Dordt education professor publishes book on teaching Christianly

Dordt University Professor of Education Dr. David Mulder’s book, Always Becoming, Never Arriving: Developing an Imagination for Teaching Christianly, has recently been released. It is available for purchase on Amazon and Bookshop.org.

In his book, Mulder challenges educators to consider how their moment-by-moment choices in the classroom reflect their discipleship, urging them to shrink the gap between what they believe and how they teach.

“I love the idea of teaching ‘Christianly’—that every part of our work as teachers is actually motivated by our faith,” says Mulder. “As we look at the whole landscape of the teaching profession, let’s carefully consider the ways our faith motivates our work. From professionalism, to knowing about students, to creating a learning environment, to the content of the curriculum, to the ‘real work’ of planning, teaching, and assessing learning…all of it is motivated by a sense of ‘Jesus is Lord in this classroom.’”

Mulder’s desire to write the book stemmed from his conversations with students in his Introduction to Education course at Dordt. “I wanted to write a book that would be an encouragement to people at the very beginning of their process of discerning whether they are called to serve as teachers, to help them understand the contours of the teaching profession, and in particular, to understand how faith motivates every part of a Christian teacher’s practice.”

In addition to encouraging new educators, Always Becoming, Never Arriving aims to support experienced teachers as well. “My deep hope is that this book will encourage, equip, and challenge all Christian educators—whether brand new to the profession, or seasoned veterans—to keep growing and developing our imaginations for what it means to teach Christianly,” says Mulder.

Mulder says he would be remiss to not mention the lasting influence of Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Dr. John Van Dyk’s Letters to Lisa on his teaching philosophy: “For over 20 years, we used Letters to Lisa as a core text in our teacher preparation program at Dordt, and it had a profound impact on my own teaching practice. I see Always Becoming, Never Arriving as a spiritual successor to that important book, and I hope it will bless Christian educators in the same way Letters to Lisa shaped my approach to teaching.”

For more details, visit Mulder’s website.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.