It has been ten years since my first book was published. It’s still in print and selling well. That’s a rare thing in today’s book publishing business. It’s not unusual to find that a very good book I use for a course text will be out of print the next time I want to use it. So I’m pleased that first book (I have since written fourteen others since, and the new one will be out in the fall) is still around. For its tenth year the publisher has given the book a facelift with a new cover. It’s different, but nice and colorful, though I’m rather fond of the original.
I’m never averse to a little shameless self-promotion, so here’s a review of the book by a former student.
As you read Israel Galindo’s introduction found in, The Craft of Christian Teaching: Essentials for Becoming a VERY GOOD Teacher (Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1998) there will be a quote that brings a question to mind. The quote is, “You won’t find the answers in the books,†and the question is – is that a good thing to have in a book explaining how to be a good teacher? In this case, it is good – VERY GOOD.
Being an educator for the past fourteen years, it became a joke to see the latest trend at the start of the school year. It was certain that there was a new plan of action and one thing that I have noticed is the pattern of “new fads†that are introduced to educators. These fads were ways to improve education and the student. It became the “fad of the year†for educating our children. We did not know what the next trend would be, but one thing was for sure, nothing proved to be a better plan than going back to the basics and that is exactly what Dr. Galindo does with his book. He takes the educator back to the basics in order to successfully educate all ages and levels.
In The Craft of Christian Teaching, Galindo works to keep it simple, but at the same time, emphasizes the purpose of education at the forefront. It is for the individual. “The goal of the intentional educator is to help persons become.†(p. 15) Galindo has years of experience as an educator and through personal antidotes and short to the point chapters, The Craft of Christian Teaching is wrapped into an easy to follow and understood text.
Galindo reminds the educator that in order to succeed, it comes down to the following questions: whom you know, what you know, when you know it, and why you should know it. Who are you teaching? What do you know about the subject? Why is this important to know? When is the process a success?
I had some questions when I first saw the title of the book, The Craft of Christian Teaching. How is Christian teaching different from secular teaching? Is the art of Christian teaching more “religious†than secular? I was intrigued at the differences expressed by Galindo, as well as the similarities. The author takes what seems to be two distinct worlds and connects them in understanding, process, application and technique, while at the same time gives each their due.
There is a simple formula to education and it can be found in this book. L=C. What do the letters stand for? Well, the answer is . . . wait, would I be the Very Good educator that Galindo calls for if I told you the answer? You can find this answer and many more in Galindo’s top rate book, The Craft of Christian Teaching: Essentials for Becoming a VERY GOOD Teacher.
Reviewed by guest blogger Linda C. Moore
Minister of Christian Education
First Baptist Church, Newton MA
