"To know me is to breathe with me. To know me is to listen to me. To listen deeply is to connect" - Dr Ungunmerr Baumann. The Bible to me is a collection of stories from significant people, that aims to record important information and teach future generations. The Bible, like many texts, is to be interpreted for good. This interpretation often depends on the individual and their perception. I think that this is God. God, religion and teaching is all about interpretation, there is no single meaning of any of it, but the purpose is for good. 

"That is how we survive - telling the stories, sharing the knowledge, showing the places to gather food and water, passing on the ceremonies". This is very similar to the concept of the Bible, that it is through stories that we learn and inform our future children. Our experiences in life are like a Bible, whereby we use these to inform our teaching. We use our knowledge and learnings, to support our students and staff in their journey and creating their "life-Bible" and continue this cycle of making the world a better place. 

For me, the story of Martin Luther and his protest is the most important aspect of Lutheran theology. The fact that the Bible is to be interpreted by everyone. Everyone should have the opportunity to read and make their own meaning for them - student-centered learning. It is through grace (which for me means to live a purposeful life, committed to the greater good) that we achieve a greater world.

How does the Lutheran Church view the apocrypha or deuterocanonical texts (I hope I have used the correct terms)? Are there particular parts of the Bible that are not as valued by the Christian and Lutheran Churches? 
What texts are important to education nowadays? Do we prioritise certain texts and learnings to be integral to Lutheran education? 

"We are called into partnership to restore the brokenness of creation". When in school, we are attempting to fix the "brokenness" of some students. We are trying to provide a safe place to shape their lives in a positive way.  
Each person is created with worth and dignity.
We are "co-creators", whereby we work with God, students, parents and any other stakeholders to be of benefit to the world we live in. 
"Each person has equal, and unmeasurable worth. This had nothing to do with their contribution to society". This is something that we are trying to return to after a great amount of time where these values had been forgotten/neglected. 

"We are free to explore God's amazing creation". It is our responsibility to create lessons/opportunities for students to explore the Creation in our world. 
We work to ensure that each individual's dignity is preserved and valued. 
We aspire to develop life-long learners. With creation occurring each and every day, we teach to acknowledge, learn and appreciate these creations.

How does the Bible's version of Creation, link with scientific developments? 

Humans are made to make connections through relationships. We live alongside other people and other beings in relationship to the environment and our spiritual journeys. A community is the people that are around us to help us become the best person we can be in different environments. That therefore helps the community. The person and the community are both just as important. 

That it is our role to support students to connect and relate. Connect and relate to each other. Connect and relate to teachers. Connect and relate to the curriculum. Connect and relate to their families. Connect and relate to the world around them. Connect and relate to their spiritual beliefs. 

Our education is catered towards directing kids towards their paths and aligning them with what is "successful". When students are falling outside of those lines, we often see these students as "difficult". Often we don't see vocation as our goal, we see occupation as our goal. That being said, I do think GLC does a pretty good job of this compared to other schools with our pastoral care focus.

I have learned about different definitions of the word creation and what that means for education. It does not only refer to the story in Genesis, but to the ongoing creation that is occurring each and every day and how it is our job to embrace and encourage this. 

· What reinforced my current thinking and why?

That our role as teachers is to develop our students as the whole person, not just as academics.

· What was challenging, confronting or confusing?

How we provide quality education to students considering their academic performance and developing quality people. How does that fit into a curriculum that demands academic excellence? In the article by Christenson, they talked about the lack of need for more “successful people”. It is a complete culture change for our education system, and I don’t necessarily know how that will work within our current system. 

Considering the people we are creating in our students – what does the world need? Christenson talks about not needing more successful people, but needing more peacemakers, healers, restorers.

· Where might this connect to School policies, statements or culture?

Our school prides itself on the development of good character, rather than the best academics. Our culture prioritises pastoral care. 

· What are some implications for your classroom practice?

