Preliminary Considerations
Background
I would like to know if Christian teachers feel their faith makes
them better teachers, and in what way they feel helped by faith.
A related question I have is: are there Christian teachers whose
beliefs make them intolerant of those students who hold other
beliefs or are in some way different? In other words, I
am open to the possibility that I will find that teachers who
hold strong religious beliefs may be led to teach in a way that
is incompatible with what I feel educators should be doing in
a secular, pluralistic, democratic society. Also, I am fascinated
by the immense diversity of spiritual beliefs evident in American
society. From Lutherans to Neo-pagans, from Muslims to Jehovah's
Witnesses, it is plain that teachers can and do choose from a
diverse menu of belief systems. I believe that all gods
carry baggage (Crossan 1991), that the specifics of religious
belief really do matter, so I would like to look at how one specific
belief system, Christianity, affects practice.
What motivates educational leaders and upon what basis do they
construct an ethical position? According to some recent
literature, a growing number of leaders are turning to spirituality
for answers (Fairholm 1997). Spirit is a universal energizing
force that connects us with all that is permanent and worthwhile.
The concept of spirit is intended to encompass all religious practices.
I contend that it is worthwhile to examine specific religions
and their associated beliefs. In my study of the perceptions
of Christian teachers, I will be looking for two specific values:
Christian love (Greek word agape) and the calling
of God (Greek word kalein). Christian love is a love
that expresses itself as service to all people, even those we
don't like (Barclay 1974 p. 17). The calling of God is a
summons to duty, even when one doesn't feel like serving (Barclay
1974 p. 147.)
I will use a qualitative research approach to study teachers'
perceptions of how their religious beliefs and pedagogy interact.
Purpose and Focus
In this study, I attempt to describe teachers' perceptions of
how their religious beliefs influence their educational philosophy
and pedagogy. As my study has progressed, my focus has narrowed
to the study of Christian teachers at the school where I teach.
I want to know what values they bring to the education profession
that might have a positive impact on students and peers.
Methods
Inquiry Setting
I teach at a school that is ideal for my particular study.
It has the two ingredients I consider essential: it is in an urban
setting and there are teachers on staff who are openly Christian.
It is an elementary school serving grades K-5. The quality
that I am looking for, Christian love and caring, may be easier
to spot in the more nurturing elementary school environment.
I also believe that it will be easier to conduct my study at a
site where I am an insider. I know who the Christian teachers
are and have already achieved a certain comfort level with them
talking about religion.
My school services about 600 students in grades K-5. It
is in a large suburban district in close proximity to Cincinnati,
Ohio. The district is undergoing a demographic shift, becoming
more urban in character. About 30% of students participate
in a federal free and reduced price school lunch program.
My school is the most ethnically diverse in the district with
roughly 30% of the students being African American, a sizable
population of students of Appalachian heritage, and a recent influx
of non-English speaking students of central Asian heritage.
Teaching at this school can be quite difficult because a high
number of the students come from family backgrounds where compliance
with the demands of school is not highly valued or encouraged.
Teachers at this school must build and sustain mental, emotional,
and possibly spiritual resources in order to survive.
The Inquirer
I am a Christian public school teacher. I have been teaching
for thirteen years. I am also a doctoral student who wishes
to function as a public intellectual. A desire for social
justice drives all my professional efforts. I would like
schools to function as democratic institutions that give children
from all backgrounds what they need to share fully in what our
society has to offer. I think schools as they are fall far
short of this goal.
Such views seem to place me on the left of the political spectrum.
Yet, many of my left leaning acquaintances in the academy disagree
with my claim that my Christian faith makes me a better teacher.
Those who have made the postmodern turn away from Eurocentric
metanarratives see Christianity as an instrument for perpetuating
human relationships of oppression, dominance and submission.
I would like seek to find what there is in Christianity that is
worth salvaging in the postmodern era.
At the same time, I disagree with many of my Christian acquaintances.
Their desire to find certainty in the word of God often leaves
them closed to alternate, diverse perspectives and lifestyles.
