Story Telling Imagination & Life

Introduction

I have been writing this post while at the same time writing my monthly post for my Literacy blog titled 'Literacy, Families & Learning'. This of course has a different audience, but nevertheless many Christians read that blog as well as other faith-based people from around the world who are not Christians. One of the largest groups of followers overseas are parents who live as Muslims in a wide range of Muslim countries. Their concern for their children's education and growth is similar to many Christian parents. A case in point is seen in this month's topic, it is of relevance to people of all nations. 

In the post, I want to revisit the topic of Storytelling and discuss just how critical it is for the development of our children. This should not surprise you because I devote a full chapter to 'Imagination & Life' in my Pedagogy book. The book addresses pedagogy and teaching quite broadly. Considering the role of the  human imagination is one of the areas examined. The varied outputs of life are often expressed through the imagination, or at a minimum influenced by it.

1. Keeping Imagination in check 

C.S. Lewis talked often about the relationship between imagination and reason. He stressed we must not let imagination shape us so much, that we misuse it or allow it to replace reason. Jeremiah warns us not to walk "in the imagination of our hearts". By this, most commentators believe that he is stressing that while God gave us imaginations we must use them properly. 

Above: C.S. Lewis in his Study

I was an atheist to this point in my life, but went to church one day 40 years ago. I did so (much to her surprise) simply to accompany my wife, who while not a Christian herself, had an interest in God. She had attended Sunday School as child and her Grandparents were Christians. 

We moved to Bathurst (NSW Australia) in 1982 so I could take up a University appointment, my wife stayed at home to care for our two daughters aged 5 and three at the time. She took our 5 year old daughter to a Playgroup at the local Baptist Church after a neighbour (not a Christian) encouraged her to go with her.

To my wife's surprise, when she told me one day that she wanted our daughters to go to Sunday School, and a week later that she wanted to go to church herself, I surprised her (and inwardly myself). I replied "what makes you think I don't want to go too?" To this point in my life I saw myself as an Atheist. I was impacted by the sermon in the service on Matthew 11:28-30.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light".

I was touched by the message and when I got went home to the bathroom, dropped to my knees and in tears cried out to God, "God, if you're real, reveal yourself to me". In that moment, I was deeply convicted, and committed my life to follow him then and there on my knees. My wife came to faith about two weeks later. 

2. But a warning!

Veith and Rustuccia in their helpful article "Between the Image and the Word" remind us that imagination can provide some of the "subject matter" and "impetus" for our feelings and choices (see also Trevor Hart's book that was a key source for Veith & Rustuccia). Ultimately it is God who must use the circumstances of our lives, the gift of the imagination and the work of his Spirit, in concert with His Word, to bring us to our knees, repent and believe.

The would be evangelist, who takes pride in "their work" saving people and leading them to Christ, must not forget that it is the work of God that drives all, not us.  

3. Where to from here?

C.S. Lewis helpfully draws the above ideas together in his work "Bluspels and Flanasferes" pp 10-11 (Oxford University Press, 1939). While accepting the above insights about the imagination and God's use of it in lives like mine, we must remember that our imaginations can just as easily lead us in unhelpful directions. We must battle not to be captured by imaginations to lead us to stray and away from the truth. Having said this, it is also wrong to fear the imagination which God gave us as a gift. So encouraging children's imaginations is not bad, rather it is a gift that must be nurtured, encouraged and used to help all grasp truth.

Above: A Playgroup that encourages children to explore 

As teachers, we are to create classroom environments and atmospheres, that encourage children to explore questions like "what if?" "how come" and of course "why"? Such questions might lead to the seeking of deep truths mirrored in God's word. 

As parents we shouldn't fear the imagination. It is good for children to experience all written and spoken genres, including fantasy, to rightly understand the place of God's word in our lives. Fantasy, and truth are not the same thing. We need to help our children to understand and manage both as they engage and live in the world. 

These are important challenges for teachers and parents, might God bless and teach you as you head down such paths. 

The Relationship of Story, Meaning and Imagination for Younger Writers

Writing is Shaped by Family & Community Life

Well known Australian writer Dorothy Hewett grew up on the sprawling  sheep station of 'Lambton Downs' in South Australia. Bruce Bennett suggests that this was “the seedbed of Hewett’s creative fiction” (p.xv). Hewett herself, suggested that: 

 

“The first house sits in the hollow of the heart, it will never go away. It is the house of childhood become myth, inhabited by characters larger than life whose murmured conversations whisper and tug at the mind”. 

