75 - Adventist CIRCLEcircle.adventist.org/files/jae/JAE_v77n1.pdfour navigation skills for life’s challenging moments, and the power of stories—our own and those of others—to

T H E J O U R N A L O FWebsi te : h t tp : / / jae .advent is t .o rg October /November 2014

752014

EDITORFaith-Ann McGarrell

EDITOR EMERITUSBeverly J. Robinson-Rumble

ASSOCIATE EDITOR(INTERNATIONAL EDITION)

Luis A. Schulz

SENIOR CONSULTANTSJohn Wesley Taylor V,

Lisa M. Beardsley-Hardy, Benjamin Schoun,Ella Smith Simmons

CONSULTANTSGENERAL CONFERENCE

Mike Mile Lekic, Hudson E. Kibuuka, Luis A. Schulz

EAST-CENTRAL AFRICAAndrew Mutero

EURO-ASIAVladimir Tkachuk

INTER-AMERICAGamaliel Flórez

INTER-EUROPEANBarna Magyarosi

NORTH AMERICALarry Blackmer

NORTHERN ASIA-PACIFICChek Yat Phoon

SOUTH AMERICAEdgard Luz

SOUTH PACIFICKen Weslake

SOUTHERN AFRICA-INDIAN OCEANEllah Kamwendo

SOUTHERN ASIANageshwara Rao

SOUTHERN ASIA-PACIFICLawrence L. Domingo

TRANS-EUROPEANDaniel Duda

WEST-CENTRAL AFRICAChiemela Ikonne

COPY EDITORRandy Hall

ART DIRECTION/GRAPHIC DESIGNHarry Knox

ADVISORY BOARDJohn Wesley Taylor V, Chair; Veronique Anderson, Lisa M.

Beardsley-Hardy, Larry Blackmer, Erline Burgess, Hamlet Canosa,Keith Hallam, Hudson E. Kibuuka, Linda Mei Lin Koh, Mike MileLekic, Michael Ryan, Luis A. Schulz, Carole Smith, Tim Soper,

Evelyn M. Sullivan, Charles H. Tidwell Jr., David Trim

THE JOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION publishes ar-ticles concerned with a variety of topics pertinent to Ad-ventist education. Opinions expressed by our writers donot necessarily represent the views of the staff or the offi-cial position of the Department of Education of the GeneralConference of Seventh-day Adventists.

THE JOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION (ISSN 0021-8480) is published bimonthly, October through May, plus asingle summer issue for June, July, August, and Septemberby the Department of Education, General Conference of Sev-enth-day Adventists, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring,MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (301) 680-5075; FAX:(301) 622-9627; E-mail: mcgarrellf@ gc.ad ventist.org. Yearlysubscription price: U.S.$18.25. Add $3.00 for postage out-side the U.S. Single copy: U.S.$3.75. Periodical postage paidat Silver Spring, Maryland, and additional mailing office.Please send all changes of address to 3200 West FourthStreet, Buchanan, MI 49107, U.S.A., including both old andnew address. Address all editorial and advertising correspon-dence to the Editor. Copyright 2014 General Conference ofSDA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE JOUR-NAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION, 3200 West Fourth Street,Buchanan, MI 49107, U.S.A.

ADVENTIST EDUCATIONThe Journal of

C O N T E N T S

2 The Journal of Adventist Education • October/November 2014 http://jae.adventist.org

3 Editorial: Navigating a New Path

4 GMOs and the Great ControversyBy David A. Steen

16 Values Education and Faith Formation: A Neat Fit or More?By Beverly Christian

22 Standards for Student Learning in North American DivisionSeventh-day Adventist Elementary and Secondary SchoolsBy Dennis L. Plubell and Carol Campbell

24 Bible Stories in the Classroom: The Why and the HowBy Barbara Fisher

32 Forms, Foci, and Forces: The Need for Overseas Pre-service Teacher Professional ExperiencesBy Jason Hinze and Phil Fitzsimmons

40 Insurance 101: Is Your Campus Properly Insured?By Arthur F. Blinci and Tim Northrop

Photo and art credits: Cover and pp. 4, 5 (photos in letters), David Steen, Thinkstock; cover designby Harry Knox; pp. 6-12, David Steen; pp.4, 24, 28, 32, 40, 48, Thinkstock, pp. 16, 18, 19, 22, 23,33-36, courtesy of the respective authors.

The Journal of Adventist Education®, Adventist®, and Seventh-day Adventist® are the registered trademarks of the GeneralConference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists®.

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OCTOBER /NOVEMBER 2 0 1 4 • VOLUME 7 7 , NO. 1

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Faith-Ann McGarrell

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One of my favorite pictures is of a path windingprecariously through a verdant, wooded for-est. The path is rugged; it weaves its waythrough rocky crevices, loose stones, and

mossy soil—at times level, at times steep. The image isone I have used with my curriculum students as we de-liberated the meaning of the word currere—the pathupon which we “walk, skip, jump, and perhaps run,”1

while navigating the process of teaching and learning.The resulting discussions often led to contemplationsabout the inevitability of change, the necessity of honingour navigation skills for life’s challenging moments, andthe power of stories—our own and those of others—tosupport us along the way.

This image is just as relevant for me now as we beginthis new journey together. My relationship with THEJOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION began early in myteaching life. As a beginning English and Language Artsteacher (Grades 7-12), I stood in the middle of theproverbial rocky path, confronted with an energetic, cre-ative group of students—some of whom proved to beavid readers and writers, while others struggled. Receiv-ing a copy of the JOURNAL’S theme issue dedicated toteaching writing and developing cognitive skills offeredhope. Articles such as “The Write Stuff ” and “CreativeWriting—Making Meaning” were like tools in hand. Atlast, this was not just theory; it was the real deal—theoryjoined with practice.2 Yet, the thought of implementingthese ideas seemed daunting! The process felt precarious,like navigating the rocky crevices; the practice tenuous,like walking on loose stone; and the support uncertain,like walking on mossy soil. Fortunately, each article pre-sented perspectives on how to proceed.

How do we as practitioners in the field venture untonew pathways, engage with ideas that challenge us, or re-consider the boundaries of the known? In essence, how

do we move from what we know to something new?What do we do with advances in technology that havethe potential to revolutionize our paradigms by changingthe way we access and produce information? How do wemaintain standards when all around us standards arechanging? How do we validate our stories when our livedexperiences differ? How do we as teachers and adminis-trators prepare for risk? This is the new—and there is stillso much that we do not know. Yet, here are a few thingsthat we can know with certainty:

For 75 years, THE JOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATIONhas served as a mainstay for Seventh-day Adventist edu-cators. The recent past editor, Beverly Robinson-Rumble,served for 43 of those years, establishing a path for thispublication and sustaining commitment to the missionthat every teacher, in every school, in every conference,union, and division receive a copy of the JOURNAL.3 Thisvow, upheld by the General Conference Department ofEducation, comprises the core of our mission statement.4

Through this periodical, we transmit5 what we knowabout Seventh-day Adventist Christian education—itsgoals, aims, and values, research-based methods of in-struction, and effective approaches for assessing andplanning for learning.

We also know that the JOURNAL has served as a venuefor transactional discourse,6 which builds upon goodpractice and provides support to practitioners in thefield—beginning and seasoned professionals alike. theJOURNAL will continue its mission to connect and keepteachers, administrators, and individuals vested in edu-cation active in conversation. As an educator, I receiveseveral journals from multiple perspectives and voices—Education Digest, Educational Review, English Journal,The Language Arts Journal, the Journal of Science Educa-tion and Technology, and many more—and so do each ofyou. Yet, I look forward to one that represents my dis-

E D I T O R I A L

http:// jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • October/November 2014

Continued on page 47

Navigating a New Path

Let food be thy medicine andmedicine be thy food,” taughtHippocrates some 400 yearsbefore Christ.1 Yet here in the21st century, 842 million peo-

ple in the world do not have enough toeat,2 and almost half of the 3.1 millionchildhood deaths each year are attrib-uted to poor nutrition.3 Contrast thesestatistics with the rates of over-nutri-tion and obesity. While nearly a billionpeople are unable to function well forlack of food, another billion sufferfrom obesity.4 And the projections arethat within this decade, two-thirds ofthe world’s diseases will be associatedwith diet.5 How could Hippocrateshave been so right so long ago?

Serious diseases at both ends of thefood-availability continuum motivatemany to seek solutions that providemore food for the hungry, more nutri-tious food for the undernourished, andto do it all with less environmental im-

pact. One of those solutions involvesthe development of Genetically Modi-fied Organisms (GMOs), a highly con-troversial, extremely technical, hotlydebated method of altering a plant’sgenetic makeup so that it acquires de-sired characteristics.

No doubt you have heard about thehuge GMO controversy. And wherethere are human controversies, Chris-tians are wise to view them in the con-text of “The Great Controversy,” thecosmic battle between Christ andSatan, which explains the doublemeaning of the title above. This articleis primarily about the earthly contro-versy over GMOs, but at the end, I willtouch briefly on how GMOs may play arole in the larger cosmic conflict.

Voices on both sides of the GMOdebate are often strident. And if youlisten carefully, you hear the samepoints made over and over, with peopletalking past one another. Have youwondered why anti-GMO activists de-stroy fields of food crops and create

Websites filled with anti-GMO po -lemics?6 Have you heard of scientificbreakthroughs with apparently greatpotential to improve nutrition bygrowing more food at lower cost andreducing the risks of toxic pesticides—but these innovations languish becauseof stiff public opposition?7 Perhaps youhave seen the labels on prepared foodsthat boast “GMO Free” and wonderedwhether that means it is good or bad. Ifso, you are not alone.

As a long-time, dues-paying mem-ber of the Society for In Vitro Biology,8

I used to think that GMOs would pro-vide a satisfactory answer to the prob-lems of world hunger while at the sametime reducing the heavy ecological im-pact of farming. As time passes and Icontinue to learn, I have had to adjustto the reality that, while biotechnologydoes have some helpful solutions, itcan’t solve these problems alone, and it

5http:// jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • October/November 2014

B Y D A V I D A . S T E E N

“

Genetically Modified Organisms are the result of ahighly contro versial, extremely

technical, hotly debatedmethod of altering a plant’s genetic makeup so that it acquires desired characteristics.

inevitably produces some unintendedconsequences.

Nathanael Johnson was a stronganti-GMO advocate and writer. Whenhe decided to set aside his bias and getto the bottom of the GMO controversy,he changed his mind.9 Another out -spoken anti-GMO critic, Mark Lynas,recently reversed himself in a well-publicized speech,10 apologizing for hisobstruction of what he now considers agood thing, and for the deaths that mayhave resulted in part because of his ac-tivism. So as you learn about GMOs,perhaps you, too, will decide to adjustyour position based on recent data.

In this brief overview, I will firstshare a few of the literally hundreds offascinating stories about GMOs. Thenwe will explore the current state of theugly food fight over GMOs and discusshow to think about the topic rationally.Finally, we’ll try to discover how this allfits into the great controversy betweenChrist and Satan.

DefinitionAs mentioned earlier, GMO is sim-

ply an acronym that stands for Geneti-cally Modified Organism. What doesthat imply? To unpack those threewords, the term means changing thegenetic composition of an organism.11

More precisely, it involves altering thegenetic composition of the organismusing laboratory protocols that rely onmodern molecular biology. Scientistsadd or subtract genes from a genome(the sum total of an organism’s genes),usually taking the genes from one or-ganism and getting them to functionwell in another organism or perhapsproduce an altered gene expression. Forexample, strawberries now resist latespring freezes because the plants havebeen given a functional antifreeze genefrom a deep-sea fish.12

About now, I’m sure some of youare saying, “Eeew, that’s not normal!”Or, “Gross, that’s not the way God de-signed it to be.” Others may react,“What’s the big deal? Genetic modifica-tion is a normal and routine biologicalprocess. Who cares if we use advancedtechnology to make it happen? Plant

and animal breeders do it. Even as longago as Old Testament times, Jacob didit with his employer’s sheep and goats13

to fatten his take-home pay.” Othersmight observe: “Genetic modificationis an important result of sexual repro-duction. I am a genetic modification ofmy two parents. I am a GMO. In fact,everything genetic undergoes modifi-cation over time.”

Most definitely there is a lot of con-fusion out there. We need to be clear onour definitions. The term GMO, as cur-rently used, doesn’t mean cross breedingor general genetic modification. It has amuch more restricted usage, referring tohigh-tech genetic engineering (GE) con-ducted in a laboratory.

Incidentally, GMO is NOT an acro -nym that biologists normally use for oneorganism expressing the artificially in-troduced genes of another organism.The word they use to describe a straw-berry expressing a fish gene or rice ex-pressing a carrot gene is transgenic.Transgenic organisms have genes fromanother organism that give them specific


Transgenic Strawberries

Various transgenic linesof strawberries have beendeveloped that exhibitfreeze, pest, and herbi-cide resistance as well asdelayed softening afterripening and picking.Though many of theselines are morphologicallyand otherwise phenotypi-cally similar to the con-trol berries shown here,to date, none of the trans-genic lines has beencommercialized.

capabilities or functions. A related termthat appears often in context with theacronym GMO is “recombinant DNA”or “rDNA.” Not to be confused with ge-netic recombination (a natural result ofchromosomal crossover during meiosisin sexual reproduction), rDNA refers toa process of bringing DNA from varioussources together in the laboratory to cre-ate novel sequences that do not occurnaturally. This lab-based recombinationhappens in various ways, one of whichuses cloning vectors such as bacterialplasmids or viruses that can repro- duce, transport, and insert the novel se-quences of genes into the genome of anorganism, giving it new capabilities orcharacteristics.

