How has my understanding changed?

How has my understanding of spirituality, education and justice changed throughout this unit so far?

It has been several months since I began some of the readings for this subject. There is a big difference between what I knew about these three concepts in December as compared to now. It is not only that I feel that I have learnt a lot about these concepts but also that as I have been reading it has become easier to understand the language and terminology used in the some of the readings.

If I reflect back to my post 'more than definitions', at that point in time I could see what the three words meant but struggled to see actually how they were going to tie in together in this subject and have practical relevance to my teaching. Now, a few months on, I can definitely see that there is so much more to each of these concepts independently and through interrelation than I previously thought.

Spirituality	Justice	Education
The quality that involves deep feelings and beliefs of a religious nature, rather than the physical parts of life ("Spirituality," 2015)	Fairness in the way people are dealt with ("Justice," 2015)	The process of teaching or learning, especially in the school or college, or the knowledge that you get from this.  ("Education," 2015)

I agree that spirituality is something that is not of a physical nature but from what I have learnt in our intensive and through the readings, my view of spirituality being related solely to feelings and beliefs of a religious nature has changed. The way that Tracey explained spirituality is that all people are spiritual beings whether they believe in a god or not. I see spirituality now as something much broader and all inclusive than I ever had before. It is not just related to a specific religion but rather the way that we were created as spiritual beings.

I feel that this definition still rings true based on what I have learnt but it can be explored much deeper than just saying what is fair. I understand what justice is in terms of what is just, fair and right and can see the importance of creating just situations in all areas of life. It was great to read about the impact Paulo Freire has made with his passion for educating those in struggling situations. I had never thought about what impact literacy could have on the power of individuals within in a community but I can now understand this. I believe this can also relate to us in our community. If students don't get a proper education their future and their power to take control of the lives can be impacted as their opportunities to do what they might be gifted in may be restricted.

I agree that education is a process of teaching and learning and that this isn't always restricted to the school or university environment though is the specific role of these institutions. I find this definition to be true, however is lacking many areas that are involved in educating a person. This definition highlights only knowledge as a key to education. I have learnt and feel I believed prior to this course that education is about much more than knowledge. It is about the experience of teaching and learning and helping people develop in many different ways; emotionally, spiritually, socially, academically etc. People can be educated at school, university, in a workplace, a child at home with their mother etc. Education is the concept that I believe I had known the most about prior to beginning this course yet I still feel that I have learnt so much more about by completing this subject. Particularly, Parker Palmer's ideas about teaching who we are is something that was new to me, as well as a range of other topics he discussed about fear, community and the importance of conversations and having time to think about and question who we are and what we believe in. I learnt a lot about some ideas for teaching in a Christian school and how we can create the best environment for transformation for our students. Critical thinking is another area that I have learnt about and would like to try to incorporate in my teaching to help me develop these skills as well as my students.

There is still plenty to learn...

Looking at the rest of this course, including the next intensive, I know I still have plenty to learn and be challenged with. A few areas I would particularly like to explore deeper include; 

• Justice- at our next intensive we are exploring justice further. I look forward to this as I still have a lot of questions to ask about justice and how we as teachers can help implement this concept to improve our teaching and benefit the lives of our students. I would love to know; who decides what is just? In terms of a religion, is it what is written? For those that aren't religious is it the law? Is there conflicts sometimes between what we believe is just and what others might think? What does God say about justice? Is there a difference between being just and doing what is right? We spoke a little about sometimes the just action is not always a positive thing. For example, creating consequences for a child that does the wrong thing. I would also like to explore justice in terms of reinforcement to broaden my understanding of the topic. 
• Spirituality- I now have the understanding that there is a distinct difference between religion and spirituality even though in some circumstances they are very closely connected. I need to critically look at spirituality from different perspectives to gain a better understanding of this concept. I would like to start to explore other's spirituality a bit more to see what experiences people have without religion in their lives. If everyone is a spiritual being, yet there are a large number of people all throughout the world which would claim to not believe in a god, how are they developing their spiritual lives if at all? I want to be able to learn more about this to help better understand my students, where they might be at in terms of their spirituality and to help them explore this area of their lives.
• Education - In terms of my teaching, I want to allow time to start to really look at some of the ideas of Parker Palmer and others that we have learnt about to apply in my teaching. I want to look at and challenge myself about why I am doing what I am and whether or not I am genuine in the classroom. I want my students to witness genuine care and concern for them and I want them to see my relationship with Christ reflected in who I am and how I interact with them. 
  

