Luther:

• Romans: God makes us right and did so through Jesus.

• Luther felt born again and triggered the reformation.

• "Nobody is climbing the spiritual ladder."

• "We are simultaneously sinner and saint."

Grace Looks/Feels/Sounds like:

Looks: understanding others have an 'under the surface'. Looks like finding opportunities.

Feels: Quiet. Introspective. Incredible.

Sounds: I understand. I forgive you. I want the best for you.

It feels like a solid community. It sounds like understanding.

In my role, I can always look for opportunities to welcome students in. I can give myself grace too by treating myself like someone I am in charge of supporting. I contribute to higher values and clubs with my time in order to show gratitude for everything that makes it possible for me to be here.

• To create lifelong learners who are holistically decent people.

My educational philosophy:

• I'm a teacher to be a catalyst for students to see the world differently, and to learn more about who they are and who they could be for the world.

Connections to Creation theology: a reminder that Creation theology depicts them as created in God's image, that they will make mistakes but encourage them to receive the gift of creation with gratitude, wonder and humility.

Connect: I connected well with the second session. It was interesting and connected to a lot of what I already knew from a Lutheran background.

Extend: The session extended my symbolic understanding of Creation and I was pleased to see the emphasis on responsibility to the natural world.

Challenge: Already listed above. As well as guiding students through these kinds of questions as they come up when we look at medieval Europe and the Reformation.

The Bible itself is made up of parables, poetry and discourse to reveal laws and Gospel. The lenses of the Lutheran Church allow an holistic understanding of the Bible and what the consistent teachings and lessons are throughout the Bible. These are the ways in which we can know about God.

Students depend on me as a role model for how we interact with one another and in that way, my role is informed by the Lutheran lenses of interpreting the word of God. For example through creating and cocreating with students in class, just as the ongoing of creation continues, and in our restorative practice informed by God's word, love and forgiveness.

I can leverage the expertise of the Christian Studies teachers and Pastor Luke to speak about this idea further, or use these kinds of question in devotion in PC to see what the students think are the most important throughlines.

Extend: The interpretation tools looking at the context of hen the text was written, what it says, and the context of me reading it and who I am in my time extended my thinking. These are interesting lenses for continuing to make scripture relevant and made me understand Pastor Luke's work even more.

Challenge: I wonder how much the reader can bring themselves and their particular understanding to scripture before they stray too far into interpreting whatever they wanted to think anyway. The antidote would probably be to use the idea of scripture interpreting scripture to make sure verses and lessons aren't cherry-picked, but it is interesting because all sorts of things have been justified in the past using specific interpretations of scripture.

• What capacity do I have to help the people around me?

  • Self reflection to think on what I can do and to focus on my strengths because it makes me better for others.

• What's the right balance between doing extra work to develop professionally and staying mentally with it by relaxing so I can be my best self when I am with people in my community?

  • I can monitor my time with family and schedule time for things I enjoy. I can also schedule in PD so I know that time is already set aside, freeing me up to relax and unwind when needed. I also already speak to colleagues in my staffroom about PD and work balance.

• What opportunities are there for improving the capacity of my students to see their opportunities for community in class or at school?

  • Shared value discussions and peer work where we engage with each other. Students then develop self efficacy.

• The vocation as a different role in different situations informs my behaviours and expectations for each role.

Why might it matter to people around me?

• I can contribute to the betterment of the people around me, as a calling.

Why might it matter to the world?

• Net positive actions lead to a net positive for the world, like ripples in a pond moving outwards.

Much of the content happens to already align with what I value and believe already. Especially in a modern Australian context where it seems community is fracturing, it is more important than ever that young people feel connected to something greater than themselves and have a strong moral framework to guide them through uncertain times.

Extend: What new ideas did you get that extended thinking in new directions?

As a language teacher previously, I really found the etymology of vocation interesting as it literally means a 'calling'. I love the concept because it is word manifested as action to live out what is most meaningful. That has also opened up further thinking for me about how even though that sounds serious, if you are truly living your vocation it can be very enjoyable as well. I've already had discussions with students around this very idea, that difficult or serious is not the opposite of fun.

Challenge: What challenges or puzzles have come up?

The main challenge is around how to balance not only my work vocation but also a wider local and global contribution, my contribution to family and friends, and my contribution to society at large. These are all meaningful, but there is only so much time in a day.

contribution to their Lutheran school or early childhood service

The LEQ Connect sessions gave me the opportunity to work and learn with colleagues and receive useful information regarding the theological underpinnings of life and learning at GSLC. The concept of vocation as a calling from God to work for the betterment of my students and the school community at large was the most important learning I have taken from the Connect sessions. The specific areas where vocation is most relevant are my roles with student clubs, coaching and in behaviour management, where my role is not only to give students the opportunities inherent in those roles, but to connect those experiences to learning around service and community. The Community session in particular made reference to the fact that "Christian spirituality finds expression in love, service and our vocations." Therefore, in my roles as a coach, service club mentor and teacher I am engaging in Christian spirituality through my involvement with environmental issues, my enjoyment of sports, and my work as a teacher.

2. Analyse and describe the ways Lutheran theological perspectives can shape practices in an

ECS, school or classroom.

Restorative practice intertwines nicely with the concept of Grace, as discussed in the Connect workshops. Grace as an "unmerited favour" is important when working with students who have done something they are reflecting on in a restorative conversation with me or the Heads of Grade. It's important that students understand that I still want the best for them, regardless of their behaviour that led to this situation. This practice reflects the concept of Grace which has already been given, and as a Lutheran school we seek to emulate the role shown through Jesus' unmerited gift.

3. identify and critically reflect on questions that will inform a plan for further learning that will

advance their understanding, practice and contribution to Lutheran education.

I'm looking forward to the change in pastoral care system for next year and so my main question currently is how the concepts discussed and reflected upon during the Connect workshops can support what we are doing in PC. I'm fortunate to have Pastor Luke as a fantastic spiritual advisor at school and conversations with him around morals, ethics, learning through interpretation of values as revealed through scripture are great starting points.

Furthermore, when students have questions surrounding class content, religious studies or general life questions, I feel the learning around Grace, community, values, scripture and a Lutheran spirituality have better prepared me to reach students in more ways as I help to make them better versions of themselves. Questions surrounding Creation and cocreation through God's word and how that manifests in today's world of AI and levels of geopolitical power, as well as how to interpret actions of the past by people who did not or could not know of God's word are still areas for me to talk through with colleagues, our Pastor and students as they grow in their own spiritual journeys.

These conversations help to cocreate my next contributions to Lutheran education through service, community and vocation.