I well remember attending an inter-national congress of plant molecularbiologists in the early 1980s and hear-ing one of the presenters talking aboutGMO and how that specific term,“Genetically Modified Organism,” wascarefully and intentionally designedby anti-GMO activists to be pejorative.It was chosen to conjure negativethoughts and dark feelings about anyorganism that had its genes tinkered

with. In fact, anti-GMO activists desig-nate any transgenic food as “Franken-food,” purposefully eliciting visions ofMary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein and“mad scientists.” I think it unfortunatethat zealous anti-transgenic crusadershave stolen the show to the extent that“GMO Free” is now printed on manycans, bags, or cartons of processedfood, and the language is now all aboutGMO instead of the more neutral andaccurate terminology of transgenic orgenetically engineered.

Now that we have defined whatGMO means, let’s get to a few stories.

Bt Corn and Bt CottonWe have all seen them chowing

down on the edge of a leaf. And evenwith their big eyes and soft bodies, onlya mother (and perhaps some entomol-ogists and hungry birds) could love afat juicy caterpillar. It’s one of nature’sbest-designed eating machines, onethat can increase its body size severalthousand fold in just a couple of weeks.In the process, caterpillars (or more ac-

curately, the larvae of moths and but-terflies) cause enormous crop damage.We tend to see them most often asinchworms, corn earworms, corn bor-ers, cotton bollworms, tomato horn-worms, and the like. Amazingly, afterthis often-destructive early lifestyle,these larvae pupate, transforming intoharmless and often beautiful nectar-feeding adult moths and butterflies.The adults then mate and lay eggs thathatch into the next generation of de-structive caterpillars.

So what does this have to do withGMO? In an attempt to reduce andeven halt the use of tons of toxic chem-ical pesticides to kill the destructiveworms, agricultural scientists found anally in nature, a common soil-dwellingbacterium by the name of Bacillusthuringiensis (Bt),14 whose remarkableinsecticidal properties were discoveredin 1911. Bacillus is a large genus ofmostly harmless soil bacteria, which in-clude the probiotics found in yogurt.When the going gets tough for Bacillusand their ilk, they usually move into adefensive mode, making hard, resistantspores called endospores. Scientists


Larvae of the European CornBorer (Ostrinia nubilalis)

The larvae of a Europeancorn borer is commonlyfound tunneling and feedingon ears of untreated corn,leaving a copious wake ofunsightly fecal waste. Thelighter strands are corn silk,which provide a size compar-ison. Organic farmers gener-ally protect their crop byspraying a suspension ofbacteria called Bacillusthuringiensis (Bt) on theirfields, which produces acrystalline protein called Crythat perforates the digestivetract of the larvae, killingthem quickly without the useof toxic poisons. TransgenicBt corn expresses the Crygene, providing the sameprotection from this destruc-tive pest.

learned that during the process ofmaking endospores (sporulation), thebacteria make a crystalline protein, ab-breviated Cry, that paralyzes and perfo-rates the soft digestive tract of manyinsect larvae, particularly moth andbutterfly larvae, causing them to stopfeeding and starve to death. Fortu-nately, the Cry protein is harmless tomammals, birds, plant pollinators, andmost beneficial insects (see the side -bar on page 9). Bt is considered to beso safe that organic gardeners havesprayed these bacterial endospores ontheir plants for nearly a century.

But with the discovery of the struc-ture of DNA, and more recently, as sci-entists learned to manipulate the mole-cules, the bacterial gene that codes forthe Cry protein could be artificially in-serted into plant DNA. Which plantswere candidates for Cry protein? Big-production cash crops of corn and cot-ton were incredibly susceptible to thecorn earworm or cotton bollworm,both larvae of moths. Annual cornlosses from the European corn borer inthe U.S. alone are estimated to be be-

tween $1 billion and $2 billion.15 So itmade economic sense to focus re -search on them. After years of research,through rDNA technology, bacterialCry genes were inserted into corn andcotton DNA, making them transgenicplants. So plants are now able to pro-duce Cry on their own and can protectthemselves by killing the larvae that tryto eat them. Plants no longer have torely on farmers to spray toxic insecti-cides or even solutions of bacterial en-dospores to get protection from theseworms. In these cases, developing posi-tive applications in transgenic plantswas quite successful.

Golden RiceHere is another story—that of

Golden Rice. This year, 2014, if all goeswell, Golden Rice is scheduled for initialfree seed distribution to farmers in thePhilippines.16 The story actually beginsin the 1980s, when Ingo Potrykus, a pro-fessor at the Swiss Federal Institute ofTechnology in Zurich, was dismayed tolearn about the large number of peoplein some populations who suffered fromblindness and even died from the effects

of too little vitamin A in their diets,17

which consisted mostly of white rice.During the 1980s, Potrykus worked hardon the stubborn problem of achievingtransformation in rice as the first step infiguring out how to get rice plants tosynthesize their own vitamin A. To makethis happen, he collaborated with PeterBeyer, professor for cell biology in theFaculty of Biology of the University ofFreiburg. They made little progress untilthey brought in Syngenta, a biotech andagrochemical company, to help with thelengthy, costly, and complicated regula-tory approval and intellectual property-rights processes. And even with thisexcellent team working hard to bringGolden Rice to local farmers in order toimprove general nutrition, it has takenmore than three decades to finally intro-duce the seed into just one country.

True, the technical GE problemswere a major factor in making the jour-ney long and costly. But other bigger,and even more difficult, challengesarose in operating within the bound-aries of stringent regulatory and safetyguidelines. The researchers also battled


Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopestetrophthalmus)

The red milkweed beetle is com-monly found feeding and livingon mature milkweed plants,where it apparently derivessome protection from consumingthe toxic plant juices.

(Inset) Monarch Butterfly Egg

A monarch butterfly egg recentlydeposited on the bottom sideof a milkweed leaf. The femaletypically places only one egg oneach young milkweed plant,assuring an adequate food sup-ply for her future offspring. Thisimage reveals the detail of theegg case structure.


Despite the fact that Bt has been used for more than 100 yearsto control insect pests, some fear that desirable insects such as but-terflies and helpful bees might be in danger. These fears are not un-founded because the Cry protein is effective precisely be-cause it specifically targets the larval form oflepidopterons (moths and butterflies), many ofwhich are pests. The fear of harm to non-target species gained great credibilityand huge publicity following the 1999publication of a brief preliminary lab-oratory study1 describing heavymortality (44 percent) in monarchbutterfly larvae forced to feed onmilkweed leaves dusted with Btcorn pollen. Though an earlier(and much more thorough andcarefully designed) field study wasreported at meetings and then laterpublished,2 it was largely ignoredeven though it, too, reported significantmortality. Those two papers continue to re-verberate in the media and to scare both thepublic and policy makers even today.

But they shouldn’t. Now, with 15 years of hindsight andhundreds of additional studies, it is clear that those earlier studies in-vestigated Bt corn pollen from a type of corn that produced a particu-larly potent and abundant form of the Cry protein that is no longercommercialized. The predominant types of Bt corn now being plantedhave variants of Cry genes that are not expressed well in cornpollen but continue to be expressed where the de-structive pests feed. The encouraging resultsappear to be effective pest control that hasa negligible effect on monarch but -terflies,3 no effect on black swallowtailbutterflies,4 and even some beneficialeffects on bees.5 Specifically, bybringing Bt corn pollen into thehive, the bees are unwittingly help-ing to control waxworms (larvae ofthe wax moth), a destructive par-asite of bee colonies.

Multiple review articles de-scribe the effects of Cry proteins ona small sample of other non-targetspecies.6 All agree that more data isneeded and that field testing is preferableto laboratory studies. Most studies have beendone in the U.S. on monarch butterflies, with littleattention to the vast array of other invertebrate species.But one thing is certain: As world acreage of Bt corn and Bt cottonhas increased, the use of insecticides known to be highly toxic hasdramatically decreased.

REFERENCES1. John E. Losey, Linda S. Raynor, and Maureen E. Carter, “Transgenic

Pollen Harms Monarch Larvae,” Nature 399:6733 (1999):214. 2. Laura C. Hansen and John J. Obrycki, “Field Deposition of Bt Transgenic

Corn Pollen: Lethal Effects on the Monarch Butterfly,” Oecologia125:2 (October 2000):241-248.

3. The monarch is by far the most studied but-terfly. Some of the best research can be found in

the following sources: Mark K. Sears, RichardL. Hellmich, et al., “Impact of Bt Corn Pollenon Monarch Butterfly Populations: A RiskAssessment,” Proceedings of the Na-tional Academy of Sciences in theUnited States of America 98:21 (Octo-ber 9, 2001):11937-11942; also foundhere: http://www.pnas.org/content/ 98/21/11937.full; and Heather R. Mat-tila, Mark K. Sears, and Jian J. Duan,“Response of Danaus plexippus toPollen of Two New Bt Corn Events ViaLaboratory Bioassay,” Entomologia Ex-

perimentalis et Applicata 116:1 (June2005):31-41; Patricia L. Anderson, Richard

L. Hellmich, Mark K. Sears, Douglas V. Sumer-ford, and Leslie C. Lewis, “Effects of Cry1Ab-

Expressing Corn Anthers on Monarch ButterflyLarvae,” Environmental Entomology 33:4 (2004): 1109-

1115; and Jeffrey D. Woldt, Robert K. D. Peterson, PaulBystrak, and To Meade, “A Screening Level Approach for Nontarget In-

sect Risk Assessment: Transgenic Bt Corn Pollen and the Monarch Butterfly (Lep-idoptera; Danaidae),” Environmental Entomology 32:2 (2003):237-246.

4. C. L. Wraight, et al., “Absence of Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis Pol -len to Black Swallowtails Under Field Conditions,” Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences in the United States of America. 97:14 (2000):7700-

7703, also found here: http://www.pnas.org/content/ 97/14/ 7700.short.

5. Anton V. Hanley, Zhong Y. Huang, and Wal-ter L. Pett, “Effects of Dietary Transgenic Bt Corn

Pollen on Larvae of Apis mellifera and Galleriamellonella,” Journal of Apicultural Research42:4 (December 1, 2003):77-81; andRobyn Rose, Galen P. J. Dively, and JeffPettis, “Effects of Bt Corn Pollen onHoney Bees: Emphasis on ProtocolDevelopment,” Apidologie 38:4 (Oc-tober 4, 2007):368-377.

6. The following are three reviewarticles illustrating an ongoing varietyof opinions: B. W. Clark, T. A. Phillips,and J. R. Coats, “Environmental Fateand Effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)Proteins From Transgenic Crops: A Re-

view,” Journal of Agricultural and FoodChemistry 53:12 (June 15, 2005):4643-

4653; Antheus Lang and Mathias Otto, “A Syn-thesis of Laboratory and Field Studies on the Ef-

fects of Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Maize onNon-target Lepidoptera,” Entomologia Experimentalis et Ap-

plicata 135 (2010):121-134; and S. E. Naranjo, “Impacts of Bt Cropson Non-target Invertebrates and Insecticide Use Patterns,” CAB Reviews: Per-spectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition, and Natural Resources4:011 (2009):1-23.

Bt —A Threat to Butterflies and Bees?

stiff opposition by anti-GMO activists,who even resorted to trampling testplots of the transgenic rice.18

Roundup Ready®One more fragment of a story:

Roundup® is a well-known herbicidethat many people use in their yards.The reason I prefer it over other herbi-cides is because it is a relatively non-toxic19 but highly effective weed killer.We use it to kill poison ivy and grassesgrowing in the cracks along the drive-way. Most users are unaware that theactive ingredient in Roundup® isglyphosate.20

In 1970, John Franz, a chemistworking for Monsanto, discoveredglyphosate, a common amino acidglycine with a phosphonomethyl groupattached that inhibits an enzyme withthe complicated name “5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase”(EPSPS).21 This enzyme is found onlyin plants and some bacteria, where itcatalyzes the synthesis of three impor-tant amino acids. Animals get the three

amino acids in their diet. Plants have tomake them. So Roundup® kills plantsby simply shutting down this impor-tant biochemical pathway.

Because of its effectiveness and ex-tremely low toxicity, Roundup® be-came one of the most used herbicides,especially after Monsanto’s biologistssuccessfully engineered crop plants(soybeans in 1996 and later corn, cot-ton, alfalfa, sugar beets, and canola)to be insensitive to Roundup. TheseGE plants are known as “RoundupReady®”22 because a farmer can plantthe engineered seeds and leave thefields alone until the weed seeds haveall sprouted and are growing vigor-ously. Then just one application ofglyphosate sprayed on the whole fieldselectively kills the weeds, leaving theRoundup Ready® crop unaffected.

So what explains a plant’s Round -up® tolerance? These genetically engi-neered plants have genes coding for analternative form of the EPSPS enzyme,one not inhibited by glyphosate. Theseprecisely engineered alternative geneshave sequences of DNA derived fromother organisms. While a complicated

tale, it is a success story, judging by themillions of acres of crops grown theworld over.23

Other StoriesThere are many more fascinating

stories for which we simply don’t havetime or space. But if you’re interested,read about the Flavr Savr tomato24 withits longer shelf life, strawberries thatresist early spring freezes,25 or trans-genic papaya that resist the ringspotvirus disease.26

For more than a decade, WilliamLangridge and his associates at LomaLinda University’s Center for Molecu-lar Biology and Gene Therapy, Depart-ment of Biochemistry, have had re-markable success in getting GMOplants to produce vaccines against in-fectious and autoimmune diseases.27

There are several obvious benefits ofthese plant-based vaccines: (1) They donot contain any type of pathogens. In-stead, transgenic plants such as bananaor potato are made to produce smallpieces of characteristic proteins thatelicit the immune response. (2) These


Monarch Butterfly onMilkweed

When preparing to lay anegg on the underside of amilkweed leaf, monarchbutterflies choose care-fully. After hatching, thelarvae feed exclusively onmilkweed. The milkywhite latex in the leavescontains cardiac glyco-sides that make both thelarvae and the adult but-terfly that develops fromit distasteful and poison-ous to birds and other ver-tebrate predators.

