Kent Ezell in the March 10, 2022 CACE Roundtable has some suggestions about how to document the faith development of students. A few examples are given of the kind of student reflections that could be done in the classroom and then teachers are encouraged to collect these in a variety of electronic forms to provide evidence that a Christian school is making a difference in the lives of their students. The suggestions are good and could encourage the teacher and the students who contribute to an on-going portfolio. My first impression was quite positive, but as I thought about the article, I had a couple of questions about the suggested use of such a journal to convince prospective parents that students grow in their faith at the school.
- Can accountability be measured by what happens in someone else's life?
Accountability to actually do what we proclaim is a worthy goal but justifying our effectiveness by sharing the responses of our students may not best. faithfulness seems to be God's measure of success rather than specific results in the lives of those we influ1 John 2:28 implies that John wants his disciples to be faithful so that when Christ returns, he won't be ashamed. However, the prophet's "success" was measured by his faithfulness, not the responsiveness of his God-given audience (Ezekiel 3:4-11). I'm not sure we need to prove our success to anyone. Although the intent may be good, it can easily become a way of taking a "census" (2 Samuel 24:1) to highlight what we've done rather than trusting what God will do. - Can spiritual development be captured and documented?
The Bible includes a lot of narrative which describes people's responses to various situations, but it isn't easy to determine the trajectory of a life from individual incidents. I really enjoy Chronicles because it includes a God's eye view of the kings. Without the prophets we would have great difficulty sorting out what was happening in a historical record. Because God's work is never finished, we could quickly jump to conclusions from our limited perspective. - Is a desire to document faith development a reflection of our culture's obsession with measurement as the only standard for truth?
We have a responsibility to communicate to the culture in which God has put us, but we need to continually be aware that it is trying to push us into its mold rather than allowing God to transform the culture from the inside of individuals out to the whole community. - Who should be reviewing a "journal" of what is happening in students' lives?
Our culture is very concerned about privacy unless an individual "self-reveals." Sharing what a student has written with the parents of prospective students could be problematic for everyone involved. If they sense that the faith development of their children—which may not be as rapid as they would like—will be revealed to strangers, it isn't likely to reinforce a sense of security. If students know that their work will be shared with others, what they write will inevitably be shaped for the audience.
Students could benefit from looking back at how God has been working in their lives. The teacher may be encouraged by progress or motivated to increased prayer and individual involvement by stagnancy or regression. But strangers reading the personal reflections would need, at minimum, specific releases from every student involved. - Would both "success" and "failure" be made available?
When the school chooses to highlight specific students, they can "prove" almost anything. The Bible's record of people's lives includes all sides of their responses to the circumstances God allows in their lives.
The value of a faith journal for an individual has been confirmed by many people. Remembering the past was repeatedly part of God's instruction to His people. Looking back at what He has done and tracing His hand in our lives can deepen our confidence in His future faithfulness as well as remind us that we haven't "arrived" yet. A teacher can helpfully direct the questions that students consider in their journal so that they confront important issues that could easily be ignored. However, it seems to me that using such a journal as a recruiting tool is another thing entirely.