Those who find certainty in the Christian God are often quick
to dismiss the religious beliefs of others.
I openly entertain the possibility that "god" is merely
a feeling that goes along with our unique human version of consciousness.
In spite of that doubt, I feel I am at my best when I study and
reflect upon the word of God and dedicate myself to doing Christ's
will. I think it makes me a better teacher, even if I'm not sure
exactly how it works. I would like to know how other
Christian teachers view the relationship between faith and teaching.
Informants
I chose informants who have made it known that they are practicing
Christians. I have prayed with some of them, and all have
made statements indicating a strong Christian faith. In
addition, I chose teachers who seem to be practicing Christian
love as I understand it. I have had conversations with each
of these teachers well before this study where they shared with
me their sense of Christian mission that they bring to their teaching.
I found five teachers who fit the criteria.
Mrs. Jay is a Euro American woman in her final year of a thirty
year career. She is very active in a Protestant church.
She thinks it is important to set a Christian example for the
children by what she says and how she acts.
Mrs. Bee is an African American woman who has been teaching about
five years. She belongs to a new church that has a strong
evangelical mission. Evangelists believe they must work
aggressively to bring the "good news" of Christ to the
unchurched. She thinks it is quite important to try to "save"
the souls of children at school.
Mrs. Kay is an African American woman who has taught for 17 years.
She is a member of an urban Baptist church. She feels she
cannot separate who she is as a Christian from who she is as a
teacher.
Mrs. Dee is a Euro American woman who has taught about seven years.
She attends a very large evangelical church. She seems to
struggle at times with her faith, looking for evidence that God
is really there.
Mrs. Tea is a Euro American woman who has taught about four years.
She was raised Catholic but recently switched to a Baptist church.
She is the only informant who says she doesn't feel her Christian
belief makes any difference in what she does in the classroom.
She does feel called by God to teach, so she does feel her faith
does make a difference in more behind-the-scenes ways.
I obtained written informed consent prior to interviewing each
informant. Each informant was able to decide whether to
participate based on information I provided describing what to
expect in the interview and listing the potential risks and benefits
of participation.
Data Gathering
I gathered data by conducting semi-structured interviews.
My questions had two general goals. First, I wanted to find
out what teachers' perceptions were of how their religious beliefs
affected their teaching. Second, I wanted to find out how
teachers described the difficulty of their jobs and to see if
they found their Christian faith to be a comfort or a source of
strength and renewal. Using a constant comparative approach,
my analysis began with my first interview and led me to add questions
as new thinking units of analysis emerged.
I tape recorded all my interviews and made a complete transcript
of each interview using a computer word processing program.
I tried taking notes as I interviewed at first, but found that
I had so much to think about simply asking questions that it was
impossible to determine the relative importance of narrative segments
as I was hearing them. Transcribing all the interviews was
quite time consuming and produced about 20 pages of text, but
it was well worth the time because it made the coding process
easy and effective. The shortest interview was 15 minutes
and the longest was 30 minutes. Interviews averaged 20 minutes
in length.
I obtained written permission to tape record each interview.
Prior to data gathering, I obtained permission from Miami University's
Institutional Review Board to do research on human subjects.
Data Analysis
As this was my first attempt at qualitative study, a constant
comparative approach to data analysis could hardly have been avoided.
I began this study with two related questions. First, I
wanted to know what Christian teachers say when asked about how
religion affects their teaching. As I conducted my interviews,
it became apparent that responses to this question were generating
enough data to support a major theme of analysis. By the
end I found this theme, How religious belief is perceived by
Christian teachers to affect what they do in school, to have four categories: 1) Sense of mission or
being allied with a larger purpose, 2) Specific behaviors derived from
Christian values, 3) Falling short of the mark/Rising above
self-doubt, and 4) Christian ministry for children in secular public
schools.
My second question arose from my experience that teaching public
school can be enormously frustrating and emotionally taxing.