(Right) Before Roundup®

Weeds grow bigger andfaster than soybeans, rob-bing this valuable crop ofmoisture, nutrients, andsunlight.

(Inset) A 4 mm MonarchButterfly Larvae

Only about half (2 mm) ofthis larvae is visible fromthe bottom of the milkweedleaf, where it eats from theleaf edge.

foods containing the vaccines can beeaten regularly to maintain immunity.

Plants are not the only beneficiariesof GE research. For example, bacteriahave been outfitted with a human in-sulin gene so they can make this criti-cally important product and scientistsno longer have to extract it from pigsor other animals. Bacteria also makehuman growth hormone and enzymesfor laundry detergents. Transgenicgoats produce various medicines intheir milk. GE has resulted in exoticgoldfish, knockout mice for studying ahost of disease conditions, and greenglowing species of several types for re-search use. The list of exciting resultsand possibilities seems endless.

Examining the Pros and ConsBut all is not exciting and wonder-

ful. Controversy abounds. You proba-bly have many of the same questionsthat I do: “What am I to believe aboutgenetically engineered plants and ani-mals? Are genetically modified (GM)foods safe to eat? Could these engi-neered genes escape into the environ-

ment? Should I be for or againstGMO?” The voices promoting and de-crying genetically engineered plantsand animals are often loud and angry.The science is incredibly technical.How does one decide? What shouldyou tell your students?

After wrestling with this topic formany years, I have concluded thatGMOs are not the panacea that somepromoters suggest. They do solve someof the problems some of the time. Nei-ther are they the extreme dangers thatthe anti-GMO activists would lead youto believe. A number of other scientistshave independently arrived at similarconclusions.

Remember Nathanael Johnson? As awriter, he dedicated a few years of his lifeto exploring the GMO issue in order tounderstand the pros and cons. His clear-eyed research resulted in a series of 27articles called “Panic-Free GMOs” pub-lished in GRIST, an online source with amission to clarify green living.28 Johnsonlearned that, contrary to what manyclaim, food GMOs are indeed highlyregulated. But that the extent and qual-ity of the regulation is difficult to deter-


I have concluded thatGMOs are not thepanacea that somepromoters suggest.They do solve some ofthe problems some ofthe time. Neither arethey the extreme dan-gers that the anti-GMOactivists would leadyou to believe.

mine because much of it involves self-testing and regulation imposed by theFood and Drug Administration or theEnvironmental Protection Agency. Hecites personal communications with ValGiddings, a former biotech regulatorwho wrote to Johnson in an e-mail, “Inmy opinion it is misleading to and pastthe point of dishonesty to claim thatFDA does not require safety testing, . . .A Jesuit would blush at the rhetoricalconvolutions to which the activist oppo-nents resort to make it seem other-wise.”29 From a corn-insect scientist atCornell University, Johnson learned thatthe big seed companies used to preventother scientists from using their pat -ented seeds in their research, but notanymore. Strict guidelines regulate howthe seeds can be used. Some companiesare more difficult to work with thanothers. “Monsanto gets a lot of pain inthe public press, but they are the com-pany that interacts the best with publicscientists—they have always been on theforefront of pushing public research for-ward.”30

Johnson writes that genetic engineer-ing is not likely to introduce unintendedconsequences because plant breeders al-ways work with the modified crops toeliminate problem traits. He says that wehave to think seriously about the fewvalid studies that have shown harmfuleffects from GMOs. But he says we haveto also consider the hundreds of studiesthat show them to be safe and concludethat the risks are low. He concluded thatGMOs have not noticeably helped poorfarmers, as they have richer ones. Butthat is changing, as some science is nowfocused specifically on the poor.31 John-son’s investigation led him to concludethat GMOs have not yet made a signifi-cant difference in feeding the world’shungry, as most GMO crops are used foranimal feed and biofuels.32

But what about that big question,“Are GMO foods really safe?” My simple,straightforward current opinion is “Yes.”And here is why. The scientific consen-sus is clear and unambiguous. After re-viewing a list of statements by 22 highlyregarded national and international or-ganizations regarding GMO foodsafety,33 I feel more secure about this


“Many internationalhealth organizationsthat have examinedthe evidence havecome to the same con-clusion: consumingfoods containing ingre-dients derived from GMcrops is no riskier thanconsuming the samefoods containing ingre-dients from crop plantsmodified by conven-tional plant improve-ment techniques.”

conclusion. Some of these organizationsperhaps have a reason to be biased. Butothers, such as the United Nations andvarious national medical associations,are not in the business of selling seeds orherbicides, so they should be impartial.This, by the way, is perhaps one of themost important concepts to teach yourstudents. When there are strident voiceson all sides of an issue, how does onechoose good sources? The wise course isto listen to those without a product tosell and those without a political agenda.In most cases, they will be the most ob-jective AND the least biased. Granted, itis hard to find those voices in the GMOcontroversy.

In their official October 2012 state-ment concerning the labeling of GMOfoods, the board of the American Asso-ciation for the Advancement of Sciencesupported the opinion of the entire Eu-ropean Union when it said, “The EU, forexample, has invested more than €300million in research on the biosafety ofGMOs. Its recent report states: ‘Themain conclusion to be drawn from theefforts of more than 130 research proj-ects, covering a period of more than 25

years of research and involving morethan 500 independent research groups,is that biotechnology, and in particularGMOs, are not per se more risky thane.g. conventional plant breeding tech-nologies.’ The World Health Organiza-tion, the American Medical Association,the U.S. National Academy of Sciences,the British Royal Society, and everyother respected organization that hasexamined the evidence has come to thesame conclusion: “consuming foodscontaining ingredients derived fromGM crops is no riskier than consumingthe same foods containing ingredientsfrom crop plants modified by conven-tional plant improvement techniques.”34

Another convincing source is a jointpublication of the Brazilian Academy ofSciences, the Chinese Academy of Sci-ences, the Indian National ScienceAcademy, the Mexican Academy of Sci-ences, the National Academy of Sciencesof the U.S.A., the Royal Society (U.K.)and the Third World Academy of Sci-ences entitled Transgenic Plants andWorld Agriculture,35 which states that“Foods can be produced through the

use of GM technology that are morenutritious, stable in storage, and inprinciple, health promoting—bringingbenefits to consumers in both industri-alized and developing nations.” TheWorld Health Organization also statesthat GMO foods have essentially thesame risk as conventional foods.36 Per-haps Key, Ma, and Drake, writing in theJournal of the Royal Society of Medicine,answer the big question best with thisstatement: “Foods derived from GMcrops have been consumed by hundredsof millions of people across the worldfor more than 15 years, with no re-ported ill effects (or legal cases relatedto human health), despite many of theconsumers coming from that most liti-gious of countries, the USA.”37

An important caveat: Just becausethere is consensus doesn’t necessarilymake something true. Good sciencedoesn’t appeal to authority or consen-sus as proof—rather, it relies on re-peated testing. And in the case ofGMOs, repeated testing has failed toproduce credible evidence of serioushealth concerns. Clearly, this is a jour-ney still in progress, and in my opin-


(Page 12) Roundup Ready®Soybeans

This field of genetically en-gineered soybeans is not af-fected by the herbicide thathas effectively killed nearlyall the weeds because theRoundup® was appliedwhen the weeds were youngand actively growing.

(Left) Spraying Roundup®on a Soybean Field

Early morning, when thewinds are calm, is the besttime to apply Roundup®.Although weeds have over-taken this soybean field, ina week’s time, the weedswill be down, and the rowsof young Roundup Ready®bean plants will continuegrowing strong.

ion, ongoing scientific research willdoubtless expose any GMOs that posesignificant risks to society. So we needto stay informed. But we also need tochoose good sources with minimal biasand teach our students how to evaluatethe quality of various sources. Thatmeans eschewing both activists’ and in-dustry sources. Reports on independ-ent research may be hard to find, butthey are well worth the effort.

The Great ControversyNow back to the connection be-

tween GMOs and the Great Contro-versy. Besides being at the center of anugly, intensely controversial fight, doGMOs have any relevance in the battlebetween Christ and Satan? I have heardand read comments of deeply com -mitted Christians, people whom I re-spect, disparaging GMOs as evidenceof an end-time crumbling ecology andthe results of corporate greed. I acceptthese statements as off-the-cuff obser-vations echoing what we all read andhear in the news. But let’s look brieflyat the spiritual implications of GMOs.Obviously, there just isn’t room in thisarticle to analyze this aspect exten-sively, but some key elements can pro-vide important springboards for on -going discussions during teachablemoments.

Christ, the Creator of all, loves eachof us unconditionally. He desires all tohave life that is joyful and abundant.38

He gave us intelligent and curious mindsto figure things out. Scientific discover-ies that make life better for humanitysuch as those in hygiene, medicine, agri-culture, nutrition, and healthful livingmay be examples of God’s many gifts tous. Could the discovery and use of ge-netic engineering tools be yet another ofGod’s blessings? I am thinking in partic-ular about those discoveries that in-crease the abundance and nutrient con-tent of food or significantly reduce ourdependence on toxic pesticides or herbi-cides—such discoveries decidedly en-hance human health and well-being. Ithink that a strong argument could bemade supporting an affirmative answer

regarding the blessings of GMOs. In stark contrast, the devil’s highest

goal is to destroy God’s creation and killhumanity.39 And though God cannot lieor deceive and will never coerce or forceus to believe, the devil is all about coer-cion, deceit, distraction, and destruc-tion. He loves a good fight—the uglierand more destructive the better, for itblemishes God’s character, destroys Hiscreation, and hurts His children.

On which side of the cosmic battledo genetic engineers usually stand?What about anti-GMO activists? Whattactics are generally used by these op-posing entities? Let me be very clearhere. It is too easy to paint all with thesame broad brush, but that would bevery wrong, for all institutions andgroups have goodhearted, honest peopleas well as some with malevolent intent.For example, some genetic engineers arein the business just for the financialprofit. Others do their work becausethey care deeply and passionately aboutthe environment and about humanhealth. They want to be part of the solu-tion to very real problems. The same canbe said for some anti-GMO activists.

In the extensive reading that I havedone on this topic, I see a preponder-ance of destructive, deceitful, coerciveactivity coming from the anti-GMOside.40 The result has been the tragicdeath of millions of people, not tomention exacerbating hunger and mal-nutrition among the most needy onthis planet. The pro-GMO side tends towork more often within the law andwithin guidelines of stringent safetymeasures to improve the lot of human-ity. They don’t force others to use theirproducts, and model numerous exam-ples of charity and selfless giving—agood definition of love.

When I take a long look at the bigpicture, the GMO controversy may wellbe another way that the devil blightsGod’s creation and distracts us fromwhat is truly important. So how doesone decide? The wise man Solomonsaid it best: “In all thy ways acknowl-edge him, and he shall direct thy paths”(Proverbs 3:6, KJV).

This article has been peer reviewed.

�

David A. Steen,Ph.D., is a plantphysiologist whoseprimary interestsare plant growthand development,plant biotechnology,and ultrastructural

imaging. After more than four decades ofbiological research and teaching (South-ern Adventist University and AndrewsUniversity, where he was Chair of the Bi-ology Department), he recently retired.Dr. Steen writes from Berrien Springs,Michigan.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. Hakim G. M. Chishti, The Traditional

Healer’s Handbook (Rochester, Vt.: Healing ArtsPress, 1988), p. 11; and also http://www. good reads.com/author/quotes/248774. Hippo crates:http://www.brainyquote.com/ quotes/ authors/ h/hippocrates.html. Websites in the endnoteswere checked in July 2014.

2. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/ 161819/ icode/.

3. http://www.thelancet.com/series/maternal-and-child-nutrition.

4. http://www.sfu.ca/global-nutrition/@GH/ Ghec/ghec56_41a/ghec56%20Nutrition% 20 Davison%20FINAL%20June2011.ppt.

5. Mickey Chopra, Sarah Galbraith, and IanDarnton-Hill, “A Global Response to a GlobalProblem: the Epidemic of Overnutrition,” Bul-letin of the World Health Organization 80:12(2002):952-958.

6. http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/ 2013/08/26/golden_rice_attack_in_philippines_anti_gmo_activists_lie_about_protest_and.htmland http://gmo-awareness.com/resources/anti- gmo-groups-america/.

7. http://grist.org/food/block-party-are-activists-thwarting-gmo-innovation/; http:// www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/ 40085/title/Putting-Up-Resistance/, http://blogs. scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/08/ 15/ organic_myths_revisited/#34.

8. http://www.sivb.org/.9. http://www.nathanaeljohnson.org/.10. http://www.marklynas.org/2013/04/time-

to-call-out-the-anti-gmo-conspiracy-theory/.11. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

genetically+modified+organism gives a gooddefinition of GMO along with a nice summary ofthe debate. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Genetically_modified_organism) also givesthe topic a reasonably fair and balanced coverage.

12. http://www.actahort.org/books/ 484/484_ 99.htm.

13. See the story of how Jacob got his dueafter Laban persuaded him to continue workingfor him, beginning in Genesis 30:25 and onward.


This must have been some carefully directedcrossbreeding.

