Teaching to Justice Citizenship and Civic Virtue: The Character of a High School Through the Eyes of Faith

In Teaching to Justice Citizenship and Civic Virtue a group of teachers considers how students learn and what students need in order to figure out what God is requiring of them. The teachers hear from experts in the fields of civic education the arts politics business technology and athletics. In addition they talk about their own learning and what they want students to know about life after high school. This book along with its discussion questions will help parents teachers school board members and administrators talk about what it means to help students work toward Gods shalom in a broken but redeemed world. Those of us in education are far more skilled in examining students than in examining ourselves. In Teaching to Justice Citizenship and Civic Virtue Julia and Gloria Stronks offer exactly the kind of penetrating questions we Christian educators must face if our students hope to live out the requirements for dual citizenship in Christs kingdom and secular society. And to the readers great fortune the book drills into its questions with immensely relevant research presented in an engaging applied narrative. Its a very accessible yet deep gold mine that should be excavated by all Christian teachers and administrators. --William Robinson President emeritus Whitworth University Spokane WA As Christian educators we are called to teach out of a biblical approach to the cultures and cultural products that surround us. Julia and Gloria Stronks nudge us out of our comfort zones to consider deeply things that matter--to seek love and true justice in a world intent on revenge. Instead of knee-jerk reactions to culture politics or ways of doing education they promote the development of shared meaning within communities of practice. --Geoff Beech former Academic Dean National Institute for Christian Education Sydney Australia If you are a learning leader (principal) encouraging Christian teachers to teach Christianly rather than just to teach buy this book. If youre a teacher learning to talk less and learning to ask questions and to listen more use this book. If you are a board or committee member expecting teachers to implement changes that uphold your schools mission put this book on the agenda. If youre a life-long learner enjoy and learn! --Bill de Jager Director of Learning (retired) Society of Christian Schools in British Columbia (SCSBC) Canada This book makes a very valuable contribution to the discussion of what comprises a distinctively Christian school. Stronks and Stronks take the reader on a walk through the day-to-day life and academic disciplines of a fictional Christian high school identifying critical issues giving concrete examples and sharing helpful resources along the way. The authors paint a picture of what it means to nurture truly flourishing Christian students--students who personally understand what the lordship of Christ means and are able to apply their learning throughout a lifetime of service to God and neighbor. --Dan Beerens educational consultant Zeeland MI Julia K. Stronks is the Edward B. Lindaman Chair and professor of political science at Whitworth University in Spokane WA. Gloria Goris Stronks is professor emerita of the Calvin College Department of Education in Grand Rapids MI. Together this mother-and-daughter team have co-authored a number of books and articles including Christian Teachers in Public Schools: A Guide for Teachers Administrators and Parents (1999) and Families Living in the Fabric of Faithfulness: Parents and Children Describe What Works (2010).