I know what it is about my job that I find vexing, but I wanted
to know how other teachers describe what frustrates them and to
what degree they feel frustrated. If others found teaching
to be frustrating to a high degree, I wanted to know if Christian
teachers found some sort of comfort from their faith that helped
them endure or even overcome these frustrations. The responses
to this line of questioning did prove to be substantial enough
to support the theme How Christian teachers feel they are comforted
by religious belief and practice. I divided this theme into two categories,
Individual practices and Group practices.
Using a constant comparative approach, my analysis of the narrative
data changed as new data came in. After I transcribed each
interview, I used the following open coding technique: I
created a matrix using a computer spreadsheet program. Then
I searched the transcript for meaningful conceptual narrative
segments. I "cut and pasted" each segment from
the transcript to a spreadsheet cell in a specific column of the
matrix. Each column was given a heading, which represented
a thinking unit for me. These thinking units were created
spontaneously without trying to ascertain how they might fit into
a larger pattern. I did move columns around from time to
time to group thinking units that were similar next to one another.
As I continued to interview and code, I added thinking unit columns
as needed. At the end of the first interview I had 14 thinking
unit columns. At the end of the final interview I had 24
thinking unit columns. The column with the most conceptual
narrative segments, What's wrong with kids/families,
had 33 cells containing conceptual narrative segments. Thinking
unit Be strong to do what's right collected the fewest
segments--two. My finished coding grid contained 24 columns
and 54 rows.
My thinking units did divide neatly into the two original themes
I had started with. I was able to combine thinking units
to create the following categories of analysis.
1) Sense of mission or being allied with a larger purpose: Informants feel compelled by a higher power.
They feel teaching isn't just a job, it's a calling.
2) Specific behaviors derived from Christian values: Informants feel they need to treat children and colleagues
a certain way. They want to be seen as standing for certain
values.
3) Falling short of the mark/Rising above self-doubt:
Some informants in my sample feel they fall short of the Christian
ethical ideal but keep trying anyway. One informant feels
her faith has liberated her to take actions that are unpopular,
but right.
4) Christian ministry for children in secular public schools: Informants feel many children
lack core values. Some informants believe they must look
for opportunities to "witness" their faith to children,
even though as representatives of a secular pluralistic government,
they understand they are expected to take a rigorously neutral
religious stance.
5) Individual practices that comfort:
Informants draw strength to face the difficulties of teaching
by studying the Bible, praying regularly, and seeking moments
of quiet reflection.
6) Group practices that comfort:
Informants pray with other believers and seek their advice and
support. The question is raised here if certain school sites
are more comfortable for spiritually minded teachers than others.
Trustworthiness
I do not feel I reached a feeling of saturation after the fifth
interview. In fact, responses became less "typical"
as I interviewed each successive informant. I attribute
this to the variety of beliefs that one may hold and still call
oneself a Christian.
I feel that taping and transcribing each entire interview made
my quotations more accurate.
I conducted member checks by allowing several teachers to read
the thematic analysis section of this paper. One teacher
said she didn't see herself too much in the paper, but when I
pointed out several places where she had been quoted, she seemed
satisfied. I asked if she felt I had gotten anything wrong;
she said it sounded reasonable and right to her. Another
teacher said she felt she had told me more than she would have
told a stranger. She said, "I don't share with many
people that evangelism is my main motive in teaching."
Thematic Analysis of Informant Responses
Theme One:
How religious belief is perceived by Christian teachers
to affect what they do in school
"I know that my belief in Christ makes all the difference
in the world."
All the teachers I interviewed except Mrs. Tea feel that their
Christian faith has a great effect on their teaching. It
begins with a sense of mission or being allied with a larger
purpose. "I consider [my classroom to be] my mission
field," says Mrs. Jay. Mrs. Bee says "one of the
gifts in the Bible is being a teacher and I believe that I
have been blessed with that particular gift." Mrs.
Dee and Mrs. Tea also believe they are meant to teach.
Four of the five respondents express a belief that things happen
according to God's plan. "I do feel that every kid
is here for a reason and I'm here for a reason," says Mrs.
