Centering Humanity in My Teaching

As my husband and I drove home from church today, he shared his thoughts on the work I do, reflecting on how it may not always be embraced by either Black or White communities. He explained that he believes it’s because I don’t center anyone specifically, but instead work hard to elevate all human stories in my teaching.

We are living in a time when it seems that everyone is fighting for center stage. My desire to honor all human stories isn’t about trying to be neutral or avoiding conflict. I do this because I feel called by God to do so. I have a deep conviction that if I teach in a way that doesn’t acknowledge others who may be part of the story, I’m not reflecting the love Jesus had for those who were often overlooked, and for the whole world. Even when I’m not teaching in a Christian or religious context, I believe I’m still commanded to “see” all people.

I think of the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She was “unseen” because religious leaders deemed her unclean. In a crowd, with everyone pressing in on Jesus, he stopped and “saw” her, and then healed her. Jesus didn’t just heal the unseen physically—he healed their broken hearts with his gracious love. Teaching in a way that affirms and validates my students, no matter who they are, reflects that same gracious love of Christ.

I’ve been reflecting on this approach to teaching and have begun to develop it into what I call the Koinonia Theory. It comes from studying the early church and how it brought together people of all ethnicities. Jesus, in his gracious and sacrificial love, sought to reach every single human being, favoring no one—not even his own ethnicity (this is why I really do not understand how people justify nationalism as something Biblical). When Peter was hesitant to welcome Gentiles (anyone who wasn’t Jewish), God gave him a vision where the Lord said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). Soon after Peter saw this vision he declared, “In truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” (Acts 10:34) This vision, where ethnicities, colors, cultures and even politics do not divide the church, gave birth to Koinonia. As I’ve meditated on this, I’ve felt that it can offer a framework to counter some of the unbiblical theories and philosophies we face today.

Anti-racism and Anti-wokeness are often seen as movements of “anti-whiteness” or “anti-blackness/brownness,” each fighting to push someone out of the center. When we say things like “decentering whiteness or dominant narratives” or “centering Black stories,” we often imply the removal of one group to center another. The Koinonia Theory, instead, centers everyone and decenters no one. It recognizes that we are all created in the image of God—Imago Dei.

Studying Catholic Social Teaching at Catholic University has deepened my passion for bringing humanity together, because this biblical framework elevates the truth of God’s Word about how we should relate to one another. The more I’ve studied it, the more I see it aligns with the spirit of Koinonia, the early church’s way of describing itself as a unified body.

Although Koinonia originally refers to the church, I believe it can be applied to classrooms and other social spaces. In today’s divided world, we often choose to center ourselves and create separation, but this is not God’s way. Whether in Christian or secular settings, as vessels of the Father’s love, we are called to live out Koinonia in the world. As an educator for ALL children, I must not burden them with the sins of the past. Instead, I must teach them about history while simultaneously liberating them through the limitless love Christ has for ALL of humanity.

To illustrate how I’m incorporating The Koinonia Theory into my teaching, I’d like to share a practical example. When Jesus walked the earth, it seems he was always asking, “Who else is there?”—seeking to find the “missing” or unseen person. Some may criticize me as a Black woman for embracing this stance, especially given that historically, my people’s stories have often been excluded. But I am commanded, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

This week, my social studies methods class and I will visit an exhibit on Black quilting and learn about its significance in Black history. I strive to take my students on field trips that inspire methods they can use in their own classrooms. It’s important to show them how to help their students see the world. There was a time when I would center this story, focusing solely on how my ancestors used quilting to repurpose scraps from the slave master to make blankets, because they had nothing but dirt floors to sleep on and no blankets for the cold nights. The pain in this history sometimes leads us to justify centering it above all others. But, looking at the early church and seeking to implement The Koinonia Theory in my teaching, I will also introduce my students to The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco, a story rooted in Russian culture. By doing this, I am not silencing my community’s story, nor am I allowing political pressures to silence the Russian story. Instead, I am showing that quilting is a shared human experience.

The Koinonia Theory provides a framework for teaching children in a way that frees them from the weight of politics, racial biases, and societal divisions. It allows them to learn how to love ALL of humanity as God does.