Navigating the Crossroads

Vicki Hosek

OAI: oai:igi-global.com:329525 • DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-9184-3.ch003

Political polarization is impacting the United States' public education system. School boards, administrators, and teachers are being asked to explain and support their decisions surrounding what is being taught, or not taught. The unrest that we are witnessing at school board meetings and in the media is often due to contrasting belief systems. What if the guiding belief systems of those in charge do not align with your own? As an instructional professor for a large public university as well as an academic researcher, the author has witnessed ideological pressures firsthand. As a Christian, the author has found those personal theological beliefs often at odds with components of the educational frameworks that are the most accepted and expected in the field of education. This autoethnographic study examines the author's navigation of this crossroads between beliefs and practices. Pedagogical and theoretical frameworks are considered in light of Christian theological frameworks. Implications and suggested practices are provided with the hope of moving toward a middle ground in this currently polarized field.

Religious Studies Education Educational Administration and Leadership Social Sciences and Humanities Government and Law