Where to from here?

I look forward to the rest of the course and particularly the next intensive. I really enjoy listening to discussions about topics I have been reading about and having that feeling of ideas starting to click and it all piecing together in my mind. I believe that face to face contact and the opportunity to ask questions allows for greater understanding as although reading can give us knowledge, it is when we critically think about the information and discuss it with others, that it is really learnt. For me personally, I find this easier to do with others around. 

Justice, Spirituality and Education

We started our intensive weekend looking at the three key concepts of this subject; spirituality, education and justice. We initially looked at what we thought as a group what each concept was. Sitting there and thinking back to my first post looking at definitions of the three, I felt I had more understanding and could add to the discussion but still felt like there was a lot more I had to learn.

Education

We looked at education being the all round growth of an individual- personally, socially, academically and in our school we would hope spiritually. Some suggested it to be the development of knowledge as well as skills and something that involves teachers and learners. Tracey spoke about education being much more than knowledge. She taught us that character development must be central in education and it should be incorporated not separated from teaching. I couldn't agree more with this idea and I think this is actually something that our school does very well.

Daryl Riddle, the founder and now CEO of Christian College, was present for the morning of the intensive. He spoke about his philosophy for our school and central to this philosophy is the aim to develop the whole individual, with a particular focus on the spiritual growth of the students.

"Christian College develops an atmosphere of care and concern for each student’s character growth and well-being, within a value system and set of priorities derived from the Christian faith... Students will be encouraged to adopt for themselves a personal faith in Jesus Christ, and to apply His teaching of love, justice and compassion in their relations with others... The aim of Christian College is to develop the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional capacity of students as part of their total character, and to develop an appreciation of the wonderful world in which we live, to enhance it, as well as to preserve it." (College Philosophy, 2011)

It is great to hear from the founder of the school and to hear what his vision is. Daryl spoke about the fact that as teachers in this school he would hope that we all have the same vision and philosophy as him or that we might not be in the right place. As a past student who values the school and its vision, I definitely feel that his philosophy, our school philosophy, is also my vision and what I strive for with my students. I plan on sending my own kids, when I have them one day as I believe that Christian College does this very well in most occasions. However, I think that there are staff within our school that don't have the same vision and I feel that students may notice this difference in the way that teachers conduct themselves. I remember that as a student at Christian College there was something noticeably different about some teachers as compared to others. It was evident which staff were being genuine when we had times of prayer, devotions or services in the chapel and who were not.

In the intensive, we learnt that as educators we have an opportunity to open doors for our students to learn about Christ and to create opportunities for them to develop intangible characteristics like love, hope, truth, grace. We can do this through creating relationships, explicit discussions and by demonstrating these characteristics through our interactions with the students. These things can only come through truly knowing ourselves as Palmer (2007) suggests.


I learnt at the intensive that education is about making learning meaningful. We learnt that it is not about saying 'this is how it applies to life' but rather bringing the content of what we are teaching together with developing life skills, critical thinking and discernment, to help our students start to be able to think for themselves. As teachers, we need to have the freedom to think about how to be wise and discerning rather than just having knowledge of good values. We need to actually think about these values. I think this relates to what Tracey was talking about with marriage and whether we think about things and their context or just have an awareness and belief in certain values and apply them with no actual understanding. It was suggested that we can start to do this through dialogue and conversations. This is something I don't think we do well at school and I am guessing not many other schools do either.

Palmer (2007) proposes that 'we teach who we are' (p.1). Tracey suggested that our philosophical view of the world; what we see is of value, who we are, where we think we go once we die (and many more questions I learnt about at the intensive), impact on our students. This can be specific to our subjects or to any other interaction with students, parents or even other staff that we come in contact with.

We read James 3:1-2. It is highlighted that not all are created to be teachers in the bible. As teachers, we have a major role in the lives of our students and although we all make mistakes and will do so, we have some responsibility for what our students do in the end and what choices they make. We spend more time with young people than their parents do during the school term, seeing them for the majority of the day. This thought is exciting yet scary. We have a great opportunity to make a positive difference in their lives but also this comes with fear.

