One of the unique features of BJU’s School of Education and Human Services is our deeply rooted connection to BJU Press. For over fifty years, BJU Press has been shaping the landscape of Christian education by providing PK-12 educational materials to schools and families across the globe. We see value in our students getting to interact with what BJU Press is doing. Our students discover that education can reach beyond the classroom walls while simultaneously witnessing how biblical worldview permeation can strengthen the educational process. Throughout their four-year experience, strategic connection points are incorporated each year in our classes.
Our freshmen first make contact with BJU Press by taking a tour of their facilities. Many of our students attended Christian schools or home schools that use BJU Press materials, but for some, this may be an entirely new world with which they are unfamiliar. Still, even if students are familiar with BJU Press, they may not be aware of the scope of the impact that it has all over the world. This tour provides students with an overview of the meticulous process of planning, writing, designing, printing, and shipping these materials.
During the sophomore year, our students take a course in educational technology. Here, our students learn to integrate technology into a variety of instructional settings. Again, BJU Press is able to speak to this topic through its aptly named Trove platform. A representative from BJU Press walks our students through the extensive digital library full of lesson plans, media, assessment tools, and professional development resources that teachers can access. In just a few short years, some of these students will be teaching in Christian school classrooms, and they will already be familiar with this instructional technology platform.
As our students enter their junior year, the focus shifts to methods classes. Another point of contact is made with BJU Press as we invite some of their writers to speak to our students in these classes. These writers have spent much time focused on their particular content area, outlining a scope and sequence, researching instructional practices, and integrating a biblical worldview throughout. At a moment when our students are preparing to put their learning into practice through their practicum and clinical practice experiences, interacting with these Christian professionals is a formative experience.
Finally, at the end of each semester, BJU Press helps celebrate our seniors by hosting a dinner for them. Again, this is a time that our partnership is highlighted. Each senior is offered a free teacher’s edition of either an ethics, biblical worldview, or Bible doctrine textbook. No matter where God calls our students, these resources will be an invaluable resource for them as they navigate their classrooms as believers.
We at the BJU School of Education and Human Services value our close connection to BJU Press. We share a like-minded philosophy of education and desire to equip the next generation of Christian educators to serve their students with excellence wherever God calls them. Therefore, we are intentional with these strategic touchpoints and look forward to continuing in this partnership for years to come.
