I had the opportunity to take a job as a part time teacher in a Christian High School this past spring. I taught Christian apologetics to thirteen seniors, all of whom were suffering with a bad case of senioritis.
Though it was tough working two jobs, it was well worth the experience.
There were five things I loved about my experience.
One, I enjoyed leading a class discussion when the students were really getting into it. This class had some particularly bright students who loved to ask questions and take opposing sides in a debate. They asked tough questions, and were not afraid to wrestle with deep questions. That was fun.
Two, I enjoyed seeing them learn concepts. One of the important things I wanted them to take away from this class was a knowledge of the historicity of the resurrection of Christ. Almost all serious apologetic discussions about Christianity end up at the resurrection, and rightly so. One of the great joys for me was testing these seniors on their knowledge of the resurrection and watching them knock it out of the park. These students also knew what truth was, what knowledge is, and what faith is. This is deeply satisfying.
Three, I enjoyed reading their blogs. I had each student keep an online journal of their reading and learning. It allowed me to track with their thinking, and interact with them one on one. It went even better than I had hoped.
Four, I enjoyed having Pigfests with my students. We had four Pigfests as a class, and each got progressively better.
Five, I enjoyed delivering their commencement address at graduation. The theme of my remarks was, remember who you truly are in Christ. They listened closely. Now, I pray they will remember that their identity rests in Christ alone.
The semester went too fast. Summer came way too quick. They are all college bound now.
I cannot wait to hear how they will transform the colleges they attend by living out the reality of Christ in them.
I spent this past year teaching Jewish history at a Jewish school. I made a point of avoiding apologetics. Dealing with senioritis was a trick I did not learn to master.
Posted by: Izgad | June 27, 2010 at 16:19
DT- I subbed last year and was hoping to get a job teaching HS English. I enjoyed a lot of what I got to do as a sub, but as you stated in your other post, I don't think I would enjoy the grading part.
Anyway, I was offered a job at a military post, but not as a teacher. Yet, I still hope to teach full-time one day. Perhaps.
Thanks for sharing your experiences teaching H.S.
Posted by: Deb | August 10, 2010 at 09:14