a big opportunity for teachers to instill lots about life, love, and God into their lessons. At Metrolina Christian Academy, the students are required to take a Bible class each year; however, this does not mean that this class is the only class that students learn about the Bible in. Therefore, incorporating biblical principles into an education setting can be done seamlessly within any subject, and not just a Bible class. The First Class: I pulled up to the school at nine thirty to sign into the office where they greeted and welcomed me before I walked to the first class. There were many flashbacks of high school experiences while walking through that maze of a school. Finally, the one big trailer that was divided into one hallway with two bathrooms, and six classrooms in it, all the way on the other side of the campus was reached. The hallway inside was decorated with announcements, posters with bright colors, Bible verses, and encouraging words. Contrasted with a public school, where there would be no Bible verses. This trailer was deemed, The Middle School Modular. The first class observed was a seventh grade math class. It was really warm in the room, and the class was scheduled to begin at ten oclock. About ten minutes to ten, a girl came into the classroom, set her stuff down in a chair at the front of the classroom, told the teacher she had to go to the office before class and asked the teacher if she wanted her to check her box for her. The teacher said sure, and asked if she would pick up something off the printer for her while she was there.

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 The girl agreed and then headed out of the room to run her errand. This interaction was significant because private Christian schools are usually much smaller than the typical public school. The teachers may know many of the students from kindergarten until senior year. In a public school it is not likely that a teacher would know a student as closely or on a personal level and be willing to send them on errands so easily, much less check their faculty box for them in a staff only area. When there is such a close personal relationship between teachers and students, students are more willing to pay attention, ask questions, and learn. More personal relationships between teachers and students are an added benefit to the teaching atmosphere. At nine fifty-five, the hallway was filled with tons of kids making their way to their classes. Lockers were slamming, and books were being thrown down loudly. The door swung wide open as the kids filed in the different classrooms. The teacher politely asked one boy to prop the door open so it wouldnt keep slamming, and he did so willingly, as he continued to converse with his friends before class. All the kids were talking with their friends, and spending the little time that they had before class to be the loud kids that they are at heart. Every few minutes a different student would slam their backpack down as hard as they could, or so it seemed, and it made a horrid, loud noise on the trailer floor. I almost had quite a few heart attacks due to this, but no one else seemed bothered by it, not even the teacher. The teacher asked another girl to close the door, then proceeded to stand up before the class, turn on the projector, and began speaking at ten oclock on the dot. When the teacher began talking the class quieted a little at first, but not completely; then all the noise faded away

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 into silence. She began the class by giving a brief overview of what they would do that day. These tasks included going over any questions the students had on the homework, turning in the homework, reviewing a lesson learned before the snow days, and finally, reviewing for a test they had the next class. After her list of things to do, she sat at the desk and took roll. She knew all of the students by heart already and didnt call out names. She knew who had not been there in quite a while, and asked the class where a specific student had been. One student responded saying that the boy was sick. After taking roll, the teacher announced that she would open with prayer. She prayed that God would bless this day. She thanked God for the blessings that they had, like everyday things that we dont always think about. For example, she thanked God for our ability to think, and our health. She asked God to give her wisdom and clarity as she taught the lesson, and to give her the right words to say. She added to the prayer asking for God to bless their lunch (they go to lunch in the middle of the class) and that God would keep everyone safe throughout the rest of their day and during their afterschool activities. She ended the prayer by saying amen. By praying at the beginning of class, the teacher had already set a mood for that class period. The setting had changed dramatically from the hectic way the students came to class to them quietly sitting ready to learn. Math is one of the more difficult classes to incorporate biblical principles into the curriculum because it is mostly just working with numbers. Praying at the beginning of class was one good way to seamlessly incorporate a biblical principle into class and into life in general.

