The Conflict Between Community and Territory in Christian Schools

My school. My children. My classroom. My subject area. My specialization.

Our school. Our children. Our mission. Our common life in Christ. 

The conflict between community and territory.

Κοινωνια – koinonia – fellowship – community. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2: 42). It sounds great and it is great when our school is a community. It is also easy to make the word less than it is. 

The fellowship (Κοινωνια) of Acts 2 was deliberate being together, devotedly doing so in order to nurture their growth as the earliest Christian community. When is there time for us to deliberately be together as a school community where we are not stressed by the approaching bell, the duty that calls?

And the contribution (Κοινωνια) in 2 Corinthians 9:13 says that community is a place where we generously contribute. It is being together and it is more. It is contributing of our own free will and desire in response to God’s giving of himself to us. Community is a place that we certainly are members of, come together in, pray together and encourage each other. It is also a place where we give ourselves to each other. In our schools, is our Christian Professional Learning Community demonstrating the eight characteristics showing that commitment to each other?

1. Follow the example of Jesus (John 13:15)
2. Committed to excellence (Philippians 4:8)
3. Devoted to doing good for each child (Titus 3:8)
4. Engaging and interesting from the student’s point of view (Mark 4:2, Luke 23:5)
5. Always hopeful (Romans 5: 4-5)
6. Committed to learning (Luke 2:40, 52; Romans 15:14)
7. Humble, even as an expert (Romans 12:3)
8. Committed to colleagues’ success (1 Corinthians 12:27)

And the partnership (Κοινωνια) in 1 John 1:3 says that community is where we share something of inestimable value – we partner with each other and we are partners with God Himself. Most translations use the word fellowship here as well but the Greek word is the feminine form of koinos and has close affinity with partner (cf. Luke 5:10). Thus we are not just in the same space together, doing the same thing to a common goal, we are doing it literally with each other even as we have individual responsibilities. 

Thus we are ‘together’, we ‘share’ with each other, and we are ‘partners’ in the work – all part of the same word koinonia – fellowship – community. It is a powerful picture. 

There is another picture in our schools. It is one of territory. It is not intentionally ugly. It is not intended to be opposed to koinonia. It often has that effect. Let’s explore it as well. 

Territory in schools is a long-standing tradition. It was a 20^th century phenomenon where the phrase “closing the door to my classroom” meant closing out all the intrusive demands of administrators, curriculum demands, handbook rules, mandates, standards, and immersing myself in the independence of teaching in the way I thought best and developing personal/professional relationships with the students in my care. It has a history going back to the one room schoolhouse where the teacher was responsible for the instruction of all the students, the maintenance of the building, keeping the stove going and bringing in the wood, and cleaning the floors after the scholars left for the day – everything that happened within the four walls of the classroom. 

The system worked well. Children were sorted; some went to university as the privileged leaders; most went into some form of blue-collar and white-collar work requiring high levels of conformity and repetition. Teaching, mitigated by many individuals who wanted more, was limited, discipline was absolute, conformity emphasized. 

Breaking that tradition in favor of koinonia is essential. But why? Let’s look at two reasons:

1. Each and every child must succeed (cf. Luke 15:4). There is little future opportunity for our children if they do not have a base of skills and attitudes that they can use in the 4^th/5^th industrial revolutions and amidst the significant social change they find themselves in. “I” am not capable enough to accomplish that. Maybe I am good enough to help the majority of the students – that was enough in the 20^th century. Not today. I need ‘we’, I need koinonia in order to effectively support each child.
2. We are learning about concepts such as human capital spillover and emotional contagion understanding that “I” am not immune from “we”. Whether I like it or not, the autonomous castle of my classroom was always a myth. My success is actually dependent on your success and vice versa. Literally. Only in koinonia (cf. John 17:11) can I fully live out my promise – only in koinonia can we fully serve the children in our care. The faculty culture in a school is a true culture – it can be healthy or toxic. Territory always makes culture toxic.

Territory is connected to power, of course. We can’t ignore how power is embedded in the workings of our schools. Who has more time? Better facilities? More access to the hierarchy? More longevity / seniority? More money in their budgets? Their own classrooms versus a trolley? A ‘core’ subject rather than a ‘special’? Full-time rather than part-time? Where these things become important, are stressed and used to curry influence and decision-making, territory leverages toxicity (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:8). 

Koinonia is connected to sharing, to organic growth, to common goals, to giving of myself to you. Territory doesn’t have to be antithetical to koinonia / community. The power of the individual to make a difference is a reality. We participate in groups – we follow individuals. Nonetheless, the ability of community to serve children is far greater than the ability of territory. Let’s choose being together, sharing all things in common, partnering in the great enterprise of educating the young.