In my post 'Called to be a teacher', I spoke about my belief that it is my vocation to teach. I love the way Tracey spoke about teaching as an act of worship. Worship is defined as 'the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity' ("Worship", 2015). Tracey affirmed this saying that worship is 'recognition of being in awe of who God is'. She suggested that if we teach as an act of worship we have the opportunity to have God work in us and through us. We can be transformed each day and if we are transforming, it allows for greater opportunity for our students to be genuinely and authentically influenced.

Another area of education that we discussed at the intensive that I found very interesting and made me really think was about education as a political act. We spoke about the idea that knowledge and literacy creates power. When there is power for all, there is justice and when there is justice there can be freedom. Paulo Freire had a major influence not only in the academic world on this topic but also practically in certain countries around the world. His work was all about the transforming power of education and he focused on the literacy skills of people in poverty. Once the people had literacy skills they were better able to understand what was happening to them and they were able to then talk about it and create change. Not only did he emphasise the importance of education through basic literacy skills but he highlighted the importance of dialogue and the opportunity to critically think about things as well (Macedo, 2011).

We talked a lot about critical thinking at the intensive and spoke explicitly about this skill. Tracey created opportunities for us to practice this way of thinking through her questioning and by allowing us to thresh out ideas in small groups. Critically thinking is all about the why. I need to develop this skill and make a concerted effort to create opportunities for my kids in the classroom. I like the quote we were given by Alexandra Trenfor 'the best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see'. This is something I need to work on in my own teaching. I often guide students and lead them to the answer when they are struggling. I know that this is not going to help them to develop critical thinking skills. I really need to understand that my job is to teach how to think, not what to think.

I had a look online to help me further explore how I might actually start to try to incorporate activities that promote critical thinking. Snyder (n.d.) suggests that some of the reasons that we and our students don't critically think are that;

• Too many facts, too little conceptualising
• Too much memorizing, too little thinking
• Lecture & rote memorisation does not require critical thinking
• Students are not “trained” to think
• Critical thinking is more than simple engagement (Synder, n.d.)

I went on to explore some of the ideas Snyder (n.d) presents for how to teach and develop critical thinking in our students. From some of the ideas he has presented, I have tried to think of a specific example I could do in my classroom. 

1. 'Let students ask questions and look for answers' - Allow students opportunities to create their own questions to explore topics. Also don't cut students off or give them the answers. 

2. 'Help students apply what they learn to solve problems'- Ask questions like, 'based on the material, how would you...' or 'now that you know this, how do you solve...?'

3. 'Create opportunities for students to listen to each other and debate ideas'- In Health particularly I could allow students to have opportunities to discuss and debate topics to further their thinking and understanding of major issues discussed. 

4- 'Challenge students to know, not memorise'- to do this I may need to ensure assessments aren't just based around memorising content but rather really knowing about a topic or skill and being able to apply it and deeply understand it. 

5- 'Question, examine, create, solve, interpret, debate'- In Health for some of the topics we look at, I may be able to use this structure to create great discussions

6- 'Students think about what they learn'- in PE rather than just practising a skill, students may need to break the skill down and think about the different movements that make up the skill. They could then think about and discuss with others about those different movements and how they might relate to other sports or skills. So rather than just doing the skill, students would actually be thinking about it. 

7- 'Apply material to real situations (e.g., Case Studies)' - In Health there are lots of opportunities to look at case studies or examples of how various issues might be experienced by someone. I could incorporate this more often to help students see relevance and really think about risks, consequences or things that may happen and find people in their lives or other examples to help apply the knowledge better. 

8- 'Apply high-order questions'- when looking at skills in PE or topics in Health there is a lot of opportunity to ask students how or why something happens. This is something I need to do more often. A lot of the time I wait for students to ask the question before we explore as a class, but it needs to be the other way around sometimes. We need to help them apply it to the greater context. 

Snyder (n.d.) provided some practical activities that can be used in classrooms with various subjects to help to promote critical thinking. 

