Ashley Weesies Christian Perspective on Teaching in Public Schools Christian teachers with jobs in public schools often struggle

with the way to best live out Gods will while staying within the boundaries of the school and those with authority over them. In my experiences in Christian schools, having never attended a public school, this issue never came up. However, I have spoken with friends from Northview Public Schools and Walker Charter, and they said many of their teachers were Christians, and they all integrated their faith differently. Some simply acted as a good example for a Christian lifestyle, and others left time for open class discussion on topics such as abortion and the death penalty that involve many Christian values in their debates. There was one teacher in particular that I was told about who would use Bible verses in her daily language. I found this very interesting, because it seems that she was trying to evangelize, yet do it in a way that went completely unnoticed. She was a Mathematics teacher who used short Bible verses to help explain concepts of math and proper classroom behavior without ever mentioning that they were from the Bible. In fact, she did not realize she was doing it the majority of the time. J.E. Schwartz, according to his definitions in his article, Christians Teaching in the Public Schools1, would most likely say that this teacher is a blend between the Agent of Enculturation and the Christian Advocate/Evangelist. This is because she made her Christian views a part of the way she taught and used her Christian values to explain things without mentioning her faith, but also did use specific phrases and sentences from the Bible in her teaching to familiarize the students with those values and how they applied to her subject. My beliefs about the best way to incorporate my faith in teaching usually fall under the Golden Rule Truth Seeker that J.E. Schwarz also describes in the article previously mentioned2. He says, The vision that I have presented, one of public school students engaged in respectful, meaningful dialogue, about fundamental questions, is a vision that is well suited to Christians seeking to fulfill their calling in public school settings. This is something that can be used in a music classroom in many ways, but in a math class, I think the approach the teacher from Northview Public took is excellent when there are so many concepts to learn in one class that there is only time for faith to be incorporated in that way. In the music classroom, even in a public school, I will most likely use some sacred songs, though they might not mention God. This seems to be a bit evangelistic, but it will not often be deliberate. I also will constantly demonstrate my Christian beliefs and values as I guide the students to learn to love all different types of music and discover what amazing things music can do in their lives. In this way I will create an atmosphere of Christian values. Most importantly, though, I will purposefully create activities in composition and collaboration that use a wide variety of genres, time periods, and cultures, and ask students to reflect in class on these activities after they have completed them. I will ask questions that deal with why different types of expression are used in music and what creativity and teamwork is. Schwartz, J.E. (1997). Christians teaching in the public schools: What are some options? Christian Scholar's Review, 26 (3), p.294-305.
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