Being understanding, prioritizing the development of the whole person, not just simply the subject curriculum

What roles/responsibilities do you have in those? 
- Developing assessments, working within those faculties to do what is needed, communication, developing relationships
- Cricket - on field performance, communicating, working with spinners, supporting functions, hosting billets
Footy - on field performance, organising functions, making people feel welcome
- Shepparton and Geelong - connecting, looking after friends and families, contributing
- Armstrong Creek area - looking out for those around, walking dogs, cleaning up

What are some qualities of a flourishing community?
- People who are open and willing to support each other, respect, honestly, kindness, shared interests, shared goals, caring natures, shared responsibilities, understanding, etc.

· What new learnings have I experienced?
- Occupation vs. Vocation - there is such a difference. Our job can be both at times. But ultimately the reason WHY we do what we do is more important than WHAT you do.

· What reinforced my current thinking and why?
- That we  strive to connect to those around us. It is integral to everything we are and everything we do.

· What was challenging, confronting or confusing?
- Our education is catered towards directing kids towards their paths and aligning them with what is "successful". When students are falling outside of those lines, we often see these students as "difficult". Often we don't see vocation as our goal, we see occupation as our goal. That being said, I do think GLC does a pretty good job of this compared to other schools with our pastoral care focus.
Make connections to your school context and your practice. Consider:

· Where might this connect to School policies, statements or culture?
- Our culture is a focus on love. We value our small community and from what I understand, we would love to keep our school small to properly serve our community to the best of our ability. I believe that's what our guiding principle is, is to support those who belong to our school community, which in turn develops the wider community to be better.

· What are some implications for your classroom practice?
- Love, forgiveness and belonging are some of the most important values for teachers in relation to your classroom and staff.

· How does this inform your understanding of your role?
- It continues to strengthen my belief that our relationships and connections to those around us are integral to our development. 
Questions for further exploration:

· What would you like to explore further?
- How we can focus our attention away from individuals and turn it towards catering for the community? It would be amazing to be involved in the community but it is often practically impossible. 

· Who, how and where might you go to answer these questions?
- Leadership, government, community programs. Unfortunately many of these things cost time and money that we so often lack. How can we find a balance and be effective members of community yet still attain personal educational achievement?

death and resurrection of Jesus Christ remains the same, the word needs to be reinterpreted and reapplied to address a 

variety of conditions and specific cultures. This is the challenge in Lutheran schools as they bring the students and the word of God together so that through the word the Holy Spirit can do the Spirit’s work..." - Malcolm Bartsch

"...the Bible by its very nature invites us to wrestle, doubt, imagine and debate... Jesus invites us into a story that is bigger than ourselves, bigger than our culture, 

bigger even than our imaginations, and yet we get to tell that story with the scandalous particularity of our particular moment and place in time. We are storytelling creatures because we are fashioned in the image of a storytelling God... “My interpretation can only be as inerrant as I am, and that's good to keep in mind.” - Rachel Held Evans

"The Bible tells a story. A story that isn’t over. 

A story that is still being told. A story that 

we have a part to play in." - Rob Bell

"The fundamental story arc of the Bible is God is passionate about rescuing this world, restoring it, renewing it." - Rob Bell

"Your cultural/personal experience, and how you perceive reality is going to determine what you pay attention to, and what you do or don't pay attention to in Tradition. We've got to reveal this bias we're all working with..." - Rohr

 

·        What learnings have reinforced my current thinking and why?
That the Bible is not a perfect learning tool for the modern world today. It is not the "be all and end all", there is room for interpretation. This is like any text and any experience. Our lens and bias affects our views. Recognising these biases is important to living in peace with each other. Being aware of others and being open to different views, even when challenging is important. 

·        What implications can you identify for your practice?
I loved the quote from Rob Bell, "The Bible tells a story. A story that isn't over. A story that is still being told. A story that we have part to play in". To me, this is the basis of our roles as educators. The Word of God is the foundation to the commitment to a better world, and we are vehicles that drive this movement.