Everyday Christian Teaching: A Guide to Practicing Faith in the Classroom

by David I. Smith

Discover how ordinary moments in the school year can become occasions for making profound connections between faith and pedagogy.
 
In this encouraging and practical book, education expert David I. Smith invites Christian educators on a journey through the school year that will deepen their capacity to make thoughtful connections between their faith and their pedagogy.
 
Mirroring the rhythms of an academic year, the book embraces and explores the mundane moments that all teachers experience every semester. Starting the course. Setting some norms for interaction. Choosing how to frame the material. Assigning tasks. Repeating things. Pausing. Bringing things to a close. The topics are deliberately ordinary because, as Smith demonstrates, the shape of one's teaching is mainly built from the unspectacular choices and actions that gradually shape the texture of life in the classroom. If educators want to think well about Christian faith and teaching and act well in the classroom, they need to learn to reflect well on those ordinary steps in the journey.
 
Everyday Christian Teaching builds on Smith's previous book On Christian Practicing Faith in the Classroom, where he made a persuasive case for connecting faith and pedagogy. The new book aims to put this idea into practice, as Smith explains in the "Suppose we want to get better at thinking about faith and teaching together. What then? What does the road look like, and how do we walk it wisely? If we'd like to be a pilgrim, how do we make progress?" Taking up such questions with wisdom and empathy, Everyday Christian Teaching helps educators develop faith-informed insights and life-giving practices that can transform their teaching over the course of time.

Genres: Education, Teaching

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2025

About the author

I started out as a secondary school foreign language teacher in England. I quickly became intrigued by the ways in which implicit beliefs and values shaped the materials and ways of teaching that I experienced in classrooms. That theme has become my career-long research project. Most of my books have something to do with how faith gets expressed in classrooms. I now direct a research institute focused on how Christian faith relates to education as well as being involved in teacher education at Calvin College as an education professor. I serve as senior editor of the International Journal of Christianity and Education, and travel widely to work with schools and universities on faculty development. I have also been involved in shaping some online curriculum projects at http://www.whatiflearning.com and http://www.teachfastly.com.

Reviews

[Brendan Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal - perhaps the best book on Christian education (specifically deeper learning & formation) I’ve ever read. The vision Smith casts is irresistible and speaks to what I’ve hoped my own teaching could become some day. Smith’s work here doesn’t come off as naive or idealistic; he provides plenty of practical examples and suggestions. I’m excited not only to implement some of these strategies, but also to dig into the extended reading list at the end of the book. I highly recommend for anyone looking to strengthen their teaching as a formational practice for their students.

[Peter Welle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book on Christian teaching that I've ever read. It is practical without being prescriptive, and inspiring without being manipulative. I'm already re-reading a couple chapters and working on folding in some new approaches that Smith inspired. Highly recommend for any thoughtful Christian teachers beguiled by the intersection of those two descriptors.

[Karen Wrobbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another excellent book by David I. Smith by guiding readers to reflect on "everyday" practices in the classroom. Both private and public school educators can apply his principles, as they are not about using words to express faith but, instead, practices such as hospitality, listening attentively to authors' words, and so much more. The book should be read slowly and reflectively. Questions at the end of each chapter guide the reader in reflecting; they are also useful for small group conversation.

[David Willey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely helpful and spiritually edifying. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making their faith a more present reality in the classroom. It isn't the most systematic or comprehensive work -- nor does it aim to be. What it does do, excellently, is present a series of thoughtful, practical reflections on Christian virtues, pedagogical practices, assessments, and in-class activities that help teachers better unite faith and learning. This was a beautiful and inspiring read.

[Justin Harbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

David has surpassed the brilliance of his previous book on Christian pedagogy, On Christian Teaching here. The brief chapters were a master stroke that invites slower reading and careful reflection, and perhaps frequent re-reading, a suggestion foreign to the time constraints many of us find ourselves pulled by at the moment. I am eager to share this with colleagues and friends alike - one of the most practical and yet thought provoking books on Christian pedagogy that I've read.

[Phillip Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Smith is always good but in this book, he excels himself. Smith explores how we might form a Biblical worldview in students as much through the practices of our pedagogy as in simply telling them how to think Biblically. A must for every teacher serious about forming faithful and wise students who will live for Christ. Our practices tell a story and we need to be sure the story being told is a true, good and beautiful one.

[Jason Albertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has sufficient depth that I don't think I'll finish reading it while I'm still a teacher. What a gift this book is!

Organized around the decisions a teacher makes in course design, Everyday Christian Teaching provides examples and reflection prompts that guide the reader in thinking about how these choices may be distinctly Christian.

There's too much to implement in a semester, but this has already made a difference in my teaching this fall. Can't recommend it highly enough.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading this to determine if I recommend it for our all faculty summer read, and it has not disappointed. I'm excited to share Smith's latest book with our teachers, and to dig into it further as a facility next year. Thoughtful articulation of what it means to teach christianly. Biblical integration is not the icing on top, but the whole cake.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books like this are so good because they cause me to burst with ideas and excitement but they are also so overwhelming because there's no way I could include or incorporate everything that it has to offer despite my deepest desires and best intentions 😅

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know of any other book that combines a meditative wisdom with straight forward practical tips. There are quotes worth framing in every chapter alongside to-do list items to write on post-its. It's one of the best books I've read.