14. Here is a technical fact sheet from the Na-tional Pesticide Information Center: http://npic. orst. edu/factsheets/BTtech.pdf; and another factsheet from Colorado State University updatedJanuary 8, 2014: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ pubs/insect/05556.html.

15. Jeffrey Hyde, Marshall A. Martin, Paul V.Preckel, and C. Richard Edwards, “The Econom-ics of Bt Corn: Valuing Protection From the Eu-ropean Corn Borer,” Applied Economic Perspec-tives and Policy 21:2 (Winter 1999):442-454.

16. http://www.goldenrice.org/; see alsohttp://www.goldenrice.org/Content1-Who/ who2_ history.php for a brief history, or read thedetailed account by Ingo Potrykus himself here:http://www.goldenrice.org/PDFs/The_GR_Tale.pdf. Nathanael Johnson’s story sums it up best:http://grist.org/food/golden-rice-fools-gold-or-golden-opportunity/.

17. http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/ vad/ en/; or http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5244e/ x5244e03.htm.

18. Stories like this abound: http://www. slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/08/26/golden_rice_attack_in_philippines_anti_gmo_acti vists_lie_about_protest_and.html; and http:// www.trueactivist.com/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields/.

19. Toxicity from glyphosate is primarilyfrom the surfactants in the formulation, whichmake it absorbable by the plants: http://www. ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15862083.

20. J. E. Franz, M. K. Mao, and J. A. Sikorski,Glyphosate: A Unique Global Herbicide, AmericanChemical Society, 678 pp. There is also an excel-lent article on glyphosate on Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate; and theNational Pesticide Information Center has an in-formative technical factsheet: http://npic.orst. edu/ factsheets/glyphotech.html.

21. H. C. Steinrucken and N. Amrhein, “TheHerbicide Glyphosate Is a Potent Inhibitor of 5-Enolpyruvylshikimic Acid-3-Phosphate Syn-thase,” Biochemical and Biophysical ResearchCommunications 94:4 (1980):1207-1212.

22. http://www.monsanto.com/weedmanagement/Pages/roundup-ready-system.aspx.

23. C. D. S. Tomlin, The Pesticide Manual: AWorld Compendium, 14th ed., British Crop Protec-tion Council (Hampshire, U.K., 2006), pp. 545-548: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/ glyphotech. html. For the first time, in 2012, developing coun-tries planted more acreage of biotech crops thanindustrialized countries, with a total of more than400 million acres: http://www.isaaa.org/resources/ publications/briefs/44/pptslides/default.asp.

24. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavr_Savrand the more technical information in C. J. S.Smith, et al., “Antisense RNA Inhibition of Poly-galacturonase Gene Expression in TransgenicTomatoes,” Nature 334 (1988):724-726 and re-ported here: http://www.gmo-compass.org/ eng/ grocery_shopping/fruit_vegetables/15.genetically_modified_tomatoes.html and using anothermethod getting similar results: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2010/100628HandaTomato.html.

25. A. P. Firsov and S. V. Dolgov, “AgrobacterialTransformation and Transfer of the Antifreeze Pro-tein Gene of Winter Flounder to the Strawberry,”Acta Hort (ISHS) 484 (1998):581-586 or downloada PDF copy here: http://www.salmone. org/ wpcontent/ uploads/ 2011/12/fragolapesce.pdf.

26. Dennis Gonsalves, “Control of PapayaRingspot Virus in Papaya: A Case Study,” AnnualReview of Phytopathology 36 (September 1998): 415-437, or see the abstract here: http://www. annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev. phyto.36.1.415, and read about the disease atWik ipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya_ringspot_virus.

27. William H. R. Langridge, “Edible Vac-cines,” Scientific American 283:3 (September2000):66-71 and also found here: http://apbio. savithasastry.com/Units/Unit%206/articles/ edible_vaccines_2000_sciam.pdf; and James E.Carter III and William H. R. Langridge, “Plant-Based Vaccines for Protection Against Infectiousand Autoimmune Diseases,” Critical Reviewsin Plant Sciences 21:2 (2002):93-109; see alsoWilliam Langridge, Ooudare Odumosu, SomenNandi, Raymond Rodriguez, Marino DeLeon,and Zaida Cordero-MacIntyre, “Mucosal Vacci-nation Against Enteric Pathogens in the Develop-ing World,” British Journal of Medicine & MedicalResearch 2:3 (2012):260-291.

28. http://grist.org/series/panic-free-gmos/.29. http://grist.org/food/the-gm-safety-

dance-whats-rule-and-whats-real/.30. http://grist.org/food/genetically-modi


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fied-seed-research-whats-locked-and-what-isnt/.31. http://www.isaaa.org/default.asp.32. For extensive, balanced coverage, read

Johnson’s articles and his summary: http://grist. org/ series/panic-free-gmos/.

33. http://www.axismundionline. com/blog/ wp-content/uploads/2013/07/GMAuthoritiesnew1.jpg.

34. http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/ files/ AAAS_GM_statement.pdf.

35. http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/ Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2000/10062.pdf.

36. http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/en/ec_june2000_en.pdf.

37. Suzie Key, Julian K-C Ma, and PascalM.W. Drake, “Genetically Modified Plants andHuman Health,” Journal of the Royal Society ofMedicine 101:6 (June 1, 2008):290-298, andfound online here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2408621/.

38. John 15:11; 10:10.39. 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:7-12.40. http://www.marklynas.org/2013/04/time-

to-call-out-the-anti-gmo-conspiracy-theory/ andanother sad story about deceit and destruction:http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/08/26/golden_rice_attack_in_philippines_anti_gmo_activists_lie_about_protest_and.html. Bothpro-GMO and anti-GMO make mistakes and be-have badly: http://grist.org/food/is-extremism-in-defense-of-gm-food-a-vice/.

In a Thursday morning Bible class, the teacher is sharingwith his students the story of blind Bartimaeus as part ofa unit on “Jesus Christ: The Master Healer.” During the in-ductive Bible study, the students explore the values thatJesus demonstrates in this story. The teacher is intentional

in building a picture of a compassionate Savior. In a Friday morning chapel, at the end of the program, a

student from each class is given an award and affirmed fordemonstrating the “School Value of the Week.” This week’svalue is respect. The school celebrates and affirms the fact thatstudents are learning life values that will build their charactersand help them become responsible citizens.

Every week, around the globe, scenarios like the two aboveplay out in Adventist schools. Dedicated teachers and admin-istrators work to instill positive values and teach biblical truths.


B Y B E V E R L Y C H R I S T I A N

Can these areas be combined? This article explores characterdevelopment and its relationship to faith formation to deter-mine if they are mutually exclusive or inextricably linked.

Values and CharacterA study of what constitutes character leads us back to values.

Society defines values as ideas or concepts that people, eitherindividually or collectively, perceive to possess such merit orworth that these ideas help determine human attitudes and ac-tions. Thus, values are abstract ideas that manifest themselvesin concrete behavior. Some common values or virtues esteemedby all faiths and cultures include: compassion, courage, perse-verance, and excellence.1 A person’s values contribute to whatwe call character. An analysis of Internet quotes about charac-ter2 reveals the following perceptions:

A Neat Fit or More?

1. One’s character is judged based on behavior;2. Character is developed over time;3. Character pertains to making responsible, moral choices; 4. One’s worldview determines the values he or she holds;

and values, in turn, help build character.Therefore, the combination of values plus beliefs, moral rea-

soning, and the behavior they motivate, determines character,which shapes our choices here and stay with us throughouteternity. This then, as a common saying puts it, becomes our“destiny.” Since, as Ellen White has written: “What we shall bein heaven is the reflection of what we are now in character andholy service,”3 the development of character and values in Ad-ventist education deserves our close attention.

Values in SocietyAlthough historically, the family has held the primary re-

sponsibility for values education, the broader society also hasa role in producing good citizens, which lends credence to theidea that “it takes a village to raise a child.”4 Evidence for thisabounds in the folklore of most cultures, where literature andoral traditions extol the virtues and value of a good character.In addition, most faith traditions, including Christianity, pro-mote values or virtues in their holy writings.

The societal view of values education is pragmatic and sim-ple in theory, but complex in practice. Values are the glue thatenables otherwise diverse people to embrace shared goals andlive together peaceably; therefore, a society without commonvalues is in danger of disintegrating. Values may play out in dif-ferent ways in different cultures and even among people withina culture,5 yet interestingly, the majority of educators believethere is a core of universally held values regardless of a person’sculture, religious beliefs, or other differences.6

From a secular point of view, the purpose of values educa-tion is to develop in young people the knowledge and under-standings, skills and attitudes necessary for them to functionas responsible citizens both as individuals and as members ofsociety. The emphasis is on behavior or doing the right thingto others in society, and values are seen as something individ-uals “have,” something they choose to adopt for life. Valueseducation is a civic responsibility, jointly shared by families,schools, and society.

A Christian Perspective on “Values Education”Although values education has long been a distinctive char-

acteristic of Christian schools, during the past two decades,public education systems have also expressed a renewed com-mitment to promoting and intentionally teaching values. Pub-lic schools are stepping into the moral arena and developingcurricula, programs, and personnel to guide and guard themoral character of the next generation, and issuing the chal-lenge for teachers to be moral guides.7

All schools, public and private, esteem a variety of positivevalues. Cooperation, respect, compassion, and understanding,for example, are important regardless of the school system orculture. How they are enacted in the public sphere is crucial tothe quality of life enjoyed by the members of that society. So ifthere is some commonality in the values taught in all of the


school systems of the world, what should values education inan Adventist school look like? Is there a justification for teach-ing values differently (and teaching different values), or can weadopt secular philosophy and practice?

Examination of values from a biblical perspective indicatesa case for teaching values in a distinctively Christian manner.Between secular society and Christianity lies an underlyingphilosophical difference in the belief about the origin of values.This difference grows out of a Christian worldview that pro-vides the reason for teaching values, and has implications forhow they are taught. This philosophical difference can be ex-plained by the following five statements.Statement 1: Positive values have their origins in the char-

acter of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God.All levels of society worldwide embrace some positive val-

ues, such as loyalty, courage, patience, compassion, trustwor-thiness, and integrity. While humanists posit that these values“arise in experiences of self-formation and self-trans cen -dence,”8 Christians hold God to be the origin and groundingof universally held values. They are attributes of His character,the essence of who He is, and are expressions of the principlethat “God is love” (1 John 4:8, NLT).9 In essence, love is theoverarching value that initiates all other values. Statement 2: Therefore, teaching values means teaching about

God’s character. It is introducing students to the God of love.As teachers share positive values with their students, they

reveal to them glimpses of God’s character. Imagine that stu-dents are encased in a brick cube, in total darkness. The dark-ness represents their knowledge about God. Now imagine thatoutside the cube is brilliant light. This light represents God.Every time someone explains, models, or teaches a particularvalue, it is as if he or she is punching a brick out of the cube tolet in a little light. These “value holes” enable students to catchglimpses of God’s character and attributes. As they become fa-miliar with His character, they begin to understand more aboutwho He is, and the light and warmth of His love begin to per-meate their lives. Statement 3: Jesus Christ Is the Embodiment of Divinity . . .

God on Earth.Taking the argument one step further, we refer to John 1:18,

which says, “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One,who is Himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has re-vealed God to us.” Christians believe that Jesus Christ is Godincarnate, and therefore by learning about the embodiment oflove through His life and sacrifice, students are learning aboutGod and His great love for them. Statement 4: Therefore, by learning about God through Jesus,

students will desire to enter into a loving relationship with Jesus. From the beginning of His earthly ministry to His dying

moments on the cross, Jesus revealed the values that make upGod’s character. Jesus, who opened His heart to children, whobrought hope back into the lives of the blind, lame, and dis-abled, who stood up for the outcasts of society and listened tothe troubled of heart without condemnation, is easy to love. Asstudents continue to learn about God through the life of Jesus,they are drawn by His compassion and tenderness; His strongsense of justice; His patience, understanding, and forgiveness;

and begin to build a relationship with Him that reconciles ormakes them “at-one” with God.10

Statement 5: As students build a relationship with Jesus, Hewill transform their lives through the influence of the HolySpirit.

While the Christian teacher plays a role in teaching valuesand leading students into the embrace of God’s love, the HolySpirit takes the primary role in convicting and empowering stu-dents to adopt God’s values and incorporate them into theirlives. It has often been claimed that values are meaningful onlywhen they translate into actions. From a Christian perspective,values become evident in a life of service and giving to others.Teachers alone cannot hope to make a difference in the atti-tudes and actions of their students, but helping young peopleacquire a true understandingof God and His loving gracewill transform their livesthrough the influence of theHoly Spirit. This is what en-ables the internalization ofvalues and the building ofcharacter.

In this progression, it isimportant for students to havea clear and true picture ofGod’s character, rather thanone that has been distorted bylies that portray Him as judg-mental and punitive. The em-phasis is on being right withGod through the sacrifice ofJesus Christ, rather than doingright; thus, values are some-thing we become rather thansomething we have. Thisprocess of building godlycharacter through values edu-cation brings us to a new def-inition for values education:helping children to know Godand to build a loving relation-ship with Jesus. This defini-tion builds a case for a strong nexus between character develop-ment and faith formation. By contrast, if values are understoodand taught from a humanistic viewpoint, we run the risk of de-moting values to a set of culturally accepted mores that could beused selfishly or to the detriment of others.

