Philosophy of Christian Education:
Every Christian’s Responsibility
In last summer’s “Get-to-Know-Dr. Sutton” series, we released a piece about his approach to Christian higher education and featured two points of his 12-point educational philosophy. This semester we will highlight the other ten principles that Dr. Sutton believes should drive Christian education at the classroom level.
Dr. Sutton’s ninth principle for Christian education is that the Christian educator must be relational. Of this principle, Dr. Sutton writes, “Education requires a cooperative partnership between the teacher and the student, each of whom engages in separate, but often like, roles. Teachers must:
- Be mentally and spiritually prepared to lead and to meet the needs of their students
- Be willing to try different methodologies
- Set a good example for their students
- Be devoted to the educational tasks before them
The teacher should participate with students in the learning process. Teachers and students should be able to dialogue with each other, and a high level of trust must be present in the teacher-student relationship. Teachers should both understand and communicate that trust involves the integrity of the student as well as the integrity of the teacher.”
