My Edumacashun: An Introduction

I have been going to church for as long as I can remember. No matter where my family lived and even though we moved about every three years when I was growing up, my parents always found a church home. That means that I have more than a few divergent memories of being "educated" in the church. I remember times when Sunday School was like regular school, with classes of kids all the same age and individual rooms with dedicated teachers. I also remember smaller churches where all the kids got lumped together and the parent who drew the short straw was the teacher that day.

In hindsight, I'm thankful that my parents made such an effort to bring us to church over the years as the collection of those different faith communities, their settings, their congregants, their styles have certainly infused my appreciation of the variety that exists within the church. As a result, I probably have a higher tolerance for change than your average Lutheran and perhaps now grow bored too easily when the rhythms of the church remain the same for any length of time.

Generally, I can say that as a kid, I was a good student. I took the job of learning as seriously as most of my classmates and tended to perform well. I did well through high school, never the top of my class but that's a spot that was usually in my sight. It was during high school, however, that I was confronted with the realities and value of experiential learning. In my quest to become admitted to the Hotel School at Cornell, I followed the advice of an admissions counselor and got a job in the restaurant industry. This accomplished two goals. First, I was able to gain a deeper appreciation for the highs and lows of the hospitality business. Secondly, I was able to demonstrate to Cornell a connection to and consciousness of the realities of a business notorious for long hours, less than glamorous work and unconventional rewards.

Through my undergraduate college years, I know that I learned as much outside the classroom as I did in it. I soaked it all up, sometimes with undesired consequences like academic probation. But mostly I was able to find real application of academic theory in a more immediate way than the average student. I am thankful for a college setting that not only provided so many experiential opportunities but also valued those experiences in the classroom.

As a restaurant manager and owner, I've practiced the role of teacher on an almost daily basis. In the busy restaurant setting, creating time for formal education is always a challenge so I learned how to take advantage of even the smallest moments to convey information to my staff and customers. Occasionally, I was able to create more formal learning opportunities and enjoyed being able to share and explore ideas around food, wine, customer service and hospitality. I've known success and even more failures when it comes to teaching and each of these experiences has shaped the next.

I am excited about the coming weeks as a student in Education I. I've never had any formal training in what it means to teach and even though I've been teaching for some time, I look forward to bringing a greater sense of clarity to my efforts (some could argue that even some clarity would be nice!). As I start to explore my calling as pastor, I have to admit that serving in the inevitable role of "Christian Educator" comes with a fair amount of anxiety. I look forward to gaining confidence in this capacity and expect this confidence to grow in direct proportion to my familiarity with subject matter.

The good news is that the subjects do matter.