1. 'The value line- provide a yes or no question that opinions can vary on and students need to answer with supportive reasoning to why they believe yes/no. Get two students to stand at either end of the room that are definite no's or yes'. Then students are asked to take their place along an imaginary line between the two extremes and students are asked to discuss with students in the line their responses to the question.' (Snyder, n.d.). I have actually used this activity before and it does work really well to promote deeper thinking.

2. 'What? So what? Now what? Students complete a table. In first column have the word written 'what' up the top (students summarise the most important ideas from the lesson). The next column students write 'so what' up the top (students are asked to determine what is important about the ideas they just listed. Why do they matter? What difference do they make? The third column has 'now what' written up the top (students brainstorm actions, what can they do about the problem or issue?' (Snyder, n.d.).

3. '3, 2, 1 Processor - Students complete three recalls- they need to list three things they recall from the work or activity. Students complete two insights- ideas, connections or main points not directly covered. Students write one question they have about the material. Get students to work with a small group to answer students questions.' (Snyder, n.d.)

Other ways that I could do this in my subject area could be through setting tasks where students are given problems and have to find out how to get to that end point. They would need to look at the task or outcome broadly, then deeper and then reflectively. In PE for instance, students could be shown a complete skill (broad) and be asked to break that skill down and think about the different parts that make it up and what is required to do the skill (deep). They could then be challenged to reflect on how they were able to complete the skill based on their deeper understanding (reflective) and then be required teach it to a classmate, explaining to them why the skill is important to the game/activity. Other ways in which I could implement in my subject area could be in Health. We often talk about real life issues in this subject. The students learn information about certain risks and changes that they may face in the future and we hope to enable them to make the best decisions possible. When sharing the content, I need to focus in on providing the general information in an informative and engaging way (broad), then allow for students to explore in more detail (deep) with one another and through further research and possibly application. To help them better think about the topics at hand they could be asked to think about a certain situation particularly and how they would respond now or possibly in the future if their circumstances changed (reflective).

Spirituality 

At the intensive we defined spirituality to be a belief in a god, which we (as Christians) would identify as a belief in God. Tracey explained that spirituality is about the meaningful things, the intangible as compared to the tangible. I must say that this is a concept that I believe I have always had a very narrow and tunnel vision understanding of. Like Tracey suggested, as Christians, we often think about spirituality just in relation to God. For me, anything ideas about spirituality that weren't about God, I have been brought up to believe are not 'right' and 'not in line with what God wants'. I have never explored the fact that we are spiritual beings and people develop this aspect in their life in different ways. I believe I have been fearful of developing greater knowledge about spirituality. Up until this point why would I question or explore others spirituality and experiences? From the mindset I have developed, I would find it as a way of drawing myself away from God. After hearing a lot about spirituality and learning a bit more about what it actually means my view has shifted slightly. It has made me think about how I need to present this concept in my classes.


The activity we did at the start of the section at the intensive on spirituality was interesting to see how differently we all see spirituality. There were a couple of people that made similar choices in cards to myself and it was interesting that they were people with similar upbringing to me. I had chosen the cross and the tree. I had thought cross instantly as for me personally that is what I relate spirituality to in my life. However, I chose the tree thinking along the lines of, everyone is a spiritual being but whether their seed grows into a strong, flourishing tree or doesn't grow at all depends on the nurturing and influence of those around them. I think there is a lot more I need to learn about spirituality as I think that I still link spirituality in with religion because for me the two are so closely interconnected.

Justice

The final area we briefly discussed was justice and what this meant to us. We spoke about it having a very practical application. Justice, we learnt was all about freedom and equity, what is good and what is right. This concept is often the least understood by people. I would say that I understand the term in relation to the idea of what is just and right, but do believe I have a lot more to learn in how justice ties in with education, spirituality and our worldview.

We were asked to think about which of the three holds greater importance? For me I felt spirituality, my personal belief in God is going to influence what I think is right and just and how I teach. We learnt that all three are important and integral to being human. We looked at three different diagrams and we each had different perceptions of how we viewed the three concepts. The major point that we all noticed was that the three interact. Whether we believe one is more important than another, justice, education and spirituality are all going to impact on the one another.

How the three interact?

Although I am sure there is multiple ways of explaining some of the interactions between the three key concepts in this course, I noticed a few points that showed some interactions which are worth reflecting on.

