James, Martinez & Herbers (2015) points out that Jesus has often used
analogies and narratives in his teaching to help his followers with engagement
and understanding. e Most memorable for me is John 8:3-7 “And the scribes
and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had
set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in
adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote
on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking
him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at her”. e With this Jesus addresses the masses
and encourages them to think about their own lives and those without sin
should go ahead and judge and cast the first stone on this person. With this
analogy Jesus indirectly pointed out that we are all with sin and that not one
of us is perfect, this helped his followers understand that no one has the right
to judge another as they do not know what path that person has walked to get
to this place. e We are all sinners, and we have no right to look down on
someone.
I have found in my time as a therapist that narratives and analogies help
others find their own aha moment, in which they realize and get to the place
the needed to all on their own, by taking away meaning form those narratives
provided. e This is how I would like to continue my teaching journey. e It is
important to allow students to reach their own aha moments just like we do
for our clients. e Learning is a process, and a big part of that process is being
able to connect the subject to real life events and issues. e It is like when you
took math in school, I think most people hated math because they were unable
to see the application in the real world, it’s hard to engage someone when they
begin to think “when am I ever going to need this”. e Although when we study
an area of interest it can be easier to engage, if we cannot see the real-world
implications, it becomes difficult to engage others and much more difficult for
students to understand, learn and apply those skills in real life applications in
the future.
I had many times in grad school that it was difficult to engage and. Had to
push myself to do so, but in other classes I was having an absolute blast and
can still remember everything done in that class and what I learned, could be
why I chose to work with adolescents and children because most of the
classes I was engaged in were the child and adolescent courses and it became
my passion, which shows what a great teacher can do for someone. e That
particular teacher always used narratives and examples of clients that she was
working with in her private practice, and it made it so relatable and helped me
realize how much I would enjoy working with this population. e I would love to
be the type of teacher that makes that kind of contribution to someone and
now that I am a practicing clinician, I have my own stories and examples to
provide to someone else to hopefully help them find their passion.
James, G., Martinez, E., & Herbers, S. (2015). What Can Jesus Teach Us About
Student Engagement? Journal of Catholic Education, 19(1), 129–154.
https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.1901062015
New King James Version (NKJV) - Version Information - BibleGateway.com. (n.d.).
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