A New Creation

My Born Identity

• I was raised as a white, middle class, liberal Catholic. That was my cultural socialization and original cultural membership (Jackson 2014, p. 138).
• In high school I thought I wanted to be a priest.

My Born Identity

• Then at Saint John's University, I thought I wanted to be a doctor.
• But I ended up going to Japan and falling in love with that place instead.
• But God had other plans for my life.

As I think about my personal culture, I see my life before 1975 as a reflection of what I learned and how I was shaped by my parents, Catholic education and genetic personality disposition. Jackson (2014, p. 51) talks about how we "become accustomed to particular ways of being".

My experiences in Japan in 1974 and 1978 brought me into contact with a wholely different culture that opened my eyes to the diversity of cultures in the world. This contact changed me in some ways and my personal culture became more complex (Jackson 2014, p. 131).

After two months of talking with a co-worker, in 1975 I converted to born-again Christianity.

WHY would I do THAT?

• I learned that my good works would not save me and my sins condemned me.
• I accepted Christ as the only solution to my sin problem.
• I received a new identity as a genuine and committed follower of Jesus Christ.
• This new identity is what 2 Corinthians 5:17 calls "a new creation".
• I would never be the same person again.

Jackson (2014, p. 67) says that "our own cultural profile is not fixed or static". How true that was and still is for me! My personal, avowed culture has been very dynamic (Jackson 2014, p. 132).

How does that work?

• Romans 12:2 says that as Christians you are to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind".
• This means our character becomes Christlike as our mind/worldview becomes increasingly more Biblical.
• Genuine Christianity is designed to change every corner of our lives.

What changed in me was my worldview. Jackson (2014, p. 54) says one's worldview is like "viewing life through an invisible pair of glasses...which serve as a filter to help us make sense of humanity." The Biblical idea of repentence is that of "a change of mind" that results in a shift to a Biblical world-view of sin, self, God and our purpose for living.

Resultant Communication Style

• My goal now is to always strive to build others up according to their real need (1 Cor. 14:26).
• So first, I need to be a student of others to discern how I can be of actual help to them in word and deed in ways they will feel loved.

I like Jackson's idea (2014, p. 83) that communication can be intentional if we make a point of making it so. We do that when we "consciously engage [others] in interaction with a specific purpose in mind." I have an intentional goal of always helping to make people better, more informed and happier.

Professional Development

• My goal is to become the best ESL teacher I can be.
• I need to learn how to love and understand immigrant children and their struggles to learn English.
• I need to develop the tools I will need to deal with their learning strengths and weaknesses so they can become competent communicators in English.

Norton-Peirce (1995, p. 28) wrote about how teachers can "structure classroom activities...to help learners claim the right to speak outside the classroom." This empowerment is exactly what the immigrant women needed to overcome their feelings of intimidation in speaking in certain situations. This sensitivity to our students felt needs in practical communication is what should inform our teaching in the future.

The Interface

• How does a strong Christian interface with a liberal educational establishment?
• I realize that the elementary classroom is not the place for evangelism.
• Yet my Christian values can be used to make me a more engaged and more effective teacher in addressing immigrant children's educational and personal needs.

References

• Jackson, Jane (2014). Introducing Language and Intercultural Communication. London: Routledge.
• Norton-Peirce, Bonny (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly: Vol. 29. No. 1, Spring 1995 (9-31).