At school we have a “security guard.” I put it in quotation marks because I don’t feel all that secure with him just sitting at a table looking out the window all day, but whatever. It’s his job.
Today, the “security guard” asked me if I knew one of the Arabic prayers. I responded “Oh, no, I’m not Muslim,” to which he responded “You will be.”
That perked my ears right up and I got into it as much as possible with him while I ran back and forth to my class. He seems to think that Jesus was a Muslim and that He didn’t ever say that He was the Son of God. (HAHA… what DID he say then?) I gave him the shortest gospel ever… “I believe Jesus was the Son of God and that he died for my sins.” and had to run off and go back to my classroom.
Still, what Mr. Security said stayed with me all day. It’s still in my mind. I hate the “all inclusive” religion… NO, I WON’T BE A MUSLIM! No, Jesus was not a Muslim.
I have so So SO many reasons for not being a Muslim, but the first, biggest, and most important reason is that I am forgiven by the fact that God sent his Son to die on the cross and take up all of my sins (and everyone else’s too) so that I can be considered sinless in God’s sight, and then He rose again to prove that he was stronger than death. It’s the only truth there is.
There is none after him. Period. I don’t need another prophet to tell me what to do or how to live. I’ve got it covered.
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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS:
Tell me what you know about Montessori schools and their teaching methods… I’m considering converting my class to that format!
Life with grace and faith... 
Megan,
Hey, so I totally understand why you were offended by what the security guard said, and I certainly don’t think you should convert to Islam, but you should consider how you react to Islam when you are talking about ministering to your students and co-workers. They probably think of Christianity in a similar way. You should approach Islam more objectively and openly–not to be converted, but to have a greater understanding of it. All religions sound strange to people who don’t practice them. You think that the security guard is close-minded, but he probably thinks the same thing about you. If you open up and listen more, they will be more willing to do the same.
Also, while I agree that this is a great chance to minister to non-Christians, I think you need to consider where you are. It’s not like you are out on the streets or a missionary–you are in place of worship. That would be like a Buddhist monk coming to a Baptist church and trying to convert everyone. That’s not where most “conversions” would occur. I think that if God put you there to minister, it’s probably to reach people like your assistant–the people who were Christian but got lost along the way. Just an idea.
Personally, I have great respect for my Muslim students. They are all really good people, especially my female students. I would never convert to Islam, but I think it is a fascinating religion and I enjoy learning about it and their culture. Obviously, my students are much older than yours and I also teach Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Vietnamese, and Indian students, so my experience is different and it allows for a lot of comparison and contrast.
Good luck. I enjoy reading your blog and comparing it to my experiences. Have you found any good ESL activities yet? If not, let me know. I taught children in South America over the summer and had a few kindergarteners who spoke no English. OH–make sure you look at Dave’s ESL Cafe “Idea Cookbook.” There are TONS of ideas there.
-Melody
Melody,
Thank you so much for your comment. Just to clarify, I have been studying the Islamic religion since I’ve been there. I have a lot of respect for the religion and I think highly of the Muslim people I have come to know. I didn’t mean to give the wrong idea of this very short conversation I had with the security guard… It was literally a 2 minute conversation that stuck with me all day. I have been open to their ideas and think that they are very interesting, but I’m with you, I could never convert. This was not even a situation where I was really sharing the gospel- It was me sharing my view of how Christianity is different than Islam. Maybe I didn’t portray that very well.
i agree that I do need to consider where I am… but also know that I’m not working in the mosque so to speak- it’s a full school that’s connected to the mosque. I agree with you that the people I’ll be ministering to are the people I work the closest with, but I also believe I can be a light all over the school. It’s not about me trying to “convert” everyone, it’s about me being a Christian in a Muslim place and having conversations where they arise. Please don’t misunderstand me- this conversation was not an unkind or disrespectful one… it was simply hurried.
it sounds like you’ve had a TON of awesome experiences! I’m sure you’ve learned a lot and know a ton more than I do about Islamic culture. Please know that I share your respect for the Muslim students… they are truly great people. That’s why I care.
I’m starting to get through to the little guys who don’t know English… I’ll definitely take any tips you have! Right now I’m just showing as I go to help them make connections. It’s only down to a few students who don’t speak a lot of English. They’re little sponges at that age!
Thanks again for all the tips. Keep in touch!
Megan
Megan
call me and we should chat early childhood that was my undergrad major. There are good and bad to Montessori method. It is very hard to do Montessori the right way without formal training.
I like to use a combination of theme based and project based curriculum. It seems to work well to give the students an extended play time with rules for playing. Ie only 3 or 4 students per center (area) at one time and the students verbally choose which center they want to “work” in and all students must be there at least 10 minutes before moving to the next center. I keep track of the students in the center by a chart with pictures and the kids can place their name or picture card under it.
Seriously call me and I will give you other small but effective tips for a successful classroom. I know it is a tough age but don’t forget to laugh and have fun with them they want to please you.