I believe in God the Father, who is the ultimate Creator of all that is and ever will be. I believe that he created all things good, but through Adam’s sin, the whole of creation was tainted.

I believe in God the Son, Jesus Christ, my personal Lord and Savior, who freely gave up his own life to redeem all that sin had tarnished and twisted.  More than that, I believe he died to save me from the debt of my sin. This being the case, I seek to serve him by living a life that will bring honor and glory to him.

I believe in God the Spirit, who guides and directs my life, nudging me when and where I need nudging to stay in God’s way.

I believe that God calls his people into covenant with Him, so that we might serve and praise God in all we do and grow in love and service to others.  I believe that my task as a Christian teacher is to educate covenant children. I believe that in the Christian school, the task of educating children is more than simply “imparting knowledge”. Teachers have a specific responsibility to the covenant promises made at a child’s baptism to help develop in the child a knowledge of and love for the Lord. This is a massive task and one not to be taken lightly; as James reminds us, those called to teach will be judged strictly because of the position they hold. I believe that Christian teachers must be competent in the content they are to teach, caring and loving to the learners they are to instruct, and committed to whole-heartedly serving the Lord through their work.

I believe that the children I teach are, like all of us, born into sin. Though they are imperfect, I am called to love them, forgive them, serve them, and minister to their individual hurts and needs as well as teach them. I believe that children are part of the covenant God has made with believers, and need to be trained in what it means to live a life of service. I believe that students come to school as talented individuals who bring their own personal experiences to share; they are not simply “empty vessels” waiting to be filled. This being so, I believe that the task of teaching Christianly requires me to not only recognize the unique individuality of each of my students, but also encourage them to celebrate this personal distinctiveness and further develop their God-given abilities and talents to live a life of service to him. I believe that children are integrated whole beings who need teachers who care for not just their intellectual growth, but their physical development, social and emotional health, and spiritual maturity as well.

I believe that the curriculum we teach is not neutral; it is based in and flows out of the worldview we espouse. The perspective in lessons I plan must flow out of my faith, not simply be secular lessons with “God-talk” sprinkled on for good measure. As a Reformational Christian who claims that Christ is sovereign over “every square inch” of creation, this implies two needs for the curriculum I teach. First, it must include a broad knowledge base so that my students will acquire a multi-faceted understanding of the world around them. Secondly, it must also include instruction in stewardship and service so students can take part in redeeming the culture of which they are part. I believe that curriculum is far broader than just the “academic subjects” of school: mathematics, science, history, and so on; rather it includes everything that is part of the educational program of the school, from the structured educational activities of the classroom to recess play time to physical education, music, athletic programs, drama and the like. I believe that all the components of the school’s curriculum must point to living a life of responsible discipleship.

I believe that to teach in a distinctively Christian way means to start from the perspective at which I hope my students would end. This means it is necessary that I live an honest life of faith that is obvious to observers (including my students). I want my students to see that while I still have struggles in my faith; I am constantly striving to walk more closely with the Lord. I believe that teaching Christianly is a process, not an end; one I am learning more and more as I gain experience in teaching and continue to grow in my faith.

	Mr. David Mulder Sioux Center Christian School