Dee. "I know that this is where I'm supposed to be."
All the teachers I interviewed except Mrs. Tea feel compelled
to exhibit specific behaviors derived from Christian values.
Two informants
say they wish to act "Christlike" in their dealings
with with students and colleagues. Mrs. Jay thinks about
it it this way: "If [you] were arrested for being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence to convict you?" In
other words, she feels that it is not enough to believe in Christ,
belief must manifest itself in concrete observable actions of
caring and service to others. Mrs. Kay tries "to do
that which is right, that which is just; to treat people as I
would want to be treated, as Christ gave himself for me.
That's what I am expected to do when it comes to others."
She feels a need to do God's will regardless of personal preference:
"Sometimes what I do has nothing to do with whether I like
it. It has everything to do with . . . doing as I am told
by the Lord to do it."
Christian love (a love that is expressed as service to others,
even others we might not like) seems important to the informants.
Mrs. Jay says she tries to act as "love with skin on."
Mrs. Dee thinks "the challenge of being a teacher is to find
a thing that you can care about . . . in each child. Especially
the ones that you have trouble with." "I believe
children need compassion," says Mrs. Kay. "Christ
dealt with all people. He didn't pick and choose.
From the highest of the high to the lowest of the low. He
dealt with all people and that's just the way this job is."
All informants except Mrs. Tea say how important it is to stand
as an example. "I don't have a problem in letting my
colleagues and students know that I am a believer," says
Mrs. Kay. Mrs. Bee thinks "the important thing... about
teachers that are Christian [is] that they are not afraid to let
their light shine. I've had the opportunity to share a piece
of my light into [the students'] lives and maybe that will change
them in one way or another to be better people." Letting
one's light shine is a phrase Jesus used to stress the need to
be a positive influence and example for others to see.
These four informants all stress that their example of putting
Christian values into action is aimed at colleagues as well as
students. Mrs. Jay tries "to be a presence, a witness,
a fairness, an example of values... in the classroom setting as
well as with my colleagues."
All informants except Mrs. Bee mention feelings of falling
short of the mark. Mrs. Tea says, "I'm struggling like
every other teacher is." Mrs. Jay, after listing the
"Christlike" traits she strives for, says, "I fall
so short of [Christ's example]. I pray for that each day and I
fall so short of that each day." Mrs. Kay also feels
her actions fail to perfectly reflect Christ's will, but is the
only informant to say her faith gives her the courage to rise
above self-doubt. "Sometimes in our Christian lives
we don't tell people what's on our minds because we are afraid
that we will hurt their feelings." She explains how
her faith allows her to discipline children and help children
work a situation out "the way it should be, and sometimes
that's not the way they want it."
All informants except Mrs. Tea feel it is important to engage
in Christian ministry for children in secular public schools. Mrs. Bee relates what happened
when religious songs were sung by the children at a recent Grandparents'
Day school program.
It was amazing how the other teachers
were very excited about being able to share [Christian faith]
without really pushing it on someone. But you don't have
to if you allow God to just come on in and use you. It's
important to not shy away from the questions that the children
ask. I know that it gets to be compromising at times because
lots of people are worried about their jobs, but you have to be
worried about your soul, too. That may be an opportunity
to save somebody and you don't even know it. By your simple
comment or what you do, God can get them in the right direction.
You may open up the door just enough for other children to take
over the conversation for you and not say anything. Or they
might develop a dialog and that child might be saved because of
you allowing just a little pinhole of light to come into their
life. So you have to take little opportunities that arise
at any time. And if you have to say its history, then say
its history. If you have to say that its events that are
happening now, then use whatever you have to to go ahead and allow
the message go out. Because that's what we are supposed
to be, we're supposed to be ambassadors for Christ.
Theme Two:
How Christian teachers feel they are comforted by religious belief
and practice
"If I did not have my faith I don't think I could do this
job."
All five informants feel that teaching is difficult. "There
are times when this job can be very frustrating. And there
are times when you just want to quit. You just want to give
up all this," says Mrs. Kay. The reasons they cite
for these difficulties center on lack of respect, support, and
cooperation from students and families. All five teachers
report using individual practices that comfort them.
