Whew! It's been a while since I've posted on the blog! My only excuse is that I have been swamped with test writing and grading. It's the middle of the semester and mid-term grades are due soon : ).
Every week I assign my third year students a journal entry to write. These entires are supposed to be three paragraphs long, and it is my hope that through the writing process, these students will not only improve their English but also articulate some of their thoughts from our lessons together. With the permission of both of my third year classes, I am publishing some of the comments from their journals.
We had just finished our unit on the worldview of Jesus and were transitioning to studying "The Life of Jesus from Birth to Ministry." Because many of my students do not believe in God, I was a little apprehensive about how they would receive having Bible reading every night for homework. So, I assigned this journal for the week: "What do you hope to learn from class?"
Here are some of their responses --- copied exactly as they were written (smiley faces and all!):
"I hope that you will teach us something about life after death or about things connected to theology - music, composers - everything which will be useful for us. I never have religion before I came to EGT, so I want learn everything."
"Firstly, I hope we won't have to study very hard because I really hate studying. Especially when I have to study a lot of dates, names and other boring things. It's very probably that I forget them very soon after the test or what is worse before the test too!" (I read this journal while my students were taking their test. I busted out laughing and told Jana that she had lost her mind. Then I asked her if she had studied for the test. She sighed and answered, "Yes.")
"I am a believer and I am baptized too, but my relationship with God is very difficult. I don't know how to explain it but exist some things which I don't like and I don't understand. I don't read Bible every day, I don't pray every day and I don't visit a church every Sunday. I know it's not very good and I should change it, but I still have the doubts about God. At first, I thought this class will be boring and very hard. Of course, we have to study a lot, but all things which we are learning were very interesting and a few facts and information were new for me. We are learning how to use the Bibles, think about verses of the Bible and life and the work and meaning of Jesus."
"I would love to learn as much as possible in class. I do not believe in God and I do not do a church because my parents never wanted me to. Eeverything you say in class is new for me. I learn a lot during your classes of the Jesus - and more when I prepare for test. I also enjoy reading the Bible - that doesn't mean I want you to give us more homework : )."
"I hope I will learn something new and interesting about life of Jesus and common life in time when he lived. How did look houses? What did people eat? I must say I am not baptized and I do not believe in God. But I like history and Bible is one of the most important historical books in the whole world. It tells about people who reigned in time of Jesus, how kings were, if good or bad. Maybe I will on the lessons of religion change my mind and I will start to believe in God more now."
"So what are my hopes for this class? I think it is better understanding of Scripture and so because I don't believe in it. Maybe at the end of the semester I will be able to see the beauty of it and I will understand some things which some people around me believe in."
"I hear about Jesus life only in the church when pastor has homily from Bible. But I don't go to church often. When I was younger I went to church almost every Sunday with my grandparents. I was little, so I don't remember pastor's entire homily, but I know about Jesus' birth, death and a few from his life. So, I want to learn about his life more. He lived 33 years and he did a lot of thing, which are important for us. I hope I learn almost everything from his life. I think I am at good way, because i read Bible more - almost every evening for quiz in class every day."
"What do I hope to learn in this class? I think it is kind of a strange question : ). There is alsways what we are going ot learn and there's no way we are going to learn anything else. That's what I thought before. In class, there are always appearing new things, that are much more interesting that I've ever thought. It seems very easy and trivial, but when I think about it more carefully, I discover like a new dimension of things. It's going much more deeper and I like it."
In another entry, the students reflected on Jesus' words to the Pharisees and Sadducees when they asked him why he was eating with sinners: "Those who are healthy are in no need of a physician but those who are sick do. I came not to call the righteous but sinners."
The prompt was stated in this way:
1. Those who are healthy are in no need of a physician but those who are sick do. I came not to call the righteous but sinners.
2. The church is not a museum for saints. It is a hospital for sinners.
What do these two quotes mean?
Here are some of the responses:
"Sick people are sinners who need help. By saying this, Jesus kind of promised us help. He came to save the "ill people." He is the doctor needed by sinners. He heals our souls. The only medicine we need can be given by him - hope, love and forgiveness."
"I thought about all the churches in Europe. They have statues of saints. They all can look like museums for saints. But they are not."
"The church is not a place where saints are exhibited like somebody ideal and without any mistake, the church is a hospital."
"It is the same as physicians in today's world. Why would healthy person come to visit them? There's no need for this - but sick people need to go there if they want to become healthy. that is what Jesus was thinking about when hew as having dinner with sinners and his followers (also sinners) didn't understand why he was doing it. Then he explained them. We are all sick."
"I think it's true that church is truly a hospital for sinners. Word of God washes away our sins. And the church is the place where we hear the Word of God."
"Many people coming to church see just statues of saints, maybe that's the reason some name churches 'museum.' But a person who is cmoing ot church regularly sees these sains like living persons that are beggin God for mercy and sees Jesus hanging on the cross for our sins, (and not a statue there) because there was too much space in the middle of the altar. If someone is sick (which means he doesn't know about Jesus' love enough), he will see just a museum of saints."
I am pretty excited about the energy in class! I am also very proud of the maturity of these third years. They are open minded and willing to think and listen. I hope they know that I am learning from them as well.
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