Alumna Jenny Bodine Inspires Sixth-Graders with “Eastern Civilizations” Course

“Eastern Civilizations” is an unusual name for a course designed for 11- and 12- year olds, but it serves as an important foundational purpose for CCS sixth graders. When students begin their sixth-grade year at CCS, most will not have taken a year-long history or geography course. “Easter Civilizations” serves as the introductory course for the Upper School’s history department, designed to introduce the study of cultures, places, and events that pique students interest, lead them to generate questions, and help them see the value in future studies within the field. 

 Sixth graders are aware they are part of a world that feels vastly more interconnected than the world of previous generations. As adults, they can expect to do business, travel, worship, lead, and serve alongside people and communities far from Chattanooga. Practically speaking, to be effective in all areas of life, they will need to understand and work with individuals from a wide array of backgrounds. 

As part of the Christian community at CCS, students also come to understand that God calls His people to do far more than mere function effectively in business or travel. Scripture teaches that Christians are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” to “love your neighbor as yourself,” (Matthew 22:37-39), and to be God’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). To love God and others through acts of leadership, service, ministry, and stewardship, Christians must first understand their neighbors.

The theme woven into student instruction and experiences throughout the entire sixth-grade year is “Connect and Care.” In each course, students are presented with the importance of connecting with others and learning how and why they should care for the world around them, their neighbors, and themselves. Sixth graders are in a unique position to embrace this concept because they are seeing their world expand rapidly. Daily, they encourage new ideas and are asked to do more complex things, all while working alongside many new people. As “Eastern Civilizations” invites students to learn about the beliefs, pasts, and environments of those who are from long ago or far away, students develop lifelong habits of mind needed to connect and care for those they will encounter. —Jenny Bodine

 

 

Jenny  Bodine (’99)  discovered her passion for history as a student at Chattanooga Christian School (CCS). Now she’s inspiring the next generation alongside the very teachers who once taught her! Bodine teaches middle school history. She holds a BS in secondary Social Science with a concentration in History from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. To watch her video, CLICK HERE