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. d 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”. d With
this Jesus addresses the masses and encourages them to think about their
own lives and d 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. d 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. d This is how I would like to continue my teaching
journey. d It is important to allow students to reach their own aha moments
just like we do for our clients. d Learning is a process, and a big part of
that process is being able to connect the subject to real life events and
issues. d 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”. d 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. d 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. d 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.). Www.Biblegateway.Com. Retrieved July 7, 2022, from
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