• Education- Justice: The first is looking at our freedom to be educated and the concept of being educated to allow for freedom. We each have a right to have an education and to know. It is sad to think of how many people around the world don't get this opportunity. Not only should they be able to be educated but having this experience then allows for them to have freedom through knowledge and power. 
• Justice- Spirituality: For those that have chosen to live in relationship with God and that have salvation, there is freedom to live out their lives. The purpose of the cross was freedom. 
• Education- Spirituality: There is an opportunity through education to have a positive influence on the spiritual growth of our students. As teachers we can nurture our students through guiding, structuring, unfolding and enabling lessons that help students explore and think about what they believe and how they live their lives. 

Looking at the above examples, these are only scratching the surface of how the three concepts interact. Each concept is important and they all interact in different ways. I am sure that the more I learn, the deeper my understanding of justice, education and spirituality will be and I will be able to list more and more interactions and how the three concepts are vital for me to think critically about and help my students to do the same. 

We all have them, they influence the way we see... Worldviews

Worldview. This term that I am seeing consistently in what I am reading and learning about in this unit.  'At the center of every culture is its worldview, answering the most basic question, what is real?' (Kwast, as cited in Habermas and Issler, 1997, p.60.)

Habermas and Issler (1997) suggested that whether a culture's worldview is conscious or unconscious it strongly influences every aspect of the culture. They propose that our views of reality are 'developed through experiences, convictions, and level of maturity'.


This idea of what a worldview is and how it can impact the way in which we live our lives was further discussed at our first intensive weekend. We looked specifically at what a Christian worldview looks like. In the article, 'Teaching for transformation', Jenkins (1995) argues that true transformation comes from a radical change in behaviour, renewal of the mind and change in worldview. Before starting this course I had heard of having a worldview and we have had different speakers come to our staff conferences that have mentioned this concept. However, I have never really taken the time to evaluate my personal worldview or thought about how it impacts on my life or my role as a teacher. Tracey made the point at the intensive weekend that our worldview has a historical-contextual and individual perspective.

In terms of a Christian worldview, at the intensive weekend we discussed the importance of incorporating an understanding of both religion and spirituality. Tracey highlighted that education from a Christian worldview requires educators to have a critically thoughtful understanding of these concepts as well as the concept of justice. She discussed that we need to critically think about these concepts independently and in conjunction with one another. I have found that my understanding is growing the more I am reading and after the intensive, I am definitely starting to think more critically about what I am reading and also about the way in which I am teaching. Instead of just getting into the classroom and teaching, I am starting to think about the why's. Why am I teaching? Why am I teaching this content? How do interact with my class and from what perspective am I teaching them and what is the context of the content being taught?

I have a Year 8 homeroom which I see every morning and afternoon. I am in charge of their pastoral care and I get the opportunity to share devotions with them each morning. For every teacher this looks very different. Some work from a youth devotions book, others watch videos, some I am sure don't even do them. When I first started teaching I would often spend more time planning my devotions than I would planning my other classes. I felt the pressure of having such an opportunity to share this time with my class. We can look at and chat about about real life issues, I can get to know them and hopefully plant a seed in their hearts to help them want to get to know Jesus. I have always been unsure about the best way of going about these devotions and in the past have used a variety of sources; sometimes videos, stories or articles I may have read or heard about that I thought would be relevant and interesting to the students. I am always conscious of not 'tacking' a bible verse onto a motivational story but sometimes I feel that this is how they may come across. Through the intensive and starting to think about these concepts, I definitely feel challenged to think about the way that I approach not only devotions but everything I believe.

At the intensives we had discussions about what do we know is true? I have often recalled myself saying 'the bible says...' to students when they have asked questions in devotions or in Christian Education. Tracey made me challenge these thoughts when she brought up some big issues like capital punishment, sexuality and even marriage. Hearing her talk about the thought that do people really need to be married in today's age to line up with what God speaks about heterosexual relationships? She spoke about the context being different now and what was written, how could it apply to every situation now. This argument really made me think and I believe that was her aim. We need to critically think and we want to create critically thinking students. For me this makes sense the more I think about it. If we are going to grow in relationship with God, we need to be questioning and finding answers, not just accepting what is written with no understanding behind why or how it relates to us.

