“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be
shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7
As a Christian teacher who has been shown grace by God, I must also show
grace to others, including my students. But how does that work? How can I “balance
concepts of fairness and
forgiveness, justice and mercy, and accountability and grace” (Sutherland,
2009) in the classroom?
Firstly it is
important to recognise what grace isn’t. Grace isn’t ignoring the sin and
pretending that everything is OK. Grace acknowledges sin as sin but responds
not in judgment but rather in forgiveness. Just as Jesus spared the adulterous women
from being stoned, He also sent her away saying “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John
8). In showing such
grace to my students, I have an opportunity to reveal Christ through my words
and actions (Sybesma, 2009).
But what does it look
like? Grace is shown in empathy. As I get to know my students I will be in a
better position to understand what might be influencing their behaviour in
class and thus can help me to be more gracious to those in difficult
circumstances. Grace implies that I don’t hold grudges. Once an incident is
dealt with, I don’t continue to hold it against the student. Grace is shown in patience
with my students, being slow to get annoyed and frustrated.
When grace is applied
to behaviour management policy you end up with restorative practices. Restorative justice addresses the needs of
the victim(s), offender(s) and community; seeking to heal the relationships
that were harmed and to help the offender avoid future offending (Ministry of
Justice, 2004). This approach to discipline is inspired by the redemption and
reconciliation graciously found in Christ (Hiebert, 2008) and offers transformation for the lives of all
involved. It is grace worked out in school disciplinary issues.
When dealing with disciplinary matters, I can use restorative meetings to
address the issue and restore our relationship. Restorative practices seek to
get to the root of the problem so that, once addressed, there might be lasting
change in behaviour. It also aims is to help me understand their behaviour, to think
of ways I can help them avoid future issues and to accept their apology and negotiate
how they will make amends. We should leave the meeting with the issue forgiven
and our relationship restored.
Restorative
practice is not only suitable for dealing with issues between me and a student
but also is also useful in dealing with disputes between students. By conducting restorative interviews with both parties, I can teach students an
effective way to deal with conflict (Van Brummelen, 2009).
Grace doesn’t ignore or remove all consequences
from misbehaviour. In fact, enforcing a punishment might be the most gracious
thing to do for a student who refuses to face the consequences of their
actions. Ultimately grace is about restoring relationships; between teacher and
students, between students and hopefully between students and God.
Hiebert,
P. G. (2008). Toward a biblical worldview. In Transforming worldviews: An
anthropological understanding of how people change (pp. 265-307). Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic.
Ministry
of Justice. (2004). Restorative Justice in New Zealand Best Practice. Wellington, New
Zealand: Ministry of Justice.
Sutherland, M. (2009).
Teacher: Revealing Christ to Students. Christian School Teacher Fall, 11.
Sybesma, L. (2009).
Teacher: Christlike servant. Christian
School Teacher
Fall, 3-6.
Van Brummelen, H. (2009). Walking
with God in the classroom. (3rd ed.). Seattle,
WA: Alta
Vista College
Press.
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