Dr. Sean Schat has made education his life鈥檚 work. Along with several years as a teacher, principal, vice principal and director of staff development at various Christian high schools in Ontario, he earned a PhD in education, cognition and learning from Brock University. He now teaches full time at Redeemer, the place where he received his undergraduate degree and developed a perspective that would tremendously impact his career.
鈥淢y interactions with my professors and classmates [at Redeemer] played a profound role in shaping my worldview and helping me recognize the importance of moving past worldview-in-theory and into worldview-in-action,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 was also given the ability to ask tough questions and wade into messy territory.鈥
Schat always had a passion for working with youth and young adults, which was further strengthened by his work as a counsellor at various summer camps. He also drew inspiration from his parents, both highly respected teachers in his hometown Christian elementary and secondary schools. As his career progressed, Schat dedicated his time to the crucial study of educational care, an area which he feels is not receiving enough consideration in many classrooms.
鈥淓ducational care occurs when a student recognizes that the teacher cares for him or her as a person, a learner and a member of the classroom community. I describe these as the three dimensions of educational care: personal, pedagogical and interpersonal. Almost all teachers intend to communicate care and demonstrate caring actions toward their students, but this doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean that the students perceive or experience care.鈥
In particular, Schat鈥檚 research distinguishes between the offering of care, presented in caring intentions and actions, and the successful communication of care, which factors in the response of the cared-for.
鈥淎ccording to the research literature, educational care positively influences student engagement and motivation as well as a sense of belonging and preparedness, which then correlates to improved student achievement. The successful communication of educational care can also transform the student-teacher relationship, which allows the teacher to be a trusted sounding board and influence.鈥
鈥淢y interactions with my professors and classmates played a profound role in shaping my worldview.”
Schat鈥檚 dedication to educational care has led to countless hours of research, which he has presented to individual Christian schools and Christian school administrators. In 2018, he presented his findings at the International Christian Community of Teacher Educators (ICCTE) conference and wrote an article titled 鈥楨xploring Care in Education鈥 for the ICCTE Journal. Most recently, he collaborated with fellow education professors PaulShotsberg and Cathy Freytag to co-author the first chapter of the book How Shall We Then Care?: A Christian Educator鈥檚 Guide to Caring for Self, Learners, Colleagues and Community. Despite these achievements, what Schat finds most rewarding is his interactions with students and colleagues.
鈥淚鈥檝e experienced my entire career as a calling. Although it hasn鈥檛 always been easy, I鈥檝e seen this in small moments, where I鈥檝e blessed and been blessed by students and colleagues. I鈥檝e also experienced it in larger moments, such as when I鈥檓 designing and implementing effective, influential curriculums and seeing my research bear fruit for teachers and students.鈥
When it comes to his faith, Schat believes that it is inextricably intertwined with his career. 鈥淚 believe that the communication of care is directly related to the 鈥榣ove mandate.鈥 Christians are called to love God and love others. Indeed, loving others is one of the ways we communicate our love for God. We also reflect God鈥檚 image in doing so.鈥
In keeping with this, Schat strives to advocate educational care as not just an idea, but a tangible expression of Christ鈥檚 love. He explains that, in some cases, even the noblest Christians can unwittingly cause harm due to improper execution of their intentions.
鈥淭oo often, there is a disconnect between our intentions and our impact. I believe that a greater awareness of the distinction between the offering of care and its successful communication will help Christians successfully demonstrate God鈥檚 love, therefore allowing more people to meet Christ in and through us and hear the message of his call.鈥