The Practicalities of Values EducationAt a time when the corporate world and media increasingly

promote self-centeredness and greed, and some of the tradi-tional structures of society are crumbling faster than textbooksare printed, Adventist educators are faced with the question,What can teachers do to encourage students to embrace God’svalues? Because values grow out of an individual’s or organi-zation’s worldview or belief base, presenting a biblically accu-rate picture of God is the key element. However, some strategies


will enhance this endeavor and increase its effectiveness. Several experts agree that there are at least three important

elements involved in teaching values. These correspond nicelyto the traditional “head, hand, and heart” definition of Advent -ist education. The first is head knowledge, or “values literacy,”which helps students grasp the meaning of values. The secondis heart knowledge, which inspires social awareness in students.The third is hand knowledge, which provides experiential op-portunities to enact values in ways that contribute to the schoolor wider community.11 Adding a biblical worldview to thehead-heart-hands components of teaching values completesthe picture, providing a reference point for the existence of val-ues, a reason to adopt them, the will to desire them, and thepower to internalize them (see Galatians 5:22).

The complex nature ofvalues education has far-reaching implications for ed-ucators. As already indicated,moral education means morethan getting students to rec-ognize various positive val-ues; it also involves inspiringthem so that they prize andlive the values. Knowledgeand understanding by them-selves are insufficient tochange lives. If they were ad-equate for achieving this task,we could teach values edu -cation through workbookmode and expect satisfyingresults. However, there aretwo further areas of consider-ation in regard to teachingvalues. First, the adoption ofvalues is by definition achoice; and thus, adults’ val-ues cannot be forced uponchildren. God, in His love,does not compel our alle-giance to Him. Although it ispossible to enforce value-

related behavior, teachers cannot coerce students to truly em-brace and apply values in their lives, long term. To try and doso is both ineffective and contrary to God’s law of love. There-fore, values should be taught sensitively, openly, and from a bib-lical belief base while allowing time for questioning, discussion,and reflection.

Second, values should be taught in conjunction with think-ing skills. Children need to develop strategies for discerningwhen and how to exhibit their values through appropriate be-havior. Thinking expert Edward De Bono cautions: “The pur-pose of thinking is to enable us to deliver and enjoy our values.Values without thinking are highly dangerous and have beenresponsible for the wars, pogroms, persecutions and appallingbehaviour of the past. Thinking without values is pointless—thinking then has no purpose.”12 Take the value of honesty,

which includes truthfulness. If someone asks us a question towhich a truthful answer results in a breach of confidence or willhurt another person in some way, should we still be truthful inour answer? Higher-order questions, such as, “Why is this valueimportant in this situation?” “If we choose to display this value,what else should we consider?” are important in helping chil-dren learn the appropriate application of values in their every-day life.

Even presuming that Adventist educators can provide thecontext, information, and inspiration for teaching positive val-ues, if school-taught values are overlaid with conflicting family,media, or society values, this can cause values schizophrenia.The same is true if students have a distorted understanding ofGod’s character.

There is no set formula for teaching values, but unless avalue is held by the majority of people in an organization, themere act of stating it verbally or in writing will not embed thevalue in people’s consciousness and behavior.13 Once the teach-ing staff understand the origin of values and subscribe to usingvalues to help students develop an understanding of God’scharacter, some practical strategies can be used to ensure thatthe school operates in harmony with God’s pattern of love.

Here is an A B C D E approach to teaching values that out-

lines five broad principles and incorporates the worldview,head, hand, and heart elements for teaching values.

A. Atmosphere. Create value-filled classrooms and a schoolclimate that promote godly values through teacher modeling,focusing on the character of God and intentional use of slogansand posters as visual reminders.

B. Belief and affirmation. Use affirmation statements forexposure and reflection that present values as attributes ofGod’s character, such as “Because God is love and gives freely tous, we use the gifts and talents He has given to the best of our abil-ity. In everything we do, we give our best.” If affirming withawards, call them “Glimpses of God” or a similar name to placethe focus on God’s character, rather than only on the students’behavior.

C. Curriculum. Embed values across the curriculum. Valueswill have greater significance when woven into all elements ofthe daily program and integrated into life learning.14

D. Definition and description. Explain the meaning and ap-plication of each value. Because most values are quite complexand abstract concepts that take time to attain, teachers may as-sume a knowledge base in students that does not exist. Instruc-tion should include biblical, historical, and contemporary ex-amples along with discussion, moral dilemmas, either/or



Choose classroom posters and school/class newsletters thatpromote the value of the week/month. Schedule chapels/worshipsthat feature stories of biblical, historical, or contemporary individ-uals who made wise choices. Promote the value of decision mak-ing for the class/school. Songs can emphasize discernment (“Ihave decided to follow Jesus” with alternative verse: “I’ll makegood choices because I love Him.”)

Across the top of the blackboard write: “God chose me to beHis child—I am learning to make wise choices that honor God.”

Each day in class worship, explore relevant Bible texts (e.g.,Philippians 4:8, 9; 1 Corinthians 3:19) and stories. Pray for dis-cernment and wisdom.

During a unit on healthy eating, include opportunities for stu-dents to make food choices and to justify the reasons for theirchoices. Discuss the reasons, and explore the importance of dis-cernment in eating habits.

Students participate in preparing a healthy lunch from local pro-duce and compose and sign a personal “Healthy Eating Manifesto.”

Throughout the week, the children, teacher, and others atschool affirm discerning behavior choices by placing named Pop-sicle sticks in a tin labelled with the affirmation statement fromthe Belief and Affirmation section.

Table 1: What the A B C D E Approach to the Teaching of Discernment Might Look Like in Two Different Class Settings Over One Week

HOW DISCERNMENT SHOWS US GOD’S CHARACTER – TEACHER UNDERSTANDINGGod is all-wise and all-knowing because He can see the end from the beginning. In His love, God gave us

the power of choice as His ultimate gift. We have the freedom to accept or reject Him.

Because they are dealing with older students, teachers shouldshare their own experiences with discernment and talk throughthe processes that helped them make their choices. Slogans andposters can also be used, such as “You are what you think.”

Have a poster or wall display with the words, “God chose mylife and gave His Son to die for me—I will honor God in mychoices.” OR “In what I read, write, do, and watch, I choose tohonor God.”

While discussing fables and folklore in English class, include aculturally appropriate story in which the main character makes achoice. Discuss whether the choice is wise, and how people makewise choices. Then have the students write their own narrative inwhich the character practices discernment.

Ask students to divide themselves into groups, then have eachgroup choose an activity that involves research, writing, and per-forming a folklore narrative in a chosen genre.

After the activity, assign an individual reflection task in whichthe students evaluate their choice of group and how well theirgroup worked to achieve its goals.

GRADE 4 CLASSROOM GRADE 9 ENGLISH CLASS

We will know we are growing in discernment when:• Students who stand up for what they believe are honored by staff and students.• Students and staff take time out to think before acting.• Students and teachers make a habit of praying for wisdom before making important choices.

Atmosphere

When discernment is first introduced, spend time explaining the value. This can include describing what dis-cernment sounds like in words and what it looks like in action.

Choose a definition that is age appropriate—“Discernment is making wise choices”; “Discernment is involvingGod in every choice we make”; or “Discernment is being able to recognize and make wise life choices. It involvesunderstanding God’s plan for happy living and making choices that will help us live the lives God intends for us.Discernment recognizes the gift of freedom God gives us and our responsibility to learn to use that gift wisely.”

Belief and Affirmation

Curriculum

Definition and Description

Experience

choices, ranking, and narratives to increase values literacy.E. Experience. Facilitate opportunities for students to flex

their “character muscles” in real-life situations. This is a con-tinuing process in the classroom that can be reinforced if teach-ers also devise creative ways of involving their students inschool, church, or community projects where they can enactGod’s values in their lives.15

An example of what the A B C D E approach to teachingvalues may look like in the classroom is provided in the tableon page 20.

The Nexus Between Values and Faith Development Character building does not happen overnight; nor can it

simply be written into the curriculum and treated like othersubject matter. While intentional and explicit values-educationprograms are useful, educators must recognize that the inter-nalization of values is not a linear progression, but rather amultifaceted process involving the whole school communityand more significantly, God. Character development is notsomething we do to prepare for heaven; it is something Goddoes for and in us to restore us to His image. Therefore, valueseducation and faith development are connected in a symbioticrelationship and are inextricably linked. Adventist teachers areprivileged to be partners in this process of restoration. Theirauthenticity in living God’s values will be judged by their stu-dents and will leave a lasting impression, either positive or neg-ative; but it is God who facilitates change in students’ lives.

Elite athletes often have a cabinet full of trophies. Each trophytells something about the person who won it. Trophies exist tobe displayed; to reflect and declare to the world the wonderfulaccomplishments of the persons on whom they were bestowed.Every Adventist teacher and student is a trophy of God’s grace,won by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and thus chal-lenged to live out the values of God’s character: “You are . . . God’svery own possession. As a result, you can show others the good-ness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his won-derful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Even when Adventist schools includevalues in their mission statements, promote values in theirnewsletters, and teach values intentionally in their classrooms, ateacher who is a living trophy of God’s grace is the most powerfulvalues statement an Adventist school can make.


Beverly Christian, M.Ed., is Senior Lec-turer and Professional Experience Coor -dinator in the Faculty of Education andScience at Avondale College of Higher Edu-cation, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Aus-tralia, and is currently a Ph.D. candidatestudying how individuals’ perceptions of thephilosophy, purpose, and practice of Ad -

ventist education develop. Mrs. Christian is a member of theSteering Committee for the Australia New Zealand Adventist En-counter Bible Curriculum, and served on the Special Character

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Working Party for the Adventist schools of Australia, in which shewas instrumental in developing a model of The Adventist Schoolas a Community of Faith and Learning and a set of values foruse in Adventist schools in Australia. Before moving into teachereducation 11 years ago, Mrs. Christian had a long career of ele-mentary teaching.

This article is adapted from a chapter in the book Developinga Faith-based Education: A Teacher’s Manual (David BarlowPublishing, 2010) and is printed with permission from the au-thors and publisher. For more information about the book, seehttp://avondaleaustralia.spiffystores.com/products/developing-a-faith-based-education.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. Linda K. Popov with Dan Popov and John Kavelin, The Family Virtues

Guide (New York: Plume, 1997).2. A good source of quotes on character is The Quotations Page: http://

www.quotationspage.com/subjects/character/. Unless otherwise indicated,Websites in the endnotes were accessed in July 2014.

3. Ellen White, Christ’s Object Lessons (Washington, D.C.: Review and Her-ald Publ. Assn., 1941), p. 361.

4. Hillary Clinton, It Takes a Village (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996),p. 17.

5. Leonie Rowan, “Introduction to Values,” in Teaching Values by LeonieRowan, Judy Gauld, Jennet Cole-Adams, and Andrew Connolly (Newtown,Australia: Primary English Teaching Association, 2007), pp. 9-20.

6. Richard Paul, “Ethics Without Indoctrination,” Educational Leadership45:6 (1988):10-19.

7. David Carr, “Values, Virtues and Professional Development in Educationand Teaching,” International Journal of Educational Research 50:3 (July2011):171-176, accessed December 18, 2013; John Tomlinson and Vivienne Lit-tle, “A Code of the Ethical Principles Underlying Teaching as a Professional Ac-tivity,” in Education for Values: Morals, Ethics and Citizenship, Roy Gardiner, JoCairns, and Denis Lawton, eds. (London: Kogan Page Ltd., 2000), pp. 147-157.

8. Hans Joas, The Genesis of Values (Chicago, Ill.: The University of ChicagoPress, 2000), p. 1.

9. All Scripture quotations in this article are quoted from the New LivingTranslation. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible,New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of TyndaleHouse Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

10. Timothy R. Jennings, The God-shaped Brain: How Changing Your Viewof God Transforms Your Life (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Books, 2013), p. 177.

11. Terence Lovat, Ron Toomey, Neville Clement, Robert Crotty, andThomas Nielsen, Values Education, Quality Teaching and Service Learning: ATroika for Effective Teaching and Teacher Education (Terrigal, Australia: DavidBarlow Publishing, 2009); Chris Gleeson, “Roots and Wings: Values and Free-dom for Our Young People Today.” Paper presented at the Education and theCare of Youth Conference, Brisbane, Australia, September 1991; Brian Hill, Val-ues Education in Australian Schools (Hawthorn, Australia: The Australian Coun-cil for Educational Research, 1991); Richard W. Paul, “Ethics Without Indoc-trination,” Educational Leadership 45:8 (May 1988):10-19.

12. Edward de Bono, Think! Before It’s Too Late (London: Vermillion, 2009),p. 2.

13. Michael Henderson, Dougal Thompson, and Shar Henderson, LeadingThrough Values: Linking Company Culture to Business Strategy (Auckland, NewZealand: HarperCollins, 2006).

14. The What If LearningWebsite (http://www.whatiflearning.co.uk/) hasexcellent practical suggestions on how to integrate values across the curricu-lum.

15. For practical examples of how to implement this approach, see ChapterSix in Barbara J. Fisher, Developing a Faith-based Education: A Teacher’s Manual(Terrigal, Australia: David Barlow Publishing, 2010).



Standards in education are state-ments of what students shouldknow (content knowledge) andbe able to do (applicable skills)upon completing a course of

study. Standards state in clear, conciseterms what students are expected tolearn. Although they identify the stu-dents’ learning destination, much moreis required to complete the educationaljourney. As goals for student learning,standards inform the development ofcurriculum, the implementation of in-struction, and assessment for learning.

Just as standards for learning do notdescribe in full a student’s learningjourney, they are also not the solesource of meaning in a young person’seducation. The big ideas and essentialquestions of life are developed frommany sources. Beyond the classroom,family and significant others influencea student’s personal beliefs and values.Young people form a personal world-view when they integrate the knowl-edge acquired at school and from othersources into a coherent understanding

of their world. This worldview can alsoprovide learners with a vision for howto use the skills acquired to participatein their community and to improvethemselves. Ultimately, a meaningful,productive life depends on students’core beliefs and values from an emerg-ing worldview adequately equippingthem to assess the authenticity and rel-evance of their learning, and to intelli-gently apply the knowledge and skillsthey have acquired.