Above: Dorothy Hewitt

 

My childhood was very different to Hewett’s. I didn't live on a sprawling sheep station with the richness of memories and opportunities that Hewett experienced. As well, home for me was far from being a place of harmony and security. Nor was it a place where great literature was shared. Yet, I too found inspiration and ideas for my writing, from the storytelling, yarns, poetry, and music of my childhood, and from the key events of my early life.

 

Above: My First Home

 

Looking back at my childhood, and my early writing that survives, I can see how both were shaped, in part by the home I lived in, as well as my family and early uncontrolled life. Home was not in general a happy place, but it was an environment in which storytelling was everywhere, and not just from books. The stories that surrounded me had connections to music, poetry, 'yarns' and my free range life style. The latter offered boundless opportunities through my self-made adventures, and also the varied experiences and challenges of everyday life.

 

The tension between my experience of story and the literature of school, was a great challenge for me, especially in high school. I lived in a home where storytelling, yarns and some more contemporary poetry were what mattered. But at school, it seemed that it was only the work of great writers that was valued. This tension for me, had an influence on how I dealt with literature in my classrooms later in life as a teacher, academic and writer. 

 

The Many Seed Beds of Story Telling in My Life

 

Sometimes, hidden within the stories our students write, are hidden echoes of their personal life. Many find personal suffering is too painful to share, perhaps a near death experience that they were too scared ever to reveal it to their parents. However, there are often hints, crumbs along the path of their lives than can offer deep insights. These might reflect an event, person, or even a deed done for which they feel deep shame.

 

At a distance of many decades, I can see an example of this in my early writing. One piece I wrote in my teens was titled "The Orphan Seagulls". This picture book told the story of two seagull chicks who were sometimes left alone in their nest, on a high rock cliff near the ocean. While often only the father would leave to find food for them and their mother, as they grew older and food needs were greater, both parents would at times leave them.

 

On one of these occasions, the two half grown chicks huddled in their nest as a Sea Eagle flew in circles above the cliff that held their nest. They were high in the clouds, looking for prey. Father was well beyond the clouds and out to sea, and Mother had gone out quickly just along the shore, to seek some easy pickings in the surf below. But she had not gone long before we saw an eagle circling above us. I wrote about it in early story this way: 

 

"While mother was away, we took the opportunity to sit on the edge of our nest and stretch our wings, which were now fully feathered. Suddenly, we saw an eagle above us and we realized it had spotted us. It began to circle and then descend. We looked beyond it hoping that mother might be returning. But we could not see her." 

 

 

As an adult, I often recall childhood memories of my sister and I often being left at home on a Saturday and sometimes Sunday nights while our parents were out entertaining at clubs, weddings and hotels. When it was time for bed and they hadn't returned, we would huddle under the covers and worry at every noise we heard outside. On one such evening someone came and banged on the wall outside my sister's room where we were both trying to fall asleep. We were terrified! Thankfully, it stopped but we couldn't get to sleep. When our parents arrived home at about midnight we rushed to them. Dad tried to calm us by going outside, searching the surrounds before coming back and saying it was probably a horse that had come into our yard and bumped into the house. This of course, was nonsense. 

 

As a teacher, when I read the writing of some of my students, I would at times hear a few faint echoes of life experiences they had which troubled them. On a few occasions, my students privately shared some of these experiences.

 

Growing Young Writers

 

I believe as teachers we can have a great influence on growing our students as writers. We will do this if we are able to inspire them with great literature and powerful story telling. As well, we need to assist them build on such literature, to grow as story tellers and writers themselves. 

 

Imagination is of course, a key ingredient in this quest. So, how might we inspire our students to write not just because they have to, but to release them to explore ideas and seek deeper personal insights that turns life experiences into rich story telling?

 

 

Above: A very young writer composing an early story

 

First, we need to flood their world with stories and poetry of all kinds. This requires skill by the teacher to introduce them to varied works, and inspire them to read and seek out books themselves.

 

Second, we need to model this by sharing books that would also be appropriate for them, and that open up opportunities for them to share some of their favourite books.

 

Third. we need to create an environment in the classroom that allows space for such personal reading, and some time when they can share these with other students. One simple way to do this is to allow students to go and read if they have finished other subject area activities and tasks. I might return to this topic in a future post.

 

Good Luck!

The Role of the Imagination in Story & Character Development

In 2024 I presented two keynote addresses to a national gathering of the 150 leaders of ‘Christian Schools Australia’. To do so, I drew on the ideas outlined in my book 'Pedagogy and Education for Life: A Christian Reframing of Teaching, Learning and Formation'. I suggested that Christian education and pedagogy must be rooted in an understanding of God's people in-between this life and the next.