Topping the list is prayer. "I think that in this job
you'd better pray!" "Prayer is all the time.
I have a constant talk with God." "The strength
to do this job comes from a lot of prayer, from constant prayer."
"What do I do to comfort myself? Pray, pray, and pray."
"I do pray for my students, myself, faculty, before I start
the school day." "You have to pray or else you
will lose your mind."
Teachers also mention finding a time and place at school for quiet
reflection. Two teachers mention the importance of regular
Bible study. Bible study is important to these teachers
because that is part of the process of discerning God's will.
All five informants also rely on group practices that comfort. Several get together each morning
and pray together. All mention the importance of regularly
talking with other teachers who are Christian. Two teachers
also mention the importance of working in an overall building
climate that feels supportive. "There are times when
I will talk with other teachers who I know are believers, who
understand where I'm coming from," says Mrs. Kay.
It's funny. I'm here at school and
we don't run around the building saying 'I'm a believer! I'm a
believer!' but we come together. And it's interesting how
we end up coming together. It can be just a little something
that sparks that conversation. It could be a mishap.
'The chocolate bar that got stuck in the peanut butter jar and
now you have a Reece Cup' type thing. Just those little
things and next thing you're talking to people and you say 'OK,
we're on the same wavelength.'
Mrs. Bee says
It's very difficult when you work in a
building where there's a lot of animosity and no one really gets
along and you notice that the majority of the staff doesn't go
to church or even act like they acknowledge God. To be honest
with you, here I don't feel like that. I feel like [at this
school] a lot of people do respect God .
Theoretical Context
Where might my findings fit into education discourses? I
turn first to the discourse of philosophy of education.
There are many ways of constructing an ethical position in education.
Many educators believe Kant's categorical imperative is pretty
much the last word in ethics. Followers of Noddings (1984)
urge teachers to construct an ethic based on caring. Welch
(2000) says that liberal Christian theology cannot be the basis
of a sound ethical position because the example of an all powerful
patriarchal God paves the way for destructive human relationships
based on dominance and submission. In his classic study
of a fundamentalist Christian school, Peshkin (1986) raises serious
questions about the effects of a rigidly monotheistic faith on
a pluralistic society.
I turn to Meeks (1993) to find a positive way of viewing Christian
ethics. First, he helps cut through the sheer volume of
Christian discourse. It is a very serious question to ask
'is there anything all Christians agree upon?' Kung (1996)
filled over 900 pages with his quest for the "essence"
of Christianity. Meeks (who prefers the phrase 'morality'
over 'ethics') reassures us that
it is clearly not meaningless to speak
of "Christian morality," however many qualifications
may be necessary as one attempts to delineate it. Within
all the diversity that must be acknowledged in Christian moral
practice and moral discourse, there is to be discovered a family
resemblance of moral traits. (p. 3)
Using an historical-ethnographic approach, Meeks gives us a glimpse
at the history and culture of Christians in the first two centuries
who struggled to produce a moral community. I feel the urge
to create community is one common element in the themes I have
identified in the responses of my informants. These informants
want the children they teach to be familiar with Christian morality
so they all can join together in doing God's will. They
also want to feel like they are working alongside other teachers
who share their Christian moral vision.
I think Christian ethics is based on the idea and practice of
service to others. Barclay (1964) discusses the Greek word
agape,
or Christian love. This is not a warm love or a sexual love.
It is "unconquerable benevolence, invincible good will.
It is the power to love the unlovable" (p.22).
I believe the impulse toward Christian love is an ethical
common thread that goes through my analytic categories of responses.
I also feel my study has importance to those who study educational
administration and leadership. Spirituality in leadership
seems to be a hot topic these days. Fairholm (1997) believes
spirituality has been kept separate from leadership at great cost
to organizations. He defines spirituality as:
the essential human values from around
the world and across time that teach us how humanity belongs within
the greater scheme of circumstance . . . a source guide for personal
values and meaningmaking, a way of understanding the world, an
inner awareness. Secular and spiritual are not opposed because
we need not limit the spiritual to only a religious context. (p.
