A Summons to See
Dear Kailyn,
It is no accident that you are alive in this world.
You have been called into it by the love of our Creator.
It is probably also no accident that you are in this class.
So begins the syllabus that I handed out to Kailyn and her classmates (not all of them named Kailyn, of course). My intent was to issue a friendly summons of sorts, calling them into the class and inviting them to see it in a certain way.
Several years ago, I read a section by Calvin University music professor Timothy Steele in the book Teaching and Christian Imagination, and ever since I have wanted to rewrite my course syllabi to provide students in my junior and senior high Spanish classes with a more expansive vision for how their participation fits within the grand scheme of everything.[1] This year I finally got around to it.
After crafting the syllabus, I personalized it by printing a copy for each student with their name at the top (even though the rest of the document was the same for everyone). As class began, I walked around the classroom handing them out individually, asking students to keep them face down until they had all been distributed. Then I instructed them to flip them over and I proceeded to read it through aloud with them, pausing occasionally to emphasize or briefly expound on a few things.
At one point, we stopped for a longer period, and I explained two ways in which the syllabus would require some effort on their part. The first, as you will see, was to reflect on the ways that learning another language could serve as God’s provision to them. The second was to take the syllabus home and—while gathering the standard requisite signature from a parent or guardian—to engage in a faith-informed conversation with that adult about what mattered most about the language-learning experience.[2]
One reason that I included this latter component was to communicate to the adults (who were likely those paying for the students’ education) that the school was making real efforts to achieve its mission to address the faith formation of their child. The primary reason, though, was that I knew that spiritual conversations did not always organically arise in families’ everyday world of extracurricular activities, meals, work, friends, homework, clothes, etc., and I wanted to provide the opportunity for them to connect on this level.
As it turns out, not every student had a substantive conversation with their chosen adult. Some procrastinated and attempted a rushed conversation the evening or morning before it was due. Others may not have desired the conversation and found a way to minimize its seriousness. But I was quite pleased that many students reported having some very meaningful conversations.
As one student reported,
I spoke with my mom. I said that I picked “identity and belonging” because—since I grew up as a “shy” or “quiet” kid—it means a lot to have people care about me and make me feel like I belong. :-). My mom chose “knowledge” because she thinks it’s important to have understanding of other cultures and countries, especially since she’s from another country herself. It was nice to get a glimpse of how her viewpoints on these topics can be different from my own experiences! :-)
Another wrote:
My parents loved hearing about the relationship between learning about God and learning Spanish. They were surprised to see a syllabus that was structured like this. My parents and I loved the outline, especially when you wrote how we can use language to bring God into a hurting world. This conversation brought up a lot of good points on how God’s calling can have a lot to do with the languages we speak. My family and I are very excited about how your class will positively affect my life. So happy to be in your class!!!
My task now is to ensure (with the Spirit’s leading) that our experience in class this year helps students to experience God’s goodness to them in some of these important ways.[3]
If you are a teacher, my hope is that the following syllabus can serve as an encouragement for you to do something similar in your grade and/or subject area, whether with an actual syllabus or via some other means of inviting students and their parents to see how your instruction and their learning fits within the grand scheme of everything.
Syllabus – Spanish 2 – 2023-2024
Dear [Student Name],
It is no accident that you are alive in this world.
You have been called into it by the love of our Creator.
It is probably also no accident that you are in this class.
This year, your education at our school will provide you an opportunity to grow in all sorts of ways—that is, if you have eyes to see the possibilities, decide that you truly want them, and do the necessary things for growth to happen.
If you pay attention, you will be drawn ever deeper into seeing the world as it is. You will be invited into wonder and gratitude for the good world that our God has made. You will be thrust into lament as you see the effects of sin’s destructive power—both inside and outside of yourself. You will encounter God as your ever-present companion and become aware of things that the two of you can do together to bring repair and new life to this world.
As God’s creatures, we walk in dependence upon him. We trust that he can and will provide for our needs. In fact, I pray that Spanish class this year will be a means of his provision to you. You may never have thought about the wonderful things that learning another language can provide, but here are five areas in which it can meet the needs and desires that God has created within us:
Physical security: Learning another language may one day keep you and your family from starving to death. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic—but it can lead to job and career opportunities in a range of fields, including medicine, business, education, law, construction, and various service industries.
Pleasure: It’s tons of fun to learn another language, especially in the presence of others who enjoy telling amazingly ridiculous stories about invisible classmates and giraffe sandwiches. And it can be a real joy to experience the food, dance, music, and other customs of our world’s various cultures.
Knowledge and understanding: Each of us can only know as much as we have experienced within our own cultures. When language helps us to enter another one, though, we gain a much larger view of the world. In fact, when we look at Scripture and our world through others’ eyes, God may even teach us more of what it means to walk faithfully with Him.
Identity and belonging: We live in a world that is divided in many ways. At the same time, many people your age are trying to figure out who they are and who their people are. Ultimately, you and I are members of the family of God that spans the centuries and the globe. Crossing cultural barriers (even within our city) to build relationships with brothers and sisters who speak another language addresses Christ’s prayer that his Church would be unified (John 17:20-23) and foreshadows the day when people of all languages will gather at the throne of God (Rev. 7:9).
Purpose: We develop our language abilities to bring the love of God to a hurting world. This can take many forms, including sharing the gospel, participating in service opportunities, working for racial reconciliation, and advocating on behalf of those who are oppressed and have no voice.
Take a moment and review the list above. Which of the items (choose as many as you like) are important or meaningful to you? Circle those items now.
Between now and next week, take this syllabus home and ask a parent or guardian to read it. Before they sign it, ask them to identify which of the five items would be most important or meaningful to them if they were in the class, and discuss with one another why you each chose the items you did. Then they can sign it and you can return it with a brief description of your conversation.
Oh, and, by the way, our Spanish 2 class will meet four days a week in room 203. If you pass the class, you will receive a full credit (1.0) on your transcript. We will be using a comprehensible-input, story-based instructional method to help you further develop your listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills. We will not be using a textbook. Each day you’ll need to bring a binder with a few dividers, an iPad or laptop, two writing sticks (a pencil and a pen), and a great attitude. Grades will be calculated on a straight-points basis (no weighted categories), and you’ll need to make up missing assignments and quizzes according to the guidelines in the student handbook.
I am so looking forward to this year and am praying that our time together will help us to grow more fully into the people that God created us to be. Let’s go!
Your teacher and brother in Christ,
Dr. Kevin Taylor (aka “Profe Taylor”)
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Take-home and Bring-back Page
Please have your parent/guardian sign this page stating that they have read and understand this syllabus. And you can sign it as well.
Parent/guardian signature: _________________________________
Student printed name: _________________________________
Student signature: _________________________________
Write a brief description of the conversation you and your parent/guardian had. What was it like to have this conversation?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please return this page to class by Friday, September 8.
Footnotes:
[1] David I. Smith and Susan M. Felch, Teaching and Christian Imagination (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2016), 30–33.
[2] As I explained this, I included a special allowance for students who didn’t have an adult in their home with whom they could have a faith-informed conversation. They were still required to get an adult’s signature but could have the conversation with a classmate.
[3] I also asked students to help me identify ways in which we already do these things in class and to brainstorm additional ways in which they could be accomplished—and was quite pleased with some of the things they came up with.