In Adventist schools across theNorth American Division (NAD), stan-dards for student learning have beendeveloped and adopted that reflect theAdventist worldview across the sub-jects, PreK-12. The Adventist world-view accepts the Bible as the standardby which everything else is measured.Four key concepts emerge from a bibli-cal worldview. These can be used as alens for curriculum development, aswell as informing the essential ques-tions and big ideas of any content area.The four components of a biblicalworldview are:

• Creation—What is God’s inten-tion?

• Fall—How has God’s purposebeen distorted?

• Redemption—How does God helpus to respond?

• Re-creation—How can we be re-stored in the image of God?

In addition, as Adventist educationstandards are developed, educationalresearch, professional subject areaorganizations, state standards, andUnited States Common Core StateStandards are referenced. The resultingstandards reassure students, parents,teachers, administrators, board mem-bers, and constituents that Adventisteducation meets or exceeds expecta-tions for student learning, PreK-12.

Adventist education, though, has al-ways been about “something better”—a commitment to achieve more thanbaseline expectations for student learn-ing. Adventist standards for studentlearning facilitate the integral natureof the faith and learning relationship,and address the big ideas and essentialquestions of life from a biblical per-spective. Adventist education continu-

B Y D E N N I S L . P L U B E L L a n d C A R O L C A M P B E L L

S T A N D A R D S


been developed over the years in manystates, the CCSS differ from past stan-dards in their focus on rigor, depth oflearning, and common expectations forall students.

Q: Who created the Common CoreState Standards, and when were theydeveloped?A: The development of the CCSS

was a state-led collaboration sponsoredin 2009 by the National Governors As-sociation (NGA) and the Council ofChief State School Officers (CCSSO).The goal was to establish “common”educational standards, K-12, for Math-ematics and English Language Arts.The work was accomplished by teamsof teachers, educational leaders fromvarious levels, researchers, and profes-sors of education.

Q: Where have the Common CoreState Standards been adopted?A: The collaboration among states

was voluntary, with 44 states, two terri-tories, and the District of Columbiaparticipating in the development of theCCSS. Adopting the CCSS in each statewas also intended to be voluntary. Par-ticipation greatly increased when theU.S. Department of Education undera newly elected administration madethe adoption of CCSS a prerequisite toadditional federal funding (stimulusmoney) during tough economic timesin 2009 and beyond. To date, 43 states,the District of Columbia, and four ter-ritories have adopted the standards.

Q: Why have concerns been raisedabout the Common Core State Stan-dards?A:Many of the questions raised

about the Common Core State Stan-dards can be summarized as concernabout who influences and/or controlsthe development of the standards forstudent learning. There has been in-tense scrutiny of what is deemed “com-mon” or “core” for student learningacross the United States. As a result,many states that have adopted theCCSS are revising them to some degreeto meet the needs of their students. Ap-

prehension has also been expressed re-garding the ways that the CCSS will af-fect school curricula and classroom in-struction. In the wake of this concern,curriculum experts have emphasizedthe relationship between standards andcurriculum by noting that standardsare the outcomes, not the curriculum(resources, materials, content, orprocesses used in an educational pro-gram to meet the standards). The stan-dards serve to focus student learning,but the curriculum adds meaning andcontext to instruction and acquisitionof information.

Q: How has NAD Adventist educa-tion responded to the Common CoreState Standards?A:While revising NAD’s Mathemat-

ics and English Language Arts Stan-dards, the division’s curriculum com-mittees have carefully examined theCCSS, along with other resources, tosee if there are any conflicts with Ad-ventist beliefs and values as well as de-termine whether the standards meetthe needs of Adventist students. The re-sulting Adventist standards are thenused to inform the development oridentification of meaningful curricu-lum for denominational classrooms.The Adventist worldview will alwaysserve as the lens through which teach-ing and learning inspire our students togrow in wisdom and stature in the Ad-ventist classroom.

Dennis L. Plubellis the Vice Presidentfor Education ofthe North PacificUnion Conferenceof Seventh-day Ad-ventists in Ridge-field, Washington.

Carol Campbell isthe Director of Ele-mentary Educationfor the North Amer-ican Division Officeof Education in Sil-ver Spring, Mary-land.

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ally adds elements of eternal value tothe curriculum, to instruction, and toassessment that impacts student learn-ing. The Adventist worldview will al-ways serve as the lens through whichteaching and learning transpire in thedenomination’s classrooms.

Some people have asked about therelationship between the NAD curricu-lum and the U.S. Common Core StateStandards. Teachers can use the infor-mation below to inform themselvesand respond to inquiries from parentsand constituents.

Q & A Regarding the CommonCore State StandardsQ: What are the Common Core

State Standards?A: The U.S. Common Core State

Standards (CCSS) have been developedto provide a consistent, clear under-standing of what American studentsare expected to learn in the contentareas of Mathematics and English Lan-guage Arts. These statements of stu-dents’ learning goals were designed tobe relevant to the real world in the 21stcentury, reflecting the core knowledgeand skills that young people need tosucceed in college and careers. Whilebuilding on the standards that had

(Left) North American Division Mathe-matics Curriculum Teacher Edition,Grade 3, Chapter 11(Above) North American Division Mathe-matics Curriculum Teacher Edition,Grade 6, Chapter 11



Part I: Why Tell Bible Stories?

Christians generally regard Genesis 1 as the biblical meta-narrative.1 Adventists, however, believe that the cosmic conflictmetanarrative began in heaven before the creation of the worldand will end with a perfectly re-created Earth.2 This Adventistmetanarrative is whatour students need tohear, learn about, and en-gage with because it hasthe potential to trans-form their lives.

What Is a Metanarra-tive?

A metanarrative isa distinctive narrativeform.3 It relies on manyof the various forms ofnarrative (poetry, alle-gory, parables, biography,etc.) to showcase and ex-plain a grand story. It isan epic, overarching, explanatory story associated with a spe-cific worldview. Traditionally, it has been portrayed as beingabsolute, normative, and objective. Cultures and belief systemshave historically relied on master stories, or metanarratives, toprovide the central values, ideals, and theories for their world-

view. Metanarratives have generally been regarded as a frame-work that offers guidance to each generation while preparingthem to pass on their values to the next generation.

The Adventist MetanarrativeAll faith-based belief systems have a metanarrative on which

their worldview is based. Adventists believe the Bible containsthe true history of theworld; therefore, we em-brace the biblical storyas our metanarrative. Itprovides objective rea-soning and justificationfor our beliefs, morality,and identity. It is a pro-gressive, linear narrative,not cyclic (cycle of life)as in Hinduism.4

The Bible’s story ofthe cosmic conflict istold in narrative form,includes sub-narratives,and is outlined in Figure1. Without the entire

story as the backdrop, individual or sub-narratives may lead toincorrect assumptions or misinterpretations.

An Objective Metanarrative Adventists believe that the biblical metanarrative is the

B Y B A R B A R A F I S H E R

in the Classroom:The Why and the How

Narrative Structure Sub-narratives Biblical Roots

The Orientation: 1. Triune Godhead

Setting, Characters 2. Creation

Complication 3. The Fall

The Resolution 4. The Rescue

5. Waiting and Living

The Conclusion 6. Re-creation

New Testament stories

look back to the Cross

and claim salvation has

come.

Old Testament stories

point to the Cross and

the promise of salvation.

Figure 1. The Adventist Metanarrative Structure

Bible Stories


source of absolute truth. It is regarded as an objective constructrather than a subjective record of personal feelings or attitudes.

Figure 2 outlines, in a condensed form, the Adventist objec-tive and historic linear metanarrative known as the Great Con-troversy (Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief 8).5

An explanation of each number on the timeline is as fol-lows:1. God: The Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) existed in

a perfect heavenly kingdom (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1, Ephesians1:3). Lucifer, a created being, led a rebellion against God (Isaiah14:12-14, Revelation 12:7-9). Lucifer was cast out of God’sheaven and became the devil (Satan).2. Creation: God created the Earth in seven days. He created

man and woman in His image and gave them free will (Genesis1 and 2).

6. Re-creation: Christ returns as promised. Sin and Satanare finally destroyed, and those who have chosen God’s offerof redemption and salvation are changed from mortality toimmortality, returning the Earth to its condition before theFall. God’s character is vindicated, and He establishes a perfectre-created world (Revelation 21:1-7).

Sally Pierson Dillon’s The War of the Ages series brilliantlyportrays the Adventist metanarrative in contemporary lan-guage and art suitable for students aged 10 to 14.7 These booksare a young person’s version of Ellen White’s The Conflict of theAges series.8

A Subjective Metanarrative Many 21st-century storytellers portray truth (via television,

movies, and print media) as being a personal and subjective

Figure 2. The Adventist Metanarrative Condensed Into a Timeline

3. The Fall: Satan introduced the spirit of rebellion (Gen-esis 3) on Earth through Adam and Eve’s rebellious choice.Satan now claimed to be the ruler of the Earth. He questioned“God’s character, the fairness of His law, His right to rule andJesus’ right to save sinners from eternal death.”6 Satan engagesin continuous conflict with God concerning who will controlpeople’s lives and to whose kingdom they will show allegiance(Ephesians 6:12).4. Rescue: This confirms Christ’s right to be the ruler of

the earthly kingdom and guarantees the eventual destructionof evil and Satan (Romans 5:19).5. Waiting and Living:God is now waiting to reclaim His

earthly kingdom because He wants everyone to (a) see theresults and consequences of giving allegiance to Satan, and(b) have the opportunity (John 3:16) to know Him as Kingand Lord. Every person is given a choice to either accept orreject His offer of liberation, by way of salvation, and life foreternity. God sends the Holy Spirit and the angels to comfortand protect His followers (Hebrews 1:14) during the waitingtime.

construct. This view has increased interest in subjectively con-structed personal metanarratives, and a noticeable movementaway from the acceptance of and participation in objective andhistorically based metanarratives. Consequently, faith-basedmetanarratives are portrayed negatively as overriding, ready-made, and outdated stories.

The following two scenarios will help to highlight the sig-nificant differences between an objective and a subjective meta-narrative.Scenario 1An objective metanarrative may be likened to two people

who set out on a long and arduous journey after having decidedon a specific destination. They choose to trust their car’s GlobalPositioning System (GPS) or a road map throughout this jour-ney because it will assist them in arriving at their destinationwithout too many mishaps, wrong turns, or delays. The journeyand the destination are both relevant and important.Scenario 2A subjective metanarrative may be likened to two people

who set out on a long and arduous journey. They decide that

CREATIONGOD FALL RESCUE

. . . . . . . NEW WORLD JESUS’ DEATH ME NEW EARTH

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

WAITING & LIVING6.

RE-CREATION

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


they will not take a GPS or a road map with them because theywant to find their own route to their destination. Since life is asaga, an epic poem, the journey is more important than thedestination. They are not committed to any particular route,since they regard the destination as unimportant.

Teaching the Adventist Metanarrative in the Classroom

The central theme of the Bible is the gospel, which is setwithin the context of the cosmic-conflict metanarrative. ForAdventists, this metanarrative provides a plausible biblical be-lief structure that answers the basic worldview questions abouthuman origins, identity, future, and purpose.

Bible stories, or metanarrative sub-narratives, are about realpeople who lived in MiddleEastern cultures and times.They are not historical novels.These stories assist Adventisteducators in “unpacking” whywe believe what we believe.Bible stories are often in“freeze-dried” form, as theyrecord only the most signifi-cant aspects and events. Theminute details can be reconsti-tuted in the telling.9

Ellen White pointed out: “Asan educator no part of the Bibleis of greater value than are itsbiographies. These biographiesdiffer from all others in thatthey are absolutely true to life.”10

Students need to have the op-portunity to meet these Biblecharacters as real people in areal world (who slept, ate, cried,laughed, and had the sametemptations and problems asthey do). They need the chanceto observe God’s power tochange people’s lives, to witnessa Bible character’s active faith,and to see the consequences andresults of personal choices.

What Is the Purpose andValue of Storytelling?

Figure 3 outlines what re-searchers have found to be thepurpose, value, and effect ofstorytelling in a Christian con-text.

A personal encounter with

the Master Storyteller is crucial before Adventist educators caneffectively tell the story of God’s love. They especially need thisre-storying of their personal lives if they are to exert a positiveinfluence on their students. Stonehouse observed: “If the storieshave become real to us, the children will sense our excitementand join us, through their imaginations, in the story. They willlearn to love the God they meet there and will want to returnagain and again.”11

Using the 3P Storytelling Technique The author worked out a 3P Storytelling Technique (Prepa-

ration, Practice, and Presentation) that has proved useful forpre-service Adventist teacher-education classes at AvondaleCollege of Higher Education in Cooranbong, New South

Figure 3. Purpose, Value, and Effect of Storytelling in a Christian Context

Researchers’ Comments on the Purpose, Values, andEffect of Storytelling in a Christian Context

“A good story points to meaning beyond its particularcharacters and events, for the story tells not just whathappened but what happens.”12 “Stories are at the heartof faith development for children; stories capture andcommunicate theology for them.”13

“We tell Bible stories because the Scriptures instruct us to,because Jesus told stories and because they are worthtelling” and because “through them children comprehendthe deep truths about God and the world.”14 “Bible storiesare the key to helping children know a God who is mysteri-ous and who knows them for who they are.”15

“As children come to know the stories of the Bible, theydevelop their identity as part of the Christian community”and understand “what it means to be a follower of Jesus.”16

“Through a story, we can imaginatively enter into a verydifferent world, shift to a different viewpoint, and begin toexperience what someone else has experienced.”17

It is essential “to share the rich tapestry of Bible storieswith each generation of children” so they know why theybelieve what they believe.18 It provides a road map.

