Part 3: On the Wall

This is the beginning of our school year together, and I want to start out on the right foot--a foot that takes a step toward the wall with the intention of standing atop it with a confident view of the world and my place in it.

I want your children to make that step as well.

How are we as a classroom going to stand on the wall?

First, I plan to teach my class on the basis of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Your kids were created by the Lord to fulfill their purposes in this world he’s made. I am here to help them along that path, to continue down the road that God has marked out for them. I will work to reveal his plans for them and allow him to lead me in this endeavor. These are the types of behind the wall conversations I will have with your children. I would appreciate your trust and your encouragement, and I welcome any questions or input you may have.

And second, the activities I design for the students are based on a lot of research that I’ve accumulated over my years of teaching (and learning how to teach) middle school kids, specifically in the arena of English and Reading with a recent focus on educational technology. I’ve worked to refine what the best methods are to teach your children how to write and understand what they read, thinking critically and solving problems along the way. I plan to use carefully selected Internet tools throughout our time together.

I will be introducing your children to the positive side of the Internet as it fits into an educational setting, discussing with them important strategies on how to stay safe during the process.

There is a World Wide Web of information in our world. It turns out that this Internet is full of cultural influences, those beyond the wall ideas that we’ve discussed. The Internet really is its own animal, and it continues to expand and change at an alarming pace.

Your children's professional careers may consist of jobs that haven’t even been invented yet. The 21st Century skills that they will be using in those professions will rely very heavily on the use of social interactions on the Internet, a space that is growing exponentially as you read this.

I’m excited to have the behind the wall conversations about our Christian heritage and to witness the faith-building that happens by way of the Holy Spirit.

We will put one foot in front of the other, approach the wall of our faith, and climb confidently. Standing on the wall, we will look at the culture laid out in front of us, hold fast to our Christian heritage learned behind the wall, and determine our place in this wide world.

Psalm 62:2 says, “[God] alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Let’s stand on the wall of faith together.