School Mores for Christians

Christian Values in School

Were I a special education assistant attempting to work with Buddy in the situation described in the case study for this assignment, I would respond as such. If I were just an assistant and could work with Buddy exclusively while the teacher was able to continue on with a lecture and educating the rest of the class, I would tell Buddy he had to follow me outside of the classroom so that we could talk. If he did not respond initially to this entreaty, I would pretend that he was in trouble and that we were going to the principal's office -- simply so I could get him away from the rest of the class and be able to work with him in this situation alone.

Once we were in the hallway I would simply talk to Buddy. I would become extremely amicable in my demeanor and speech, attempting to reach him as someone who was not an authority figure, but one who cared about him and could relate to him. Thus, I might begin by talking about the difficulties I incurred myself as a child in math, or maybe even say a thing or two to disparage the assignment that had frustrated him. I would utilize these tactics simply as a way of helping him come out of the shell into which he had withdrawn. Once he was able to laugh at some of my remarks, or even make eye contact with me, I would explain to him that I understand this assignment (and others) might seem difficult or even irrelevant, but that Buddy was simply tasked with getting through them, and that once he did so he could live a full life in which he could never return to them or any of their applications again.

I unequivocally believe that culturally relevant content should be taught with a different focus at a Christian university than it would at a public university. At the former, it is frequently necessary to emphasize ecclesiastical relevance and that which pertains to the Christian faith for a "like-minded" (Philippians 1-4) audience of Christians. Obviously, at a public university, such concerns have no appositeness and would be inappropriate to broach. Moreover, it is also advantageous to elucidate some of the moral aspects of the cultural events that one is teaching at a Christian university. In this regard, it is valuable to discuss the moral ramifications and to pose them to students within the wider context of this religion and its mores. One might still imply a degree of morality when teaching this same subject matter in a public mater. However, it would be far more advantageous to have students offer their own points of morality, which might be based on any host of socioeconomic factors including religion, geographic location, nationality, and others. These different factors could help to inform class discussions and have students provoke discussions that might not be appropriate in a Christian university. Thus, there is a wider expanse of knowledge and its application in public universities.