God's children

In our first meeting as a Masters group Daryl Riddle spoke about the love God has for children. Jesus clearly stated in the Bible that 'Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me' " (Mark 9:36-37 New International Version). Daryl made us think about what this means for us as teachers. If God loves His children so much, how do we need to treat them? If God has a plan for each of them, how can we then help in His plan? Does this impact in the way that we teach? 

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this since that meeting. This thought changes the way I look at the students in my class and has really challenged me to think about the way in which I interact with them. The role we play in education as teachers is so much more than the academic growth of students. We have the opportunity to also help them develop emotionally and spiritually (Price, 2011) and I believe also socially.

Price (2011) promotes that many teachers share in the passion to want to help their students develop across all of these areas of their lives. Working at a Christian school I believe we are very lucky to be able to intentionally integrate curriculum and create opportunities that allow for spiritual growth of our students, as well as catering for the growth of other areas of the students lives.

Despite having greater opportunity to make an impact and to help students transform their lives, without the right knowledge and understanding we might miss out on the chance to make a true difference. Price (2011) proposes that how teachers understand key concepts such as spirituality and religion can affect the way they go about their teaching. The Collins English Dictionary defines spirituality as;

"the state or quality of being dedicated to God, religion or spiritual things or values, especially as contrasted with material or temporal ones" (Collins English Dictionary, as cited in Price, 2011). 

When first reading this definition as compared to the Cambridge Dictionaries online definition (2015), my initial thoughts was that in the twenty years that have passed between these two definitions there has been a significant change. God has been cut out altogether and spirituality has gone from being a dedication to feelings. However, further on in Price's article she highlights that we don't need to be confined to this definition or any other when we know that our spirits were designed by God so that we could recognise, relate to and know our Creator (Price, 2011). 

 "Religion... generally [means] rules, dogma, received truths and tribal loyalties... [whereas] Spirituality is, above everything else, a personal experience that cannot be imposed" (Dorwick as cited in Price, 2011).

Dorwick's view really makes me change the way I understand spirituality. It is not solely a set of beliefs or values, but rather a personal and very individual experience. In terms of Christianity, a very personal relationship or experience with God. This revelation needs to impact the way I go about teaching in the future. I am lucky enough to have devotions with my class every morning and I also teach a Year 7 Christian Education class. In these specific classes and also in my day to day interactions with students I want to ensure that I am not only being a witness to the personal relationship I have with God and the way that it has transformed my life but I also want to make sure that students aren't coming away from time with me thinking that Christianity is just a 'religion' with a set of rules to abide by.

Jenkins (1995) suggests that as Christian educators we should be aiming for true transformation of our students. He defines transformation as our faith in the power of the resurrection in the life of an individual. He discusses it being not only about the heart and mind changing but also a change in behaviour in the way in which we act. This may come through living out godly actions and also through loving relationships (p.1). In my opinion, I would definitely agree that as a Christian school we would love to see true transformation of our students and see them come to know Christ. However, I also think it is important to realise that we may just be a piece in the puzzle, or the ones to plant the seed. Although it would be wonderful if all of our students came to know Christ and be transformed whilst in their time with us at school, it is likely that this isn't going to be the case for all students. I believe our role is to do our very best to create the right environment for them to learn about Gods love for them and to enable them to experience His love through the way in which we interact with them.

In his overview, Jenkins (1995) describes different cultures that can exist in Christian schools. He describes a conforming culture as one that establishes adherence to a particular set of cultural values as its goal. He compares that with transforming culture, which he suggests establishes Christlikeness as its goal and allows for freedom for diversity of expression with an overall unit of purpose (p.1). As a school I think we need to help our students to develop in a transforming culture rather than a conforming one. We want to help our students to transform their lives and behaviours and not just to conform to what they think is presented as the 'right way to live'. 

To help us create the best environment for having a positive influence on the spiritual growth of our students, Jenkins (1995) argues that we need provide not only a biblical way of thinking but also a biblical way of living to our students. He explains that this can't just be through teaching right thinking but this needs to be modeled by staff actions and attitudes in good times and bad (p.2). I couldn't agree with Jenkins point more. To help our students to explore and question what they believe in, we need to be Christlike in our actions. When hard situations arise we need to approach them in the way that reflects Christlike behaviour and in positive situations we need to do the same. For some students this might be their only opportunity to witness Gods love and Christian values in action and we need to make the most of every opportunity. 

