What does it mean to be a Christian educator in TESOL? As we teachers well know, it is much easier to ask questions than to answer them, but in the spirit of this "Spotlight" series, and recognizing that self-reflection is an important part of our growth as teachers and as Christians, let me tell my story briefly.
I have always felt that I have had "a goodly heritage" to quote the psalms. Born in China where my parents served as Presbyterian medical missionaries, I was raised there until my early teens, when we then moved to India where I was fortunate to attend and graduate from Woodstock School, beautifully situated in the Himalayan foothills. Like many "mish kids" of that era, I had to leave my parents at the age of seventeen and all by myself, sail to the United States to attend college in Ohio. Not only did I not know a single person at the school, I did not know anyone in the entire state. Nowadays, thanks to the fascinating work done by people who study the social psychology of this phenomenon, I realize that I was (and in many ways still am) a "third culture kid."
Naturally, it was difficult to acculturate to a place which wasn't my home, and to live independently from parental support. That anomie- the feeling that I was "a man without a country"- has left me with a great deal of empathy for the ESL students I have taught throughout my career. In a wonderful anthology entitled, On Becoming a Language Educator edited by Casanave & Schechter (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1997), I wrote about one college experience I had in a piece I called, "Strength from weakness, insight from failure." Although my direct intent was to share what I learned about language teaching from the many times I flunked French in college (yes, you read correctly- it is the plural, "times"!), I tried to package into the story what also happened to me spiritually. You might recognize that this title is taken from Second Corinthians 12:9- "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." In that story, I describe how at a Christmas party for our French class, we were all given little cakes and in one of them was a tiny porcelin baby Jesus. I "happened" to get the cake with the figurine, and a little bit later, I finally passed French with a glorious C-. For me, this episode was one of the many I have had where I have experienced the wonderful gift of grace.
After barely graduating from college and just squeezing into graduate school, again I was blessed to find in the same semester at Ohio State University, a field, a career, and my partner for life! Having always been interested in both languages and science, it was there that I just happened to discover that a new program was opening up on campus in a field called linguistics. Simultaneously, I was lucky enough to get a teaching assistantship in the English Department where I was given a composition class for foreign students (because I had been raised overseas), and I instantly discovered I enjoyed teaching. Finally, I was fortunate to be washing dishes in the same dormitory where my future wife was residing, and some forty years later, I am still washing dishes at her residence. But really, it was not happenstance, luck, or good fortune that led me to these marvelous new worlds of opportunities; again, I these as instances of rich grace.
From graduate school, my wife and I sailed away for three years teaching EFL in Thailand as Presbyterian missionaries, and later, after we completed our graduate training, we returned to Thailand for four more years under similar auspices. Both of our children were born in Thailand, and later, they accompanied us for a one year stint in my native China where my wife and I had been invited as one of the first American families to go to China to teach. That year was a crucible of incredible experiences for each of us, and among the many marvelous opportunities we had, I think one of the highlights was attending the first church service allowed in our city of seven million since before the Cultural Revolution.
But enough of the past. How does the Lord lead me today as a Christian educator? The answer, of course, is manifold, just as the past blessings have been multitudinous. As a linguist, I find the coincidences and the contradictions between my work as a psycholinguist and my Christian beliefs to be terribly exciting intellectually. Again and again, what I learn and study from the secular world of science reinforces the power of the Word. In many ways, it seems to me that linguistics forces us to the inescapable conclusion that we are created in God's image and that the word is made flesh in who and what we humans are. As a teacher, to borrow the words from another Christian educator and a person who is held in highest renown and esteem, Earl Stevick, "what goes on inside and between people" in my classrooms is a daily challenge and opportunity for me to express my Christian faith. I have always enjoyed teaching in large secular universities because they afford me unique opportunities to be in but not of the world and to share my faith with disparate and wonderful people. Finally, as a husband, father, and now as a grandfather, I have been given the marvelous chance to recapitulate God's love for me through my relationship with some very special people.
In looking back over my life journey, I can only pray that you will experience the joy I have had as a Christian educator in TESOL. I do not mean to leave the impression that my life has been easy- failing French was fairly insignificant compared to other hardships I have endured- but there is great comfort in knowing that God's grace is always present, and I hope that this faith is something which can accompany you and which you, in turn, can convey to your students.