 

As I suggest many times in my writing, we are shaped as we engage with others, and as we inhabit varied 'communities of practice'. That is, we move in and out of many situations and groups, all of which have an impact on us in varied ways. This is reality for our students as they attend our schools, and inhabit many groups. The term “Intertextuality” helps us to understand what this means. It was coined by cognitive anthropologist Julia Kristeva (1991).

 

It describes how we ‘inhabit’ the varied groups in life. And as we do we learn things, and take on many of the same concerns, passions, values and beliefs of the groups or ‘communities’. As teachers and school leaders, we need to understand this as we teach, educate and point students in wise directions for life.

  

1. Imagination and COMMUNITY

 

Martin Buber suggested as we build relationships, our ‘Character’ requires us to have and preserve a level of freedom, expressed in any human communion. Conversely, ‘compulsion’ illustrated by rules, can create disunion, sometimes humiliation, and hence rebelliousness.

  

In many ways, this is why the informal networks of life beat the formal structures of education hands down, in influencing the heart, life priorities, hopes and dreams. Why? Because in such less formal gatherings young people are able to ‘speak into’ the lives of their friends in ways that few teachers and even parents cannot. So, the varied communities our children inhabit, help to shape minds, lives, expectations, imaginations and hoped for futures.

 

Ironically, sometimes families (and some schools) only end up reinforcing the things that matter much less than faith in the living God. Even in faith-based schools, teachers and leaders can end up promoting worldly success, starting salaries for future jobs, career status, achievement etc. This is at the expense of faith and character, wise choices and growth. School for many, can become an annoying imposition that one endures, knowing that one day they can escape to find what they see as ‘true’ freedom. The communities that matter most can end up being outside the formal structures and life of school.

 

 

2. Creating different and more effective communities within our classrooms

 

What we need to consider as teachers and schools, is how we can build more effectively different within our classrooms and the school at large. That is, communities which can shape imaginations, and how our students use them.

 

But how can this be done? Let me offer a fuller vignette that might help to reinforce this key point. How can we assist our student imaginations to be shaped within our school communities of practice?

 

A number of years ago, I spent 12 months team teaching within a Year 1 classroom in Wagga Wagga, a wonderful town in inland Australia. My partner (Inta) was teaching in a Lutheran school, at a time when we were not plagued by the current education system’s desire to test children for the sake of testing. Rather, Inta’s key priority for these early learners was to embed them within an exciting classroom, that in its own way was a well-focused and exciting community that both taught and shaped at the same time.

 

 

One of my first observations as I entered the grade 1 classroom, was the rules within this classroom for 6 year old students in their second year at school weren’t dominant, and yet all seemed to know where the boundaries stood. As a result, there was movement, shared learning and intertextuality everywhere.

 

3. What do I mean by 'Intertextuality'? 

 

What is intertextuality, and why is it important? As I have already alluded, it is the relationship between one text or experience and another. By ‘text’ I’m using a term linguists use to refer to a spoken or written unit of meaning, of whatever length that forms a unified whole (a caption, headline, story, joke, play, essay, musical lyrics, letter etc). This term was first coined by philosopher Julia Kristeva in the 1960s. In essence, intertextuality involves “the connection or relationship between similar or related stories, images, songs, ideas and so on”. The interconnections we see can of course influence other learners to create very exciting classroom communities.

 

When I entered Inta’s classroom on my first day, it was obvious that the talk, drawing, writing, play etc, were being ‘collectively’ shaped as students read and wrote together, as extensions of their relationships with the teacher, and other students. Such interconnection didn’t stop within the classroom. I observed them in the playground, on the bus going home, and at home itself, with the texts playing a key role in establishing and extending their relationships. Sometimes the response of one child would lead naturally to the response of others.

 

 

I became involved very quickly and in my second week I read them the delightful book 'The Jolly Postman' (Ahlberg & Ahlberg, 1986). The children's interactions with the book as they sat on the floor in front of me was very exciting. They loved the book!

After finishing the book, I allowed time for students to chat about it, then sent them back to continue with a range of language activities (including writing). Within 10 minutes of reading the Jolly Postman, one student returned to show me a letter that she had written which was obviously inspired by the book we had just read (see PPT).  She announced:

 

“Look Mr Cairney, I've written my own Jolly Postman letter.  Chlorissa is writing one too.”

