Exploring Perceptions of Care in Christian Teacher Education Communities: Toward a Faith-Informed Framework of Care

During a recent sabbatical (spring 2013), the author investigated perceptions of care in a variety of teacher education programs at Christian colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. My purpose for engaging in this study was to ascertain whether there might be elements of care unique to teacher education programs at Christian institutions that reach beyond prevailing conceptions of care found in the feminist philosophical literature. In this article, I discuss prevalent views of care across sacred and secular lines, detail the research methodology employed in the current study, elaborate upon emergent themes and trends, propose a model of relational care upon which Christian teacher education programs might shape their communities, and identify care-related topics warranting further exploration. With an ever-increasing sense of urgency, the educational landscape in the West has been dominated by a seemingly insatiable quest to attain academic supremacy on an international scale. While academic excellence is unarguably an exceedingly important goal, the unintended consequence of pursuing intellectual achievement at any cost has been an unbalanced shift in which the curriculum has become the focal point and the needs of the learner have taken a back seat (Freytag, 2008; Kohn, 1999). Framing education as a commodity rather than a process by which human beings can enlarge and expand their knowledge of the world and enrich their responsive interactions with others has significantly dehumanized the teaching and learning relationship (Spears & Loomis, 2009). Success has been reduced to quantifiable results on a handful of high-stakes assessments, and the centrality of caring relationships between and among teachers and learners in both the education of children and the preparation of responsive, effective teachers has gotten lost in the fray (Rabin, 2013). While a few stalwart educational theorists and advocates have been unwavering in their mission to keep care at the center of a responsive, high-quality educational experience for all students (e.g. Anderson, 2012; Goldstein, 1997, 2002; Noddings, 1992, 2005, 2012a, 2012b; Palmer, 1993; 2007; Rosebrough & Leverett, 2011), their voices are often overpowered by those who would elevate success over the development of whole persons through caring, responsive educational relationships. In an era that is necessarily characterized by high standards and accountability, how might teacher educators effectively prepare future instructors to care responsively for both their students and the curriculum

Embodying and Modeling Healthy Self-Care in Teacher Education

To care for others well, teachers must care for themselves in healthy and responsive ways. The “love mandate” in Scripture, says that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22: 37-39). Far too often, Christians (particularly those in serving professions) fail to properly understand and enact healthy, God-honoring care for themselves. When teacher educators fail to model responsive self-care, they unwittingly perpetuate unhealthy messages about what it means to care well for others, and communicate to teacher candidates that doing good supersedes being well. In order to break unhealthy cycles and scripts relative to self-care, this paper presents four axioms for embodying and modeling healthy self-care

The Cry of the Teacher\u27s Soul

Matthias, L.R. (2015). The cry of the teacher’s soul. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock. In the current educational landscape, particularly in the West, myriad factors contribute to the challenges and difficulties teachers encounter on a daily basis. In the face of bewildering student concerns, high-stakes testing, and rigid accountability structures that often de-personalize the teaching profession, educators – perhaps more than ever before – are facing the very real effects of burnout. In The Cry of the Teacher’s Soul, Laurie Matthias weaves scholarly insights from theology, psychology, and education together with powerful, personal stories to provide a spiritually and pedagogically-sound resource

EMU Enlargement: Which Concept of Convergence to Apply?

The EU-enlargement in mid-2004 will probably be followed by the accession to the European Monetary and Economic Union (EMU), depending on the individual state of convergence of the accession candidates. As a political rather than an economic decision on EMU enlargement is not beyond imagination, we argue that institutional convergence, in particular central bank independence (CBI), is equally - if not more - important for a successful common monetary policy in Euroland than nominal and real convergence, as it indicates an appropriate policy assignment and thereby fosters real and nominal convergence. The paper starts with an assessment of the state of convergence of CEE countries in nominal and real terms. Based on a constitutional political economy framework and the additional requirement for future EMU members to give their central banks an independent status, we then assess the degree of central bank independence in CEE. We apply a measure, namely the index of monetary commitment, which includes external criteria such as convertibility and exchange rate regimes. It can be shown that the degree of central bank independence in CEE countries is considerably high; however, there is a gap to the ECB's independence with respect to external aspects of CBI.Convergence, Central Bank Independence, EMU Enlargement

The Hebrew prophets and Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19; Judges 19:16-2

Why Have Some Monetary Reforms Succeeded and Others Not? - An Empirical Assessment

Monetary history is characterised by crisis and reform. The paper is dedicated to an explanation of what makes monetary reforms successful. A cross--sectional exonometric analysis is schosen to deal wht this problem. It is based on a standard macroeconomic model of commitment and credibility. As the dependent variable, we calculate a post-reform inflation rate. the exogenous variables are the degree of legal commitment and the constraining influence of institutions. The paper allows for the conclusion that monetray commitment, the consideration of institutional constraints and abstinence from the money press are crucial for the success of a monetary reform.Monetary Reforms; Credibility; Commitment; Institutions

Estonian labour market and EMU membership - challenges and policy options

With the planned membership in EMU, Estonia will give up every option to pursue a discretionary monetary policy. This demands a very flexible labour market, returning to equilibrium by itself after a negative external shock. In general, the Estonian labour market regime allows for flexibility and labour force mobility. Nevertheless, there is a serious problem on the Estonian labour market, namely, a mismatch with respect to qualification. The paper discusses three potential remedies for this problem: 1) further development of the relatively underdeveloped social dialogue in Estonia, 2) an increase of the low extent of public labour market spending, and 3) a significant improvement of the education and training system. It turns out that concentration on education policy promises the highest yields. We conclude by referring to earmarked education vouchers. Such a system allows to fully employ the capacities of competition to generate the structure of qualifications necessary to increase the level of employment in Estonia.

Introduction

Why a special issue on care? It’s a fair question. As one colleague said recently, if we have the gospels, do we really need something else to tell us how others should be treated? We maintain that because of its bidirectional nature, ethic of care, and particularly Christian ethic of care, are fundamentally reflective of God’s nature. It is not just ethical but also theological: it helps us understand God\u27s love and care for us, to see it as more than a one way street. The literature on ethic of care, especially that of Noddings, tells us that this bidirectional nature holds in the case of care for someone who is helpless, like a mother\u27s care of an infant. Despite the helplessness, nonetheless the mother receives care from the baby, a fulfillment of a heart\u27s desire, a relationship untainted by selfishness or blind ambition