Great Western art, literature, and music often refer to bib-lical stories.19

Children “understand realities that they would not graspthrough abstract explanations, propositional statements, ortheological concepts.”20 Remembering information in astory is easier than trying to remember a list of facts. Sto-ries can assist in explaining “abstract concepts and spe-cific skills, presenting them within contexts . . . [where]people can view the parts in relation to the whole.”21

The Purpose and Value ofStories

Stories touch the heart and mind.

People express their faith thoughstories.

Stories create a sense of belong-ing to a faith community.

Stories increase biblical literacy.

Stories provide the necessaryknowledge for an understandingof Western civilization.

Stories are a basic educationaltool for Christian educators.

Part II: How to TellBible Stories


Wales, Australia. It outlines se-quential strategies for devel-oping and encouraging dy-namic and effective Biblestorytellers. Each of the threestorytelling ingredients is dis-cussed below.

1. Preparation A. Preparation of the indi-

vidual Bible storyteller• Pray and ask for guidance

in teaching this Bible story. • Decide why this Bible

story is being taught. • Decide what the children

should remember from thisstory.

• Decide on adaptationsthat will ensure the story is ap-propriate for the targeted agegroup.

• Read and reread the en-tire story as recorded in theBible until it becomes a per-sonal story. It is impossible tobe a convincing storyteller ifyou cannot visualize yourselfas involved in, and part of, theMaster’s story. Read from achild’s Bible storybook to adda different perspective to theunderstanding of the story.

• Decide where the storyfits into the big picture (meta-narrative) and what it teachesabout God’s love. B. Preparing the Bible Sto-

ryteller’s Knowledge Base• Remember that the

length of the story is deter-mined by children’s ages andinterests.

• Select either an objectiveor a subjective viewpoint. Anobjective viewpoint has thestoryteller as an observertelling someone else’s story, orassumes the viewpoint of asupporting character. A sub-jective viewpoint means telling the story from the main char-acter’s perspective.

• Consult a Bible atlas to find the story’s location. A Biblecommentary, Bible dictionary, and Bible handbook are alsouseful resources.

• Summarize the story’s structure into about five to six mainevents, using the narrative format for assistance and setting it

in the larger context of a meta-narrative: Orientation—thecharacters, the setting; Compli-cation; Resolution; Con clusion.

• Analyze and research thecultural aspects of the storyand engage the senses to makethe story come alive. The fol-lowing questions can help:What could the charactershear? What could they smell?What did it feel like? What didit taste like? What could theysee? Imagine the charactersand what they would be wear-ing and eating. How wouldthey be feeling? This shouldhelp bring them to life.22

• Learn the entire storyusing the five to six mainpoints as memory triggers toassist in memorizing the se-quence of events, rather thanthe whole story.

• Select appropriate props tomaintain visual interest in thestory. Always include a Bible aspart of the story props so chil-dren learn that Bible storiescome from the Scriptures.

2. Practice A. Practice aloud using

your prepared narrative se-quence involving the five tosix main events of the story.B. Maintain the same per-

spective for the entire story-telling.Do not switch perspec-tives, as it confuses listeners.Remember that stories told inthe third person often soundlike observer stories, making itmore difficult for children toidentify with the main charac-ters. Stories told in the first per-son add authenticity and inti-macy to storytelling. Become aparticipant in the story, not anobserver, and intimately engage

the listener in the emotions and feelings of the hero. This helpsthe students identify with the hero.C. Stories need a logical progression. Resist backtracking if

a point is missed, as this causes confusion and interrupts theflow of the story.

• Leave out all unnecessary events that slow down the story.It is important to keep the story moving.

ead and reread the

entire story as

recorded in the Bible until it becomes a

personal story. It is impossible to be a

convincing storyteller if you cannot

visualize yourself as involved in, and

part of, the Master’s story.

R


• The characters in Bible stories really existed. They lived inreal places, had the same needs, feelings, and emotions as all peo-ple do, but some of the cultural aspects of housing, transport,food, and clothing were different from today. Children need tosee Bible characters as real people, and not confuse them withfictitious characters such as Santa Claus or Disney characters.

• Prepare and practice an engaging introduction that willentice the children to want to listen. “Memorize the first sen-tence. Say it out aloud.”23

• Engage your imagination and all your senses as you livethe story sequence. “Make a video of the story in your mind.”24

Stay true to the story so that listeners know where informationfrom the Bible stops and the storyteller’s imagination begins.25

• Practice using the props so they enhance rather than de-tract from the narration.

3. Presentation Before telling any Bible story, Adventist storytellers need to

ask themselves this question: Why am I teaching this story? Isit to entertain or to create an engaging, enlightening, and life-changing experience? A. Focus: Have the goal of the story clearly in mind before

commencing the storytelling session. Show where in the Biblethe story appears, and leave the Bible open during the tellingof the story.B. Introduction: Commence the story using something that

will gain the curiosity and attention of the children. Avoid in-troductory statements such as: “Today our story is about Davidand Goliath.” Entice the children so they will have a reason tolisten.C. Setting: Set the scene so children can visualize the story.

Keeley suggests that imagination should be used overtly for thebenefit of listeners: “As you are telling the story, if you imaginethat the Sea of Galilee is on your left, motion to it when youtalk about it as if you were standing on the shore. By seeing thescene in your own mind, you can build a real place for your lis-teners.”26

Remember to exercise caution when describing places andthings because the overuse of description can become tediousand interrupt the interest and flow of the story.D. Eye contact: Maintain eye contact. Focus on the listeners

and engage them. Learn the story well. Forget about usingnotes, as these can interrupt the flow of the story. E. Voice production: The storyteller’s voice can put children

to sleep or invite them into the story. Volume, pitch, and paceneed to be varied and expressive according to the mood of thestory. Clear diction is a must.F. Vocabulary: Use age-appropriate vocabulary. A good va-

riety of action words keeps the story moving.G. Pacing: Watch the children’s responses. This will alert you

to the correct pacing to maintain the listeners’ interest andfocus. Refrain from asking questions in the middle of the story


as this will interrupt the flow. Lowe notes the importance ofself-awareness: “Observe yourself in the process—imagineyourself watching from the corner of the room. What needs tochange? What is working?”27

H. Props: Use props at the appropriate time to add visualinterest to the story and aid in the retention of the story. Audi-ence involvement can also be used as props, for example, mak-ing sound effects or specific hand motions.I. Gesture: Use gestures and nonverbal communication to

help clarify the meaning of the story. Avoid being condescend-ing or patronizing. Eliminate meaningless gestures that dis-tract, for example, pacing backwards and forwards or exces-sively gesticulating.J. Conclusion: Habenicht and Burton recommend that sto-

ries “have an exciting climax and then a quick conclusion.”28

Using Storytelling PropsVisual resources help children connect with the story. While

Category

Art

Books

Drama

Music

Poetry

Puppetry

SymbolicStories

Visual Media

Resource Ideas

Sketch-n-tell

StorybooksPicture booksChildren’s Bibles Audio storybooks

Role playsSkitsPlaysReaders TheatreParticipation stories

Bible songsAction songsScripture songsInstrumental musicOriginal songs and music

Finger playsRhymesHebrew poetry

Finger puppetsGlove puppetsPuppet Theatre

Analogy AllegoryObject lessonsParables

Animated and cartoon Bible stories

Dramatized Bible storiesBiblical moviesPowerPoint Bible storiesFlannel graph pictures

Comments

Sketch-n-tell stories assist children to remember the main events of the story.

Interactive storybooks can add a new dimension to a Bible story. Choose picturebooks that appeal to a range of age groups. There are a variety of approproatechildren’s Bibles written for different age groups.

The Bible is full of drama: For example, Abraham and his son Isaac, or the sanc-tuary and its services in the wilderness. A child who role-plays a Bible characterwill recall what that person said or did.30 Suggestion: Involvement in drama isbest employed when children have a basic knowledge of the story. Make surethe acting doesn’t detract from the story.

Bible stories mention singing as a way of remembering (e.g., Miriam in Exodus15:21). Music can create an atmosphere of quietness and worship.31 Bible sto-ries set to music can provide a succinct introduction to the main events of anew Bible story. Inspired by a Bible story, children can write the words and setthem to the melody of a well-known nursery rhyme.

The rhythm and rhyme of poetry are very engaging. Suggestion: These are bestused as a review of the story.

The children can be involved in using the puppets to assist the storyteller. Sug-gestion: The children using the puppets will require some instruction prior tothe storytelling if the puppets are going to enhance the story rather than distractthe listeners.

These resources are very helpful for explaining abstract concepts. All age groupsrelate to object lessons. Suggestion: Reserve Allegory for the older students.

These resources are best used to revisit the story, rather than as the initial in-troduction. Caution: Be very selective. Decide if the resource is true to the Biblestory by comparing it to the original. Teach children to be discerning viewers.Animations and cartoons can trivialize God and give young children the impres-sion that Bible stories are for amusement and entertainment.32 Children mayconclude that Bible stories are the same as Disney make-believe stories and,therefore, Bible characters are fictitious.

Figure 4. Storytelling Approaches and Ideas

storytelling props can gain attention and actively engage thelisteners, they should not detract from the story.29

Bible Storytelling Approaches and Ideas The list on page 30 (Figure 4) provides a sample of the

plethora of approaches and ideas available to teachers. Storytelling is one of the most effective ways of teaching stu-

dents about a transcendent God. The Adventist metanarrativeof the cosmic conflict provides big-picture ideas and informa-tion that outlines the best way for each generation to live in thisworld while preparing for the next. Conveying the Adventistmetanarrative to our students offers them an understanding ofthe greatest story of all time, awareness of their role in it, and ahope for the future. A life-changing personal encounter withthe Master Storyteller is, after all, the goal of Adventist educa-tion.


Barbara Fisher is Senior Lecturer in theSchool of Education at Avondale College ofHigher Education, Cooranbong, New SouthWales, Australia.

This article has been adapted from a chapter in the bookDeveloping a Faith-based Education: A Teacher’s Manual(David Barlow Publishing, 2010), and is printed with permis-sion from the publisher and author. For more informationabout the book, see http://avondaleaustralia. spiffystores. com/ collections/ books.

�

4. BBC Religions, Moksha (2006): http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/

hinduism/beliefs/moksha.shtml.

5. See http://www.adventist.org/fileadmin/adventist.org/files/articles/official -

statements/28Beliefs-English.pdf.

6. Don Roy, Growing in Faith: Religious Education for Seventh-day Adventist

Primary Schools in the South Pacific Division (Wahroonga, N.S.W.: South Pacific

Division of Seventh-day Adventists, 1999), p. E4.

7. Sally Pierson Dillon’s five-chapter books are available from Adventist

Book Centers. The titles are: Survivors of the Dark Rebellion: God’s Heroes From

Adam to David; Exile of the Chosen: God’s Heroes From Solomon to Malachi;

Victory of the Warrior King: The Story of the Life of Jesus; Champions of the King:

The Story of the Apostles; and War of the Invisibles.

8. The Conflict of the Ages series is available from Adventist Book Centers

and Amazon.com Books: Patriarchs and Prophets (Volume 1, covers from

the rebellion of Satan in heaven to King David); Prophets and Kings (Vol-

ume 2, covers events from King Solomon to Malachi); The Desire of Ages

(Volume 3, covers the life and ministry of Jesus); Acts of the Apostles (Vol-

ume 4, covers from the Great Commission to John the Revelator on Pat-

mos); and The Great Controversy (Volume 5, covers the 70 A.D. destruction

of Jerusalem through church history, to the end of sin and the re-creation

of the Earth).

9. Scottie May, Beth Posterski, Catherine Stonehouse, and Linda Cannell,

Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, and Community

(Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 2005), p. 176.

10. Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ.

Assn., 1952), p. 146.

11. Catherine Stonehouse, Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey: Nur-

turing a Life of Faith (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1998), p. 212.

12. May, et al., Children Matter, op. cit.

13. Stonehouse, Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey, op. cit., p. 161.

14. May, et al., Children Matter, op. cit., p. 176.

15. Robert J. Keeley, Helping Our Children Grow in Faith: How the Church

Can Nurture the Spiritual Development of Kids (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker

Books, 2008), p. 63.

16. May, et al., Children Matter, op. cit., pp. 176, 178.

17. D. Bruce Seymour, Creating Stories That Connect: A Pastor’s Guide to

Storytelling (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 2007), p. 31.

18. May, Children Matter, op. cit., p. 178.

19. Ibid., p. 178.

20. Ibid., p. 176.

21. Mary Elizabeth Mullino Moore, Teaching From the Heart: Theology and

Educational Method (Harrisburg, Pa.: Trinity Press International, 1998), p. 131.

22. Refer to Chapter 3 in Developing a Faith-based Education: A Teacher’s

Manual for more examples of sensory learning. Available at http://avondaleaus

tralia.spiffystores.com/collections/books.

23. Kaye Lowe, What’s the Story?: Making Meaning in Primary Classrooms

(Newtown, N.S.W.: Primary English Teaching Association, 2002), p. 106.

24. Donna Habenicht and Larry Burton, Teaching the Faith: An Essential

Guide for Building Faith-Shaped Kids (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald

Publ. Assn., 2004), p. 123.

