Answering the Call Back to the Classroom: Faith-Based, Student-Centered, and Culturally Relevant Learning at Hosanna Academy

Posted on January 19, 2026

by Dr. Shannon Stanton Agbotse

I remember my first year as a teacher - over ahem 25 years ago - fresh out of my Master’s program in education from Harvard and ready to take on the world. And I loved it. Truly loved it.

I taught third grade, and my students were the best. We called ourselves the Shining Stars, and we brought the spirit whenever there was a school-wide assembly. I found so much joy in teaching. I wasn’t just delivering lessons—I was learning my students: what excited them, where they struggled, and how they made sense of the world.

Though I was teaching in a public school, I made a point to speak life into my students every day—through quotes, affirmations, and proverbs. I wanted them to know that they carried gifts inside of them that the world needed, that their lives had purpose. I wasn’t just their teacher, I was also their biggest cheerleader.

And I brought Black history.

It was a subject dear to my heart and one I believed - then and now - should be taught year-round. I wrote an entire play called A Legacy of Strength, beginning with the kings and queens of Africa and moving through Black heroes and leaders to the present day. What started as a performance for parents somehow became a production for the entire school during, yes, Black History Month.

My third graders rocked it.

I still remember Mavis, who portrayed an African queen whose family had been sold away. She sang a song I wrote called “What Have I Done?” Her voice filled the room, and by the end, there were tears throughout the audience.

That moment confirmed what I already knew: when children’s gifts are nurtured and they are given space to present and be seen, they shine. The same was true in language arts, math, and science. When students are held to high expectations and given scaffolded support, they rise.

I lasted three years in the system.

Not because I stopped loving the children - or teaching, but because I couldn’t stand what the system was asking me to do to them.

I hated the bureaucracy. I hated the relentless focus on standardized testing at the expense of individuality. I hated the stories my former students brought back to me about what was happening in their classrooms after they left mine. And even at the elementary level, I hated seeing what was happening to our Black boys: they were bored, labeled, disciplined, and sitting in the principal’s office - their genius undiscovered and untapped.

So I resigned.

I was accepted into a PhD program and focused my research on literacy development, expectations, and African American education. Armed with my doctorate, I thought I would open a school tailored specifically for Black children right away.

God had other plans.

Instead, I became a professor in Teacher Education, preparing pre-service teachers in credential and Master’s programs. For seventeen years, I taught future educators how to teach “diverse learners,” how to design culturally relevant and responsive curriculum, and what it truly means to hold high expectations for all students—especially what it looks like when you don’t. I taught courses on the history of education and one dedicated entirely to the history of African American education in the United States.

And then… the drum started beating.

Quietly at first. Then louder. Calling me back to where I first began. Because teaching children is not just my passion - it is my call.

So I leaped.

Today, that calling takes shape through Explore Black History, where my goal is to teach one million children Black history - truthfully, developmentally appropriately, and with a strengths-based approach. That work comes alive through the Explore Black History on the Go podcast, where children and families learn his tory through storytelling and through the Explore Black History App, which houses the Deluxe Black History Library - a growing, curated collection of lessons, resources, and learning experiences designed to make Black history accessible, engaging, and meaningful for everyday learning.

And that calling also takes shape through Hosanna Academy.

Hosanna Academy grew out of that calling—a faith-based, student-centered learning community intentionally designed to cultivate character, excellence, and a deep sense of belonging. It was designed with African American students in mind, drawing on a deep understanding of their histories, strengths, and lived experiences, while remaining open and welcoming to all who value this approach to learning. It reflects everything I have learned as a classroom teacher, a researcher, and a professor preparing future educators, as well as everything I have witnessed children need in order to truly thrive.

While Hosanna began as a vision for a physical microschool, its future is being intentionally built online, creating a faith-based learning environment that reaches families beyond walls and zip codes. This online model allows us to offer biblically grounded, student-centered, and culturally relevant education wherever children are.

I am building for families who desire a Christian education that goes beyond rote learning, a place where children are seen as image-bearers of God, created with purpose and giftedness. I am building for families who are seeking something more than a test-driven classroom, and who value a curriculum that nurtures capacity, reflection, and growth.

I am building online for families in geographic regions where what children are allowed to learn - especially about Black history - is increasingly censored and regulated. And I am building online to create choice: a space where students, particularly those who have too often been asked to shrink, explain, or translate themselves in order to belong, can instead learn in an environment that recognizes and affirms who they are.

Hosanna Academy is rooted in three core principles: biblically centered, student-centered, and culturally relevant—not as buzzwords, but as lived practice.

Biblically Centered

Faith is not an add-on at Hosanna; it is the foundation. In a world that constantly shifts its definition of truth, children need something steady to stand on. Biblical principles help shape character, guide behavior, and form a life marked by integrity and excellence. Scripture is not just something to memorize, it is a lens for how we live, learn, treat others, and steward our gifts. More than ever, our children need to know who God says they are.

Student-Centered

Children are not empty vessels to be filled or data points. They are image-bearers with unique gifts, interests, personalities, and ways of knowing. At Hosanna, learning is designed to build, not overwhelm. We nurture strengths, support stretches, and create space for curiosity, reflection, and growth. Excellence is rooted in purpose, not pressure.

Culturally Relevant Education Rooted in Black History

Black history is not supplemental—it is core. Our children deserve to see themselves in the story of humanity, faith, innovation, resistance, and excellence. When children know their history, they gain language for their identity and confidence for their future. When learning is grounded in lived experience, faith, and culture, children are able to show up fully as themselves - without having to explain who they are, code-switch, or dim their brilliance in order to belong.

This is a big task. I know that.

But I serve a big God.

And I stand on a legacy of excellence passed down from ancestors who overcame insurmountable obstacles and still built, taught, created, and believed. They inspire me every day and they inspire the work we do at Hosanna Academy.

This blog marks my return to the conversation. A space to reflect, to challenge, and to imagine what education can be when it honors God, centers children, and creates room for them to thrive.

This is the journey I am on. If it resonates, I welcome you to walk alongside me as we imagine what education can be when it is rooted in faith, truth, and belonging.