Jack Fennema's view of spirituality and education in his book 'The Crumbling Walls of Certainty' supports some of the ideas of Jenkins. Fennema (1997) argues that a biblical world view needs to be the perspective taken when we approach education and the students in our care. He points out that the way in which teachers view their students has a major influence on their students (pp.99-100). Fennema (1997) unpacks the different ways teachers might see their students and compares this to that of what the Bible says.

'Students are beings-in-relationship-with God, with others and with creation. In responsive obedience they are called to love and to serve within these basic relationships of life. All students have been placed within these three relationships. That does not mean, however, that all students respond positively and obediently in each of these relationships.' (Fennema, 1997, p.104.)

All students were made in God's image but have been given free will to choose whether they listen to the Spirit or whether they choose to follow and direct their attention to other things. We were all born human with a spirit and an opportunity to be saved because of the actions of Jesus. We can be saved and can still then choose not to reflect this well through our actions. I find this insight interesting and challenging as I personally know what it feels like to be in a positive relationship with God and I also know what it feels like to not. Having this experience makes me want to help students so much more knowing how much better life can be living in relationship with God. I want to help my students to listen to the Spirit and understand what it can be like to be obedient to the call. I know I am not perfect but my experience could be influential to someone's life.

Called to be a teacher

Before I begin to explore what it means to be an influential teacher and to examine how the combination of the three key concepts of spirituality, justice and education can impact on my role as a teacher, I believe I need to firstly look at why I wanted to be a teacher. 

Teaching was not my dream job from a young age. I didn't know what I wanted to do until I got into my final years of study at secondary school. I was well aware of the areas which interested me and that I was passionate about but it wasn't until two specific teachers had an influence on my life that I knew I wanted to teach. Palmer (2007) explains that mentors often have an influence on a person's decision to teach. He suggests that it is not necessarily what techniques they used or the subjects they taught but rather their capacity to awaken truth and draw out qualities in the student that they hadn't previously experienced. This imprint of good teaching is something that is long lasting and even when the content they have taught is forgotten, the memory of the positive learning experience and influence remains (p. 22).

In my experience, the two teachers which had the most impact on my life and future both shared traits that led to my discovery of wanting to become a teacher. They both were passionate about the subjects they taught, showed care and interest in me, always made time for me and listened to me. They also both believed in me and encouraged me throughout my schooling even once they no longer taught me. I am thankful for their influence on my life and my decision to become a teacher. I am lucky enough that they are now my colleagues as I now teach at the school that I was once a student. Their influence not only helped me to discover what I was called to do with my life but has stirred in me the goal to hopefully have the same positive influence on students in the future.

Palmer (2007) challenges his readers to think about their vocation and whether it is an authentic call of the voice of the teacher within, honouring the nature of our true selves. He probes the reader to question whether they are listening to what they 'ought' to do as a career or what they are being called and are gifted to do (p.31). To be able to answer this question which I believe is central to being able to be a successful educator, it is important to understand and examine what he means by the teacher within.

Exploring the inner landscape of a teachers life allows us to return, grounded and renewed, to the outer landscape of our lives. Having taken heart in the work which we are called, we can give our heart once again to our students, our colleagues, our schools and our world- a world where heartlessness yields only to gifts and graces that come from within (Palmer, 2007, p. xviii). 

The underlying concept in Palmer's book 'The courage to teach; exploring the inner landscape of a teacher's life' is highlighted in its title. The inner landscape is a concept that is new to me and Palmer (2007) suggests that is often unasked or examined by many people in the world of education (p.4). Despite not being openly spoken about often, Palmer (2007) claims that exploring inner self is vital in a teachers effectiveness in the classroom. He discusses that teaching emerges from one's inwardness, in a positive or negative way and that we project a condition of our soul on our students, subjects and our way of being together. He justifies that if we don't know ourselves, we can't know who our students are and that the more familiar we are with our inner terrain the more surefooted our teaching and our lives can become (pp.2-6). Thinking about this in relation to the concepts of spirituality, education and justice, I believe that we can't truly incorporate these vital concepts into our educational practices until we have explored our own inner landscape. We need to have looked within to determine who we are, what we stand for and where God exists in our lives so that we can present ourselves truthfully and with vulnerability to our students.