 

 

 

Within 20 minutes there were at least 10 letters in preparation, and by recess the whole class was writing "Jolly Postman" letters. Within a few days the class had produced many letters to favourite characters in books. 

 

 

The next day I was confronted by a small group of students who politely suggested (almost demanding): 

  

“Mr Cairney, we'll have to write our own Jolly Postman book.  Can we do one?”

 

And of course, Inta set about putting the wheels in motion to do just that. This was to dominate the next day or so at school. 

When it was time for me to leave the classroom after a few months I was presented with the class version of its own 'Jolly Postman' book. 

 

With the class letters inspired by ‘The Jolly Postman” Inta used the words from the book and the children's letters, and turned it into their own book, which they presented to me when I left them.

 

4  What can we learn from this example about imagination and character development?

 

This literacy lesson illustrates how classroom environments provide an opportunity for students to build textual histories, as they relate to others and share their experiences. These and other events in and outside school, help to shape them and to establish their hopes, dreams, values and priorities in life. As James Smith famously suggested, “we are what we love”. And this class had been inspired by Inta to love books!

 

This type of shared experience is a vital part of any classroom environment. Straight rows and "eyes to the front" and "heads down" will maintain discipline and focus on the teacher's agenda. This is of course is important and essential at times, but for younger learners, creativity and enthusiasm for reading, writing and even arithmetic (to use an old adage) are critical. So too, are creativity, joy in learning and collaboration with others, are also key skills for life.

 

 

The Role of Story in Shaping Hearts & Minds

I devote a whole chapter in my book ‘Pedagogy andEducation for Life’ to stories and storytelling. In this post, I just want to make three points about story, which cannot be emphasised too many times. I’ve just posted on my ‘Language & Literacy’ blog about some wonderful children’s books, which prompted me to discuss the impact that stories have on children’s lives. I’m not simply speaking of stories in books, but rather the impact of stories of all kinds on how our children see the world. Three quick points:

 

First, stories in whatever form, can shape our hopes, goals, desires and views of the world. So, as teachers and parents, the choices we make - when we share stories and literature with our children, or when we allow them to watch specific television programs and movies - matter!

 

Second, stories can shape our vision and desires for life. Oliver O'Donovan reminded us of Augustine’s statement that a community is “a gathered multitude of rational beings united by agreeing to share the things they love.” Such groups whether friendship groups, teams, classrooms, clubs etc, influence our ‘hearts’ and minds. In essence, through them we can come to have a common “view of the good.” Or, put another way, the things that matter to them and shape their lives.

 

Third, one’s goals, desires, views of the world and varied cultural practices shaped, might be good, bad or inconsequential for our children.

 

My Christian readers will take comfort in knowing that the Bible is central to their lives and that of their children. As such, this can influence and shape goals, desires and views of the world. And of course, my readers who have other faiths will point to other key religious books and teachings that shape who they are. Others will trust in their children to make good choices, and simply try to influence them within the home, through their own values and actions.

 

But note this. Our children spend much of their lives talking and engaging with other children like them, and spending time on varied social media, much of which teachers and parents don’t use. As such, there are many influences through the varied “communities of practice” in which they live day by day. Hence, within the many and varied real and online communities that our children inhabit, there are ideas and ‘loves’ that are not scrutinized by parents or teachers.  

 

Margaret Meek suggested that the writing of others is “infectious”; and this she always hoped for as a writer. The stories that are part of our experience can shape our vision of the good life, give focus to our desires, and direction. And the stories that are part of our experience shape our vision of the good life, giving focus to our desires, and lead us down different paths.

 

Summing up, story can challenge, move us and lead us to reflect on our lives. And the stories of life in whatever form, helps us to deal with all of life’s emotions including love, hate, fear, confidence, chaos, certainty, weakness, strength, success, and failure. Stories are potentially formative, influencing our attitude toward the ultimate object of love—the God of the universe—who has made us for a future kingdom and an everlasting hope and glory.

 

How important is narrative in your classroom and school? Principle 19

Part of what separates humanity from other creatures is that God made us to be story tellers. From the beginning story was to hold a special place as part of human existence. Harold Rosen (in ‘Stories and Meanings’) reminds us that much of human existence is dependent on story, for it helps us to move through the seeming chaos of life towards understanding. In fact, some of life’s greatest insights are shared through story. As well, much human wisdom, knowledge and understanding have been passed down through the ages in the form of stories.

