STANDARDS AND PRACTICES FOR SELECTING AND TEACHING LITERATURE IN ADVENTIST SCHOOLS

“The great aim of the teacher should be the perfecting of Christian character in himself and in his students.”  Ellen G. White, Counsels to Parents and Teachers, p. 68

Literature selected in Adventist schools should . . .

• Encourage students to be thoughtful, law-abiding citizens and loyal, conscientious Christians.
• Support curriculum goals with regard to spiritual ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and values of the Church.
• Lead to the development of the whole person.
• Help students understand developmentally appropriate issues.
• Answer questions on the origin, nature, and destiny of humankind within the context of the Adventist worldview.
• Nurture an appreciation of the true, the honest, and the beautiful.
• Give primary emphasis to character-building.

Teachers of literature in Adventist schools should . . .

• Choose materials and teaching methods designed to encourage the development of mature Christian students, committed to the search for wisdom and truth, and concerned with the physical and spiritual well-being of humanity.
• Assist students in discovering the present-day relevance of Biblical literature and the writing of Ellen G. White.
• Include materials that sharpen perceptions, provide fresh insights, and challenge the values that students have accepted or held without critical examination.
• Include literature which reflects and respects the diversity of our world.
• Consider the Adventist constituency of the school, the homes from which the students come, and most importantly the students themselves when choosing material.
• Provide acceptable reading options to those who request an alternate text based on personal convictions.