Document Type
Abstract
Abstract
As Professors our students have the multifaceted status of being 1) our customers, 2) our product and 3) our future colleagues. In addition as Christians, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ or those we influence for His glory. As customers they have a choice where to pursue their education and have expectations. Some expectations are reasonable, some we need to recalibrate for them. As our product, their professional growth and abilities are to varying degrees a result of, and to a very large degree, a reflection of us and our institutions. As graduates employed in an industry we participate in and serve, they will become colleagues who will recall our relationship when they were students. As Christians and those whose souls we are concerned for, we need to demonstrate and teach how to live the faith in their profession, and seek their spiritual growth and welfare as they grow academically and transition to their professional lives. We find ourselves rapidly switching roles from salesman, to customer service agent, to concierge, to manufacturing process optimizer, to trainer, to quality inspector, to warden or judge, to mentor, to friend, to career/life coach, to make shift pre-marital counselor, to poorly prepared emergency Pastor, to collaborator, to friend, and to brother or sister in Christ. In the mist of this chaos we are committed to teach classes to meet the requisite needs for career success and accreditation. How we teach; quality, demeanor, and life example is as important as what we teach. A contemplated and written Philosophy of Teaching makes executing these diverse responsibilities easier and beyond that, a Philosophy of Student Mentorship can uniquely help us as Christian faculty. A sample of each philosophy will be presented and discussed as a starting point for subsequent individual creative thoughts and document generation.
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Philosophy of Teaching and Student and Peer Mentorship: A Christian Perspective
As Professors our students have the multifaceted status of being 1) our customers, 2) our product and 3) our future colleagues. In addition as Christians, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ or those we influence for His glory. As customers they have a choice where to pursue their education and have expectations. Some expectations are reasonable, some we need to recalibrate for them. As our product, their professional growth and abilities are to varying degrees a result of, and to a very large degree, a reflection of us and our institutions. As graduates employed in an industry we participate in and serve, they will become colleagues who will recall our relationship when they were students. As Christians and those whose souls we are concerned for, we need to demonstrate and teach how to live the faith in their profession, and seek their spiritual growth and welfare as they grow academically and transition to their professional lives. We find ourselves rapidly switching roles from salesman, to customer service agent, to concierge, to manufacturing process optimizer, to trainer, to quality inspector, to warden or judge, to mentor, to friend, to career/life coach, to make shift pre-marital counselor, to poorly prepared emergency Pastor, to collaborator, to friend, and to brother or sister in Christ. In the mist of this chaos we are committed to teach classes to meet the requisite needs for career success and accreditation. How we teach; quality, demeanor, and life example is as important as what we teach. A contemplated and written Philosophy of Teaching makes executing these diverse responsibilities easier and beyond that, a Philosophy of Student Mentorship can uniquely help us as Christian faculty. A sample of each philosophy will be presented and discussed as a starting point for subsequent individual creative thoughts and document generation.