Alasdair MacIntyre in his book ‘After Virtue’ goes further and suggests that ‘man (sic) is in his actions and practices, as well as in his fictions, essentially a story-telling animal’. We frequently think in narrative, pass on our personal history, envision the future and speak of the present predominantly through story. 

But you might ask, am I claiming that God’s story of redemption is evident in literature? In a sense, I am claiming this. Barth saw it this way, and drew on Calvin’s idea that all of creation is the ‘theatre of God’s glory’. Literature he argued, even that written by the non-believers, can be used by God as part of his general revelation to mankind. Tate suggests that Barth’s use of ‘parable’ is appropriate, as secular stories can point to a meaning beyond the basic narrative. Secular parables might be used by God to speak to particular people in specific contexts. I too believe, that just as God uses the preaching of biblical literature to reveal inexplicable meanings at times for the preacher’s audience, so too, secular parables can be used by God to point to the central narrative of God’s redemptive plans for his creation.

 

Understanding that God can reveal himself through all of creation, including the works of humankind, should free us to embrace secular literature, Indigenous dreamtime stories from varied nations, folk tales and even the anecdotes of life as vehicles for God’s revelation of truth to us. This is not to suggest that all that is written in the name of literature should be freely shared with our children, but it does allow us to avoid the extremes of disengagement with the literature and stories of the world, as well as avoiding total assimilation and acceptance.

 

I wrote a number of years ago in my book ‘Pathways to Literacy’ that literature is not just about the enjoyment of story. I claimed that it is about life, and one's world. As such, literature and stories do much more than entertain, they can act as:

 

• mirrors to enable readers to reflect on life problems and circumstances;

• sources of knowledge;

• sources of ideological challenge;

• a means to peer into the past, and the future;

• vehicles to other places;

• a way to reflect on inner struggles;

• an introduction to the realities of life and death; and

•  a way to raise and discuss varied social issues.

 

Pathways to 'life' and understanding

Chapter 7 of my book 'Pedagogy and Education for Life' is devoted to a discussion of ‘Storytelling and Life’, and in it I explore story in detail. I contend that people learn from stories in their varied forms, and frequently share their lives with other students through stories. The Bible is filled with stories and it is a key way in which God communicates with us. God has given us the ability to tell stories and understand them as a key means of his revelation to us. It is through God’s stories that we understand who he is. And as God’s creatures made in his image, the stories we share directly and indirectly in life, can point to or away from God. How do the stories we share at school suggest implied views on the value of humanity, our beliefs, hopes, fears, and knowledge? Is my classroom a place where children tell their stories, and where others listen and gain hope and inspiration to seek God? To what extent are our stories and those we encourage in school life, echoes of the central meta-narrative of the Bible, that is, God’s redemptive plan for his people? For as Tolkien suggested, the gospel of Christ is “the greatest story of them all.”

 

Trinity College Library Dublin

What I’m suggesting is that literature as a form of narrative offers readers endless possibilities for exploration, imagination, learning and challenge, and it serves a key role in school education, particularly in the elementary school years. This role for literature is much broader and less explicitly connected to biblical truth than traditional Bible stories for children. But nonetheless, stories can point to, and illustrate, God’s salvation narrative and his work in our lives. They can also be used by God as part of his general revelation and common grace to us, both to enrich our imagined and hoped for view of the ‘good life’, and in the process, drawing attention to aspects of the human condition. As a result of this, stories can bring into focus truth, beauty and goodness, as well as human virtues that reflect the grace and providence of God. The eighth chapter of my book (“Imagination and Life”), might be helpful if you’d like to explore these issues some more.

 

Related references of relevance to this post

 

Trevor H. Cairney (1990). Other Worlds: The Endless Possibilities of Literature, Portsmouth (NH): Heinemann.

Trevor H. Cairney (1995). Pathways to Literacy, London: Cassell.

Trevor H. Cairney (2018). Pedagogy and Education for Life: A Christian Reframing of Teaching, Learning and Formation, Eugene (OR): Cascade Books.   

 

The Power of Story

Above: My father told constant stories about life

As an adult, I can never remember being read to as a child. Books were not a big part of our family life. But as I grew older, and particularly when I trained to become a teacher, I began to appreciate the importance of literature in the lives of the young. Later, as an academic, I began to research story and I became a passionate advocate for children's literature. I would often say in talks about children's literature that I hadn't lived in a home rich in literature. But over time, I began to realize that while books were not read to me as a child, and literature had not been prominent in my early life, that story DID play a large part in my childhood. How could this be so?

