What it means to be a Christian teacher: highlights from a teacher workshop in Benin

By Susan Akyeampong | Benin in West Africa

A hush fell over the conference room in southern Benin.

Marie, a primary school teacher and one of the teacher leaders, spoke to a group of teachers and pastors at a seminar on Biblical Worldview for Teachers, discussing the essential link between love and learning.

SIM’s Transformational Teaching ministry aims to inspire Christian teachers globally so that they are eager to honour Him in every aspect of classroom life. 
In community with other Christian teachers, such as in the workshop described here,  teachers develop a biblical worldview and help each other to see their students, the content and method of their teaching and their school environment through the lens of the Bible.

Often a workshop is transformational:
• The teacher is transformed as he or she learns to see God revealing Himself through the school subjects.
• The classroom is transformed as the Holy Spirit enables the teaching and learning.
• The children are transformed as they are nurtured by their compassionate teacher.
• Their families are transformed as the message of God’s love reaches them too.
• Societies are transformed as a new generation of the King’s ambassadors live counter-culturally.

At this teacher workshop, Marie topic was, the learner: “I can show kindness to the child who is troubled and struggling to learn or I can ignore him and concentrate on the ones who quickly grasp a new concept. Then I realise, the Lord Jesus is there in my classroom, I can’t ignore Him. I will find different ways to help each child to understand, depending on their different learning styles.”
 
A voice from the back of the room interjected, "That's perhaps possible for you in a private Christian school with no more than 40 children in your class. If you have a big class like most of us, you can't pay attention to individuals, you have to teach the group."

Marie acknowledged the circumstances of her class, which only had 35 students. To provide another perspective, she invited her friend André—a teacher colleague from a challenging school in a large city on the border with Niger—to share his experiences.

André stood up.

He was about to share a story of how, despite the challenges of a large class, he had exemplified the love of Christ to one boy, changing this boy’s life.
André shared: "I have 146 students in my class this year but only 138 attend regularly. One boy was a constant source of trouble. His father admitted he couldn't control him. With so many students, I didn't have much time, but I decided to dedicate just one minute each day to him."

André described how he would talk to the boy about his day, his family, or anything that came to mind. Over time, the boy settled down, began to participate in class, and was ready to move on to the next school year.

"His father wrote me a letter," André continued, his voice filled with emotion. "He thanked me for the positive change in his son and expressed his gratitude for the love and care I had shown him." 

André's story resonated with the audience. His dedication to his students, despite significant challenges, was a reminder of the impact that care and commitment can have.   

Before receiving their certificates at the end of the week, each participant speaks for three minutes about how the seminar has impacted them. Many requested prayers, asking that they, like Andre, might show God’s love to each learner in their care, as if the learner were Jesus himself.

Prayer:

• Thank God and pray for the many teachers like André and Marie who are transforming communities where Christ is least known.
• For more information about Biblical Worldview training for teachers please contact: Megan Patterson  international.TT@sim.org