Palmer (2007) poses the question, how can schools educate students properly if they don't encourage teachers and support them in exploring their inner lives (p.6). I feel blessed to be at a school that is creating opportunities for us to start to explore these concepts. We have great Christian leaders within the school who have read this book and I am aware that they have discussed it in their leadership meetings. Staff members have opportunities to complete their Masters of Education which includes undertaking this unit and also any teacher that is applying to gain higher professional stance within our school (level 13) also need to complete this course to be successful. I am glad to be a part of a school that is encouraging us to explore our inner landscape and I think it is exciting to look to the future where we will be able to start having open discussions at school as more and more staff complete study in this area and learn about Palmer's work and the influence his ideas can have on education.

"... by addressing it openly and honestly, along and together, we can serve our students more faithfully, enhance our own well-being, make common cause with colleagues, and help education bring more light and life to the world" (Palmer, 2007, p.8.)

To start to think and explore our own inner landscapes and to apply it to our teaching we must look at two vital areas of our inner lives; identity and integrity. Palmer (2007) explains that good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher and their capacity for connectedness. He suggests that good teachers share one trait; a strong sense of personal identity infuses their work and they join their self, their students and their subject in the fabric of their lives. He reveals that although the methods by which teachers use may vary, the connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts (pp.10-11). As a student I can remember that the classes in which I felt I learnt the most and enjoyed more were lead by teachers that connected with us. It didn't matter if they were lecturing or conducting experiments, it was more about the teacher and less about the method. This capacity to connect, as Palmer explains, depends not on our technique but on how much we know ourselves and trust our selfhood.

When looking at my identity and integrity and how this influence who I am as a teacher, I have a lot to learn and believe that this is an ongoing discovery. I am still learning who I am and how my life and experiences have influenced me. I know that I have been blessed with a Christian family, who made sacrifices to enable me to attend a great school, with Christian values and beliefs. I have been kept from major harm and suffering and raised in a home that has helped me to develop my personal faith. Although I know there is always more to learn about who I am, I know I have a purpose and I believe that being a teacher is what I am called to do. I believe I work with integrity, however I still feel there is more to learn about what this truly means. I also feel I would like to discover more about my identity and who I am to help students to then be able to explore their own identity.

Palmer (2007) states "If a work is mine to do, it will make me glad over the long haul, despite the difficult days" (p.31). I believe this is my calling. Although, I know I am still a young teacher, I truly love my job and feel blessed to have the opportunity to have an impact on the lives of young people every day.

More than definitions

When I look at the title of the subject, 'Integrating Spirituality, Justice and Education' and as I start to think about what I will be exploring in this unit, I am drawn to find out what each of these words mean.

Spirituality	Justice	Education
The quality that involves deep feelings and beliefs of a religious nature, rather than the physical parts of life ("Spirituality," 2015)	Fairness in the way people are dealt with ("Justice," 2015)	The process of teaching or learning, especially in the school or college, or the knowledge that you get from this.  ("Education," 2015)

Although learning how one person might define each of these words can help form a basis from which we can build our understanding, definitions alone can not give us the whole picture. Looking at the meanings of these three concepts above, I understand that they are all very important and vital components to the life of a teacher. However, at this point in time, I know that I need to develop a greater understanding of the concepts and that I will need to explore how they interact with one another to allow for me to be able to impact and transform the lives of my students.

Starting a new and exciting challenge

Integrating Spirituality, Justice and Education

In 2014 I was walking through the staff room one day when I overheard Daryl Riddle, the CEO of Christian College speaking with a colleague about the opportunity for staff to do Masters in 2015. I couldn't help but to stop and ask who might get to take up this opportunity. I have always enjoyed a challenge and loved my four years at university developing a better knowledge of areas I was interested in. I also enjoy learning new things that can change the way I see and do things. Daryl explained it would be open to all staff and that I just needed to email John Rose and show interest. I prayed about it and spoke with my husband and the doors opened to this opportunity. I believe that I am in this course to be challenged and developed academically, emotionally, personally, professionally and spiritually.