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