Love and Respect

Topic:

Ephesians 2:20-21 states “Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” How can a culturally-relevant online education model be used to bring unity to students of diverse background while still meeting the needs of a specific culture?

Justin Utherguy's Response:

The United States is a nation of immigrants who have all come together to create an extraordinary blending of cultures.  This blending of cultures presents a unique challenge for educators in that each culture brings its own history, customs, traditions, and language.  Creating an education model that is relevant to each student’s cultural background is a difficult task.  Ephesians’ example of Christ as the chief cornerstone from which a holy temple grows, an educational model which has relevance to all learners serves the same purpose for developing a unified learning community.  Online education offers a layer of flexibility that can enhance learning opportunities for students of all modalities and abilities. 

A culturally relevant educational model should not focus on how students are different, but on how much they have in common while acknowledging that where everyone comes from is unique and special.  Many online resources can open a new world of information about each student’s culture.  These resources should be leveraged in a way that helps students develop self-confidence and pride in their heritage while learning how they fit in the larger community of learners.  This does not mean that a Christ centered approach to teaching.  Though the secular approach of most educational systems rejects the use of Christian vernacular in the classroom, teachers and administrators can still impact students by modeling a Christian attitude.  Jesus teaches us that Christians are obligated to follow the laws set forth by government.  For some, this is a major stumbling block.  However, 1 John 1:7 (NKJV) says, “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.”  Modeling a loving Christian attitude can affect students and open up opportunities they may never have had before.  Love in the form of respect for a student’s cultural background can have transformational affects, both academically and spiritually.