Master of Arts: Digital Teaching and Learning

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Where Does My Help Come From?

Psalm 121: I will lift up my eyes to the hills From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth

April Borcherding Azusa Campus EDUC 526: The Capstone Experience Dr. Jennifer Courduff December 9, 2013

April Borcherding Azusa Campus !

EDUC 526: Growth Assessment Fall II

"#$%!&! December, 2013

When considering the four components of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral; scripture, traditions, reasoning and experience, I do believe that I incorporate all of them in my decision making to some degree. Scripture, reasoning and experience are the three strongest areas in the Wesleyan Quadrilateral that I defer to while making choices in my life. As I reflect on each of these, I can definitely declare that my primary focus in processing important life decisions come from scripture, the inherent Word of God. I believe that the Bible is truly God-breathed and was written in order to give us a manual how to live a happy, healthy and successful life. As I have gotten older and life circumstances become more complex, I am thankful to have this Truth for a foundation to turn to in times of question. The Bible itself declares that it was not written by man, but rather, by the Creator of the universe. God used a human hand to pen his inspired truth in order to reveals Himself to us. I rest knowing I have such a strong anchor to turn to in my life for direction. Scripture is the strongest foundation for making my decisions, but I also know that reasoning and experience blend together to aid my life-choices. If I have had a positive experience in my life, chances are that I would tend to gravitate toward repeating that experience because it produced a good memory. I love to travel and fly on airplanes. I have distinct wonderful memories of many experiences while traveling. If given an option to travel again, I would most likely take advantage of it because of the wonderful memories it produced. Reasoning also steers my path along with experience. When planning a trip, I must make sense of the adventure before departing. This requires levels of reasoning to make the journey take place. I make a travel itinerary based on what April Borcherding Azusa Campus ! EDUC 526: Growth Assessment Fall II "#$%!'! December, 2013

makes sense (reasoning) and also what has worked well before (experience.) This is simply one example of many ways I merge reasoning and experience in my daily life decisions. The main distinction between scripture and tradition in the Wesleyan Quadrilateral is that scripture is God-made and tradition is man-made. The Bible is documentation that is complete, fixed and will never be changed. Traditions are created by man and can fluctuate according to natural changes in the course of life. For example, in our family we had a wonderful Christmas tradition when we were young. My grandmother always made a Jesus birthday cake. She hand-made individual cream puffs and stacked them in such a way that looked like a Christmas tree. She inserted birthday candles and gathered all of her grandchildren around. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! The tradition changed over time, as the grandchildren got older. This was a wonderful man-made tradition based on the solid never-changing Word of God. In my own faith I tend to rely most on my reasoning as well as my experience when determining decisions and choices not directly addressed in the Bible. I am someone who prefers things to just make sense. Therefore, reasoning becomes a major factor when making critical life choices. If something doesnt appear to have a logical conclusion, I most likely would not take steps in that direction. I also believe that if there is not clarity prior to making a substantial life choice that requires change, to just stay still. The Lord gifts us with logical minds in order to help during those time of important decisions in life. In addition to reasoning, experience is a substantial factor in determining choices not directly addressed in the Bible. I reflect on a time in my life when I was considering a job change that would require relocation. In the process of April Borcherding Azusa Campus ! EDUC 526: Growth Assessment Fall II "#$%!(! December, 2013

trying to figure out what to do, my direct supervisor started demonstrating extremely abusive behavior toward me that made work difficult. This negative experience helped me to make a critical life choice to accept the job and relocate. It served to prompt me to move in a different direction as well as be removed from an abusive work situation. The decision-making process impacts the Hidden Curriculum of being a teacher and touching the lives of those around me in a few ways. I believe that being a moral example in action and word to my students is very impacting. When I display truthful ethical choices on a daily basis to my class, I believe they will learn by example. I tell my parents on back to school night that my goal for the year is definitely to educate the minds of their children. I also emphasize that it is equally important for me for my students to leave my class better equipped to contribute to the world around them in a positive, productive way. In other words, good behavior is just as crucial as good grades. The emphasis on good behavior for me is a blend of both my experiences and traditions. When I was young, it was mandatory to get good behavior grades. My parents always told me that behavior is a choice, and I was only to choose to be excellent while in class. This was a positive, encouragement and I responded to it. I never came home with anything but top behavior grades. Now that Im a parent, I instill the same expectations on my son. I tell him, as my parents told me, that I expect good behavior grades. My son responds well just like I did when I was a child and always brings home wonderful behavior grades. Character building is an important aspect of teaching and an enormous responsibility that I take very seriously as an educator. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a fantastic way to reflect on having a balanced life. I am thankful for the foundation of scripture in my life that is never-changing and a solid April Borcherding Azusa Campus ! EDUC 526: Growth Assessment Fall II "#$%!)! December, 2013

reference for direction. Learning from experiences in life also is something that molds my path. Both good and bad experiences can steer my future choices. I enjoy things in my life to simply make sense. Therefore, reasoning is very important to me because that internal desire. Tradition also plays a part in my life because setting and keeping good patterns is important for future generations in my family. All of these areas work together to keep me focused, set goals and direct my life. Ultimately, I know that God has an amazing plan for my life and I do my best to properly utilize the gifts he has given me while listening to His voice for direction. !

April Borcherding Azusa Campus !

EDUC 526: Growth Assessment Fall II

"#$%!*! December, 2013