25)
Fairholm and others realize people work harder when they feel
that what they do is important. Intellectuals such as Dantley
(2000) feel that reform efforts in education won't succeed until
they are linked in educators' minds to a spiritual purpose.
Spirituality provides us with a deeper meaning for our actions.
Few things touch our hearts and motivate us like religion.
The idea of spirituality as opposed to religion is that spirituality
allows us all to speak a common language and work toward a common
higher purpose without privileging one religious culture over
another. Wilson (1998) urges us to give up our specific
religious myths and adopt a spiritual belief common to all humanity.
Yet my informants are located squarely in a Christian tradition
with a unique history and culture. If a sampling of diverse
peoples were to read my informants' stories, some would nod their
heads in agreement and others would be utterly offended by some
of the ideas expressed. Likewise, my informants would likely
be offended by a definition of spirit as being an "inner
awareness." They see God as a separate being, different
from them. God is to be obeyed. I don't see educators
outgrowing specific historic religious beliefs anytime soon.
Such beliefs are a key part of how one understands oneself and
are not given up easily. I tend to reject any proposal for
a universal spiritual understanding because our specific spiritual
stories are a source of our diversity and as such are necessary
ingredients of a democratic society.
My personal ethical theoretical position can be seen in how I
think about the typical situation where a fundamentalist preacher
and a lawyer working for the American Civil Liberties Union are
having a disagreement over a public prayer to be given.
Both have it wrong in a way. The lawyer is wrong trying
to choke off a beautiful statement of community and purpose and
faith; the fundamentalist is wrong to think society really would
be better if everyone shared the fundamentalist's beliefs.
It seems like an intractable dilemma to me. Crossan (1991) says
the biggest challenge we face in the new millennium is learning
how to hold fast to our religious beliefs while at the same time
respecting and learning from those who hold other beliefs.
I think it's important that in schools there are teachers who
share a common faith, who speak a common moral vocabulary and
share a common set of moral archetypal stories. Yet at the
same time, it is important to work with and learn from people
who are products of diverse cultural heritages and belief systems.
I believe it is important to interact with new ideas and see new
ways of understanding the world. This might allow one to
negotiate the treacherous area between one's faith community and
a pluralistic society.
Conclusion
I found that a group of Christian teachers did seem to find strength
to do a very difficult job by being members of a faith community.
By feeling that they were part of something larger than themselves,
they were able to experience a sense of purpose that allowed them
to feel more satisfied with their jobs. Their positive feelings
came from the perception that they were doing the will of God.
Positive feelings also grew from being able to talk about their
teaching experiences in a language, the language of Christian
morality, that they had in common with other Christian teachers
at that school.
Some people who hold different belief systems feel smothered or
even oppressed by the Christian evangelistic impulse. I
contend that the Christian values I found are largely positive.
Perhaps future studies can continue the process of sorting positive
Christian values from ones that are problematic in an educational
setting.
Bibliography
Barclay, W. (1964). New Testament Words: English
New Testament Words Indexed With References To The Daily Study
Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster.
Crossan, J. D. (1991). The Historical Jesus: The
Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant. San Francisco:
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Dantley, M. (2000). Notes from class discussion, EDL
700 doctoral seminar, Miami University.
Fairholm, G. W. (1997). Capturing the Heart of
Leadership: Spirituality and Community in the New American Workplace.
Westport, CT: Praeger.
Kung, H. (1996). Christianity: Essence, History,
and Future. New York: Continuum.
Meeks, W. A. (1993). The Origins of Christian Morality:
The First Two Centuries. London: Yale University Press.
Noddings, N. (1984). Caring: A Feminine Approach
to Ethics and Moral Education. Berkeley: University
of California Press.
Peshkin, A. (1986). God's Choice: The Total World
of a Fundamentalist Christian School. Chicago: University
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