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 Even though it is difficult to incorporate the Bible into math, it is easily done by everyone treating one another with respect and doing things out of love. For example, the teacher can be kind and loving when answering questions instead of getting frustrated with the student for asking a stupid question. That would show that she actually cares about the students education and does not want to make the student feel ashamed. Being slow to anger is a helpful way to reduce frustration in life and this patience can be taught in a class room by setting an example. It does not even have to be taught using words. The teacher began the lesson by asking who had homework questions. The class randomly threw out the problems they wanted to be worked. She decided which problems she would answer, and weeded out the ones that were alike and did not need to be done. When she got to each problem, she worked through it, not doing all the work but working through the problem with the students as a guide. There was one specific question that the students did not read the question correctly, and ended up doing more work for themselves. Naturally, they asked her for extra credit. Just as naturally, she denied them extra credit, laughed, and offered them the satisfaction of being able to do every aspect of the problem if they needed to. The comfortable atmosphere really stood out here. On the wall, behind the teachers desk, there is a Bible verse quoted that the teacher made. The verse says, He who calls you is faithful. Who will also do it? 1 Thessalonians 5:24. This shows that the teacher feels this verse is important enough to pick out of a passage, and put on the wall as a reminder because she took the time to cut out all of the letters and numbers, and

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 staple them to her corkboard. Usually when people feel something is important, or take the time to write it out somehow, they believe it, and it influences them in what they are doing. The group of boys sitting together randomly talked amongst themselves, but not loud enough to disturb the teacher. All the students appeared to be engaged in working their problems out. They exchanged their homework problems for each other to grade while the teacher wrote out all the answers. One boy showed another boy his paper because he drew a funny face on it, and they giggled about it. The teacher decided on the point amount for each problem, and they all passed in their papers. They moved on to review. The students had been taught this information before the snow days. In the middle of the lesson, a boy randomly got up while the teacher was teaching and checked if any of the missing homework on the board was his. Then another boy got up to throw his trash away while the teacher was talking. The teacher told them that the getting up in the middle of her teaching a lesson needed to stop. Most of the students were quiet and not talking loudly while the teacher was teaching. There was, however, an exception to this and that is a group of three boys that sat together. The entire class, they bounced back and forth between actively paying attention to the lesson and cutting up with each other. Throughout the class, students would randomly spot me sitting to the side and would spend a few seconds staring at me, then they would return to their work, and I did not seem to exist in their mind anymore. There were seventeen students in the classroom, to one teacher. The classroom had a great amount of discipline, and ran very smoothly. It is amazing that one teacher can relate to a

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 large amount of students all at one time. Each individual thinks so differently, learns differently, and has different personalities. The teacher accommodated for each students difference. Being a good communicator seems like a necessary skill in this profession. The teacher was very interactive with the classroom and the students knew every answer to the questions the teacher asked. The students all raised their hands respectfully when they had a question. There were two boys sitting together in the back corner of the class that looked bored and tired. Once the teacher had explained everything she needed to cover she offered to teach a shortcut to one type of problem and the students all perked up and started paying more attention, (who does not want a shortcut?). There was a comfortable atmosphere in the classroom. Even though the class was going, everyone was paying attention while appearing relaxed and comfortable. This seems important because not all classes have a comfortable atmosphere. Not only was the air in the room a comfortable temperature, but the attitudes and interactions between the teacher and students were just as comfortable. The students, in some ways, were not afraid to push buttons, and the teacher was not afraid to reprimand them. For the most part the students did not test the teacher at all. When there were three minutes left until lunch, the whole class started packing up ready to go. One boy stood up and the teacher told everyone they needed to sit down, and that it was not time to leave yet. She asked if they were hungry or something, then laughed. Even when disciplining them and keeping structure, she was light hearted, and kind to her students. While teaching math to seventh graders, the teacher expressed kindness and love in her relationship

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 with her students. They wanted to learn, and she wanted to teach. Over time, experience has a way of molding people in what they do. It seemed that this teacher had been teaching for a while. Studying how weaving biblical principles into education affects the academic atmosphere requires observing the teachers. They are the ones that make the lesson plan, teach the lessons, and decide what is said during class time. If Christianity is to be put into a class, it will be done by the teacher. Teachers are responsible for the information presented to their students, though it is the students choice to actually learn or not. Granted, every teacher has a different style, subject, different students with different learning abilities, disabilities, ways of learning, and personalities of their own. All of these things can potentially disrupt the teaching environment. This is the case especially in public schools; however, in private Christian schools, these categories are all great windows of opportunity for the teacher to incorporate more of lifes lessons, as it relates to Christianity, during class time. Second Class: The next class was a completely different atmosphere. Not only was there a different teacher, which entails different teaching styles and information, but it was a whole different subject, age group and setting. The students in this art class were juniors and seniors in high school. The class rolled in and there was no strict order. Each student got their own art supplies to work on their art project. Each student was doing something different. One young man was painting with watercolors; a lot of the students were making animal figures out of crushed newspaper and masking tape, and painting them. These students were very out spoken and said