First, because my home was filled with music, song and my father's personal anecdotes of life in Scotland. My father's stories often focused on family hardship, and later in Australia, the struggles of an immigrant family and a lifetime of battles as a trade union leader against the power of big business. Both my parents were also musicians and entertainers, and my mother and sister were both gifted singers. Music, in a sense, was another form of storytelling that also filled our home. Second, my grandfather, with whom I spent all my school holidays, loved literature, particularly poetry, and was constantly quoting and reciting it. He would also constantly quote the Bible as part of daily life.

Above: A brother is introducing his sister to the power of story

What I was to realize many years later, was that story had indeed been central to my life. Not from books, but as oral stories in varied forms. Story in all of its forms has the power to challenge, to move us emotionally, and to cause us to reflect on life in all its dimensions. It also has the potential to move us to seek hope as we deal with all of life as we experience life's emotions, including love, hate, fear, confidence, chaos, uncertainty, weakness, strength, success, and failure. Story is an important influence on what we come to love and desire, it follows that it is potentially formative for our attitude toward the ultimate object of love—the God of the universe—who the Bible teaches has made us for a future kingdom and an everlasting hope and glory centred on him.

In my book 'Pedagogy and Education for Life', I devote a chapter to storytelling and in it write:

The significance of story for teaching should be obvious. It operates at multiple levels in the life of the school. At one level, students learn about the world through story. But at a deeper level they begin to imagine their own futures, their deepest desires, and the good life which they seek. As well, story is experienced in many forms: written, spoken, sung, viewed, heard, and experienced. In our world, we can be confronted and moved by books, advertising, movies, and music. This of course occurs in the 'everydayness' of life, whether at school, work, home, or in the world at large.

James K. A. Smith in his book 'Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation', argues that we are embodied creatures who absorb the stories of life, and engage in rituals and cultural practices that shape our desires and our vision of the good life. The stories that are part of our experience shape our vision of the good life, give focus to our desires, and direction to our lives.

But we don't just enjoy and absorb stories, we create them and share them as a central part of life. As Alasdair MacIntyre, suggests in his book 'After Virtue' we are storytelling creatures:

“Man [sic] is in his actions and practices, as well as in his fictions, essentially a story-telling animal.”

Humans frequently think in narrative, pass on personal histories, envision the future and speak of the present often through story. But there's more! Our stories have a relationship to the stories of other people, and also the central salvation narrative of the Bible. MacIntyre suggests in 'Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry' that 'The story of oneself is embedded in the history of the world, an overall narrative within which all other narratives find their place'. J.R. Tolkien suggested something similar when he challenged C.S. Lewis to consider the Christian faith.

It has become obvious to me over time, that my personal life story has a relationship to all other stories that I have experienced in life. This too is the experience of our children. Teachers need to understand this, for it has significant consequences for the view of the world they are forming each day, and even more important than this, their view of their potential future. For much of the life of school, teachers have little connection to the stories that are shaping the lives of our young people. One of the great challenges that we face is how to address this disconnection between adults and the private narrative worlds of our students.

Being participants in the storied lives that our children live each day, is a major challenge for parents and teachers. In 'Pedagogy and Education for Life' I argue that we need to strive to help our children connect their lives to the Bible's central narrative. That is:

In the beginning, God created . . . and it was good. But sin entered the world, man rebelled against Him, and so God placed a curse upon his creation that one day would end in judgment. But God always had a plan to respond to such rebellion, a plan of redemption motivated by love, an amazing gift and act of grace: sending his own Son to die, and then three days later to be raised from the dead to defeat sin and death, and one day to return to judge the living and the dead. This is how the Bible outlines God's plan to provide a way for his creation to be restored to a rightful relationship with him.

Stories can be used by God as part of his general revelation and common grace to us, both to enrich our imagined and hoped-for view of the good life, and in the process draw attention to aspects of the human condition.

To be human is to understand our God-given desire to know our purpose in life and to seek fulfillment in the “hoped for,” the ultimate quest of each life. In life, we are immersed within an intertextual cacophony of stories that shape and influence the things we desire. From these stories, we read various representations of the future, and alternative visions of what Aristotle first called 'human flourishing. (Cairney, In press, 'Pedagogy and Education for Life').

Finally, stories can bring into focus truth, beauty, and goodness, as well as human virtues that reflect the grace and providence of God. Teachers need to constantly ask themselves, how do I share and position classroom life in such a way, that ultimately, the stories that our students hear, share and are influenced by, have a connection to the central narrative of the Gospel of Christ?

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