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 whatever they wanted to. They could use their phones in class to help with inspiration for their artwork. The class was very free. Freedom is a big theme in the Bible as God wants people to have free will. The teacher was there for guidance with each student in different ways. Every student was in a different stage with what they were working on, what grade they were in, and how they behaved. The teacher took roll quietly to herself, and already knew who was or was not there. She asked where a student had been who had been absent more than once. This was the second time a teacher was observed doing this in a row. When teachers are in such a small setting and have a relationship with their students, there is accountability and relationship. It is easier to learn from someone that you know and trust than it is to learn from someone that is a distant figure to you and you will only know for a brief time in their class. The teacher was there to answer every question, and help in any way that she could. She gave lots of encouragement and pep talks. This class was a lot less structured, which is due to the subject. The teacher was looking up art on google images for the next class lesson plan, while the students worked independently. She was preparing a slideshow of art that they would be seeing on a field trip to a museum. This teacher spoke with me about how she views her role as a teacher in a private Christian school setting. This teacher is an artist and a professional potter. She has taught many groups and classes over the years and often sells her pottery in art shows on the weekends. She said that if she was teaching a group of Girl Scouts how to make pottery, she would just do step-by-step

Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 how to make a pot out of clay; but if she was at the school, she can take each step and shed light on God through it all. One thing that makes it difficult for private Christian schools to teach the Bible seamlessly is the funding. It is not government funded. That means that parents have to pay thousands of dollars each year to allow their child to receive an education there. If Americans have free choice in what school they want to send their child to, why should the government not pay for all of them? This is including all religious schools, not just Christian schools. Not everyone is able to pay thousands every year per child for their education when there are free public schools. Another mentionable issue is that school is the biggest place in a childs life where they learn most things they know. If a student grows up in a Christian home, but attends a secular school, the student could experience conflict between what they are taught at home and what is taught at school. For example, in a Christian home we are taught that the world was created by God. In public schools, evolution is now taught and the Big Bang Theory. Those teachings conflict and can cause confusion within the student at such a young age. From the Christians point of view, every aspect of life pertains to Christ. So to them, how can they send their child to school to not learn about Christ and it be beneficial to the students education? Something that could enhance the effectiveness of private Christian schools teaching the Bible seamlessly is using technology. Because of funding not being from the government,

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Olivia Pope Elizabeth Hinnant English 1102-030 28 April, 2014 private schools have less technology than public schools do. For example public schools have some smart boards, televisions with keyboards and laptops for the classes to use. All of these things are designed to enhance the learning process in schools. In a private Christian school the lack of funding for things such as building space, computer labs, laptops, a library, art supplies, and other helpful learning tools could be available by using simple technology pieces. The first class I observed was a math class. I can see the challenges in incorporating God into a math class; however, it is clearly possible. It is altogether beautiful and fitting to be able to teach about God in an art class. A history class would be another great class to incorporate Christianity into. Religion has history itself, so teaching, for example world history, can transition back and forth from what happens in the textbook, to what happens biblically. Bible classes are also another opportunity that private Christian schools offer. The Bible is the way people learn about God, and in a class specifically set aside for teaching just the Bible, they are directly teaching their students biblical principles to apply in their everyday lives. Science classes are another great opportunity to weave Christianity into education seamlessly because, for example, in anatomy and physiology, the human body is taught. Most Christians are creationists and believe that God made the heavens and everything on earth by speaking it into existence. This means that they believe God created humans. A science class is a great opportunity to teach about how each human is made uniquely, and how the human body functions. In conclusion, it is possible and effective to seamlessly weave biblical teachings into a school setting.