25. Keeley, Helping Our Children Grow in Faith: op. cit., p. 77.

26. Ibid., p. 72.

27. Lowe, What’s the Story?, op. cit., p. 106.

28. Habenicht and Burton, Teaching the Faith, p. 124.

29. Refer to Chapter 8 in Developing a Faith-based Education: A Teacher’s

Manual for more guidelines on how to use storytelling props. Available at

http://avondaleaustralia.spiffystores.com/collections/books.

30. Wes Haystead and Sheryl Haystead, eds., Sunday School Smart Pages for

Education Directors, Teachers and Parents (Reproducible) (Ventura, Calif.:

Gospel Light, 1992), p. 113.

31. Ibid., p. 127.

32. Ivy Beckwith, Postmodern Children’s Ministry: Ministry to Children in

the 21st Century (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2004), p. 130.


NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. For examples of different Christian denominational metanarratives, see

Peter van der Schoor, “Worldview Studies,” The Christian Teachers Journal 13:4

(October 2005):21; Michael Goheen, “Celebrating the Vision of Christian Edu-

cation: The Biblical Story and Education,” Ibid. 12:1 (February 2004):16-20;

Sharon Warkentin Short, “The End of the Story: Why and How to Teach Children

About the Second Coming of Christ,” in La Verne Tolbert, ed., Exploring and En-

gaging Spirituality for Today’s Children: A Holistic Approach to Nurturing Christian

Formation (Eugene, Ore.: Wipf & Stock, 2014), pp. 247-288; The Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter Day Saints, Before the Old Testament Videos: http://www.

lds. org/ media-library/video/children/old-testeament-stories-friend?lang= eng.

Websites in the endnotes were checked in July and August 2014.

2. See Genesis 1:1; John 1:1; Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:7-9; and Reve-

lation 21:1-7. Ellen G. White expands on the cosmic conflict story in the five-

volume series, The Conflict of the Ages.

3. See the following URL for a definition of a metanarrative: Keith Walters,

Biblical Theology, Metanarrative, and Worldview (2009): http://provconver

gence.com/2009/09/03/1-biblical-theology-metanarrative-and-worldview

(2009).

ORMS,FOCI,and FORCES:F


This article represents the firstanalytic foray into a “narra-tive inquiry” that focused oncollecting data centered onunderstanding the impact of

an overseas professional teaching experi-ence on 20 pre-service teachers. Re-search in this paradigm seeks to explorethe breadth and depth of the individ-ual’s “lived experience.” A key axiomaticposition regarding data collection anddata analysis in a “lived experience”project is that the human condition isgrounded in the nature and nuances ofthe narratives we each tell ourselves.These narratives are deeply hermeneuticin nature and are contextually situated,cyclical, transient, multi-voiced and areconstantly being reframed: “. . . thehuman experience is basically a storiedexperience, . . . humans live out storiesand are storytelling organisms.”1

However, in order to understand themulti-threaded strands of the “storiedworlds” of others, one of the key facetsof analysis in this form of inquiry is the

development of an understanding ofthe background findings, or responsivenarratives, of other researchers. In de-veloping an understanding of these re-search threads, the elements they revealand define offer “mobile spotlights”2 sothat the “acts of daily living becomeunderstandable because of some pri-mary framework that informed them.”3

Hence, the following pages andparagraphs represent our initial “mo-bile lens” of understanding in regard tohow an overseas professional teachingexperience can provide an opportunityto develop greater skills and moreglobal understandings that can betransferred back into the national do-mestic sphere.

Introduction to a Global StoryFirst-time teachers in Australia are

more likely to find their first jobs inhard-to-staff, low-performing, rural,and central city schools. These havehigher proportions of minority and low-income students.4 In order to cope withthese types of teaching positions, it hasbeen proposed that pre-service teachers

would benefit greatly from being ex-posed to the types of experiences thatreflect both the demands and responsi-bilities indicative of their first year ofteaching. Initial research suggests thatprofessional teaching experiences, in-cluding those in developing countries,are a powerful alternative to be includedin a pre-service teacher-preparation pro-gram; particularly when faced with ashortage of school placements in someAustralian cities. However, there aremore important reasons.

Globalization and an increase ininternational mobility over the pastdecade have heightened the need to pro-vide young Australians with an “appreci-ation of and respect for social, culturaland religious diversity, and a sense ofglobal citizenship.”5 While in the past,schooling may have played a role inpreparing learners to understand and re-late to their own culture, learners nowrequire the added ability to build rela-tionships with people from other coun-tries and develop a global identity.Teacher-education institutions are called

B Y J A S O N H I N Z E a n d P H I L F I T Z S I M M O N S

The Need for OverseasPre-service Teacher

Professional Experiences


to demonstrate that they are adequatelypreparing their pre-service teachers forthis mandate by demonstrating knowl-edge, understanding, and teachingstrategies for students from “diverse lin-guistic, cultural, religious and socioeco-nomic backgrounds.”6 Some argue thatan educational response aimed atachieving this outcome will be ineffec-tive without a real-life encounter involv-ing people from diverse backgrounds, inoverseas contexts.7

Pre-service teachers often choose“domestic” professional teaching expe-riences more out of convenience andthe potential to achieve a pleasinggrade than to ensure an adequatepreparation for their first year of teach-ing. While a well-meaning “sheltered”supervision of pre-service teachers maycreate an unrealistic experience, there isalso the real risk of developing “teacheridentities” that prove to be inadequatewhen graduates commence their roleas independent full-time teachers. Itappears that by attempting to protect

pre-service teachers, programs areessentially preventing them from thenecessary growth that is required fortheir survival. Initial teacher-educationprograms would thus benefit their pre-service teacher-education students indesigning professional teaching experi-ences that ensure deep involvement ina wide range of settings by includingculturally diverse communities, andalso non-school settings.8

Overseas Professional Teaching Experiences—The

Stories Others Tell

Benefits OutlinedIt is important, firstly, to note that

there are a variety of potential overseasprofessional teaching experiences(OPTE). Cwick and Benton mention“Short term (2-3 weeks), long term (8-16 weeks), one way exchanges, bilateralexchanges and multilateral exchanges.”9

Other stories being told include the ex-periences of cultural immersion andlanguage programs. While we have no

doubt that these stories are worth lis-tening to, the stories on which we havefocused primarily feature overseas pro-fessional teaching experiences. In par-ticular, there appears to be a need tofully understand the impact that anoverseas pre-service teaching experi-ence has in creating a nexus betweenpersonal and professional identity. Indoing so, the problems of “teacherfragility and vulnerability” in the firstyears of teaching could be overcome.10

Student-teaching placements in in-ternational destinations have beenfound to result in personal and profes-sional growth greater than one mightexpect in a traditional domestic student-teaching placement.11 From listening tothe stories of others, it appears that themajor benefits of overseas professionalteaching experiences include increases ingenuine multicultural education, globalmindedness, reflection, flexibility, com - mitment, and the development of per-sonal identity. A closer look at some keyareas may be instructive in building acase for OPTE for pre-service teachers.

Students and faculty from Avondale College of Higher Education’s Ministry Of Teaching Overseas (MOTO) team.


Cultural DiversityOverseas professional teaching expe-

riences are linked, most commonly, toan improvement in a pre-serviceteacher’s cultural competence in theclassroom.12 While Australian class-rooms are becoming more culturally di-verse, most teachers do not see them-selves as ready to teach in multiculturalclassrooms and have not been preparedto teach for diversity.13 For teachers totruly understand how it feels to be per-ceived as the “other,” they must leave thecomfort of their home communities foran extended period of time. This high-lights the need for pre-service teachersto have significant cross-cultural experi-ences that enable them to teach andwork with, and continue to learn from,people different from themselves. “Over-seas student teaching can be the catalystthat starts teachers on a path of learningfrom others: Their students, their col-leagues, the community, and theirworld,” argue Cushner and Mahon.14

University teacher-preparation pro-grams recognize the importance ofmulticultural education. It is a require-ment in their courses, but it continuesto be taught from a “cognitive orienta-tion” despite the extensive research thatdemonstrates the critical role that expe-rience plays in enhancing interculturaldevelopment.15 Involvement of pre-ser-vice teachers in readings, discussions,and even domestic relationships withdifferent ethnic and linguistic minori-ties has proved insufficient in multicul-tural education.16

Interaction with different culturesoverseas, on the other hand, has provedto be the only real way to break downcultural barriers and create understand-ing.17 Faulconer reported on the impor-tance of observing children in Mexico asa way of challenging and breaking downpre-service teachers’ prejudices aboutculturally different others.18 Pettigrew,after conducting an extensive review ofmore than 200 studies of ethnic contact,highlighted the fact that internationalcontact—excluding tourist experi-ences—was shown to be far more bene-ficial in reducing prejudice than inter-

ethnic contact at home.19

Prospective teachers, report Hollinsand Guzman, often hold negative atti-tudes about different cultures and areunwilling to teach in schools that tendto be more ethnically diverse.20 This isobviously a major challenge currentlyfacing teacher-education institutions,as teachers are increasingly required towork successfully with an increasinglydiverse pupil population, includingchildren who differ in language, cul-ture, ethnicity, and race.21

Today’s teachers are expected to ap-proach learning and teaching inclu-sively. Hence, it is vital that they havean appreciation of all learners in theirclassrooms and value their differences.Pettigrew and Tropp suggest that thebest way to reduce intergroup preju-dice is by way of intergroup contact.22

Not only do attitudes between immedi-ate participants involved in the contactbecome more favorable, but also the at-titudes between the entire out-group aswell as out-group members in othersituations, and “even out-groups notinvolved in the contact.”23 This studysuggests that an experience such as an

overseas professional teaching experi-ence is likely to have a profound effectnot only on how pre-service teachersapproach their future students fromdiverse backgrounds, but also onhow they approach all students oncethought of as different.

These conclusions are positively sup-ported by other researchers. They havecommented that students engaged ininternational field experiences become“less prone to prejudice students, basedon cultural background, linguistic dif-ferences, or even learning disability.”24

Fung King Lee mentions that partici-pants in overseas experiences have beenfound to be more open to cultural diver-sity, more accepting of difference, andmore understanding of people from dif-ferent ethnic backgrounds.25

Pre-service teachers on overseasprofessional teaching experiences arechallenged by the place and culture inwhich they find themselves, as they areoften forced to “wrestle with complexthoughts, emotions, and behaviors.”26

Participants in these contexts oftenbegin to question parts of their ownculture that may have previously goneunexamined, in light of the new worldin which they find themselves. Conse-quently, they often increase in culturalsensitivity, viewing their own country,their existing beliefs, and themselvesfrom a different perspective.27 OPTEshave also been found to help increasestudents’ patience and empathy.28

Effective multicultural educationgoes beyond an understanding aboutdifferent cultures and results in a deeprespect and value for others. Pre-serviceteachers involved in OPTEs become ad-vocates for teaching practices that em-brace diversity, including empathy forstudents from other cultures and of dif-ferent language backgrounds.29

Global MindednessAll now live in a global society. Alfaro

highlights the importance of OPTEs inenhancing and increasing the globalskills needed as educators to enter inter-nationally minded schools and class-rooms of the future.30 Similarly, Sta-chowski and Sparks state that when

Pre-service teachers with limited re-sources find creative ways to overcomelanguage barriers and engage children.(Above) MOTO teacher Alyse Hunter poseswith one of her students at a school inrural Nepal.


pre-service teachers are given the oppor-tunity to gain international classroomexperience, they are far more likely tounderstand the concepts of global com-munity and interconnectedness and seekto instill this transformational way ofthinking in their future students.31

If teachers are truly responsible for“preparing today’s students to take theirplace as global citizens,” as Mahon sug-gests,32 then incorporating an overseasprofessional teaching experience in apre-service teacher-preparation programwill be highly beneficial. Consequen-tially, pre-service teachers often returnhome with a broader outlook on howthey see the world and themselves,which can impact their future class-rooms.33

Creativity and ResourcefulnessA typical comment from student

teachers involved in OPTEs includes“We had limited resources overseas. Wewere forced to be creative!”34 Studieshave highlighted the increased flexibil-

ity and resourcefulness that resultedfrom overseas professional teaching ex-periences.35 It appears that when pre-service teachers participate in OPTEs,specifically in developing countries,they are often without the Internet, li-braries, and technology (includingphotocopiers and data projectors) andsubsequently have to rely more heavilyon their own creativity and resource-fulness.

Heightened Self-efficacyFor many students, the overseas

professional teaching experience repre-sents the first time they have had torely solely on themselves.36 Challengesare often encountered by pre-serviceteachers while overseas, including cul-ture shock, dislodgement, and the newenvironment in which they are re-quired to live and teach.37 Typically,pre-service teachers experience a bell-shaped phenomenon where they ini-tially experience excitement, followed

closely by significant dysphoria, andending in enjoyment.38 It is during thedysphoria that pre-service teachers areprovided with the opportunity to over-come difficulties and develop strategiesto cope with demanding experiences.

To successfully overcome these chal-lenges, they are often forced to facetheir personal anxieties and test theirown perceived limitations.39 Empower-ment and efficacy result from drawingon inner resources through times ofchallenge and cognitive dissonance.40

The process of successfully overcomingtheir personal anxieties and “testingtheir own limitations” facilitates majorgrowth, and participants report an in-crease in “self confidence and esteem,increased adaptability, resourcefulness,and persistence.”41

Accordingly, one would expect pre-service teachers with a heightened levelof self-efficacy to be optimistic and re-silient about their abilities even in theface of adversity. As a result of increasedconfidence and self-belief—related towho they are as persons and teachers—their personal identity and professionalunderstanding are more likely to be re-silient and durable in the future. Teach-ing experience in domestic practicumsappears to be a space less likely to de-velop these necessary traits.

Increased CommitmentIt has been suggested that a relation-

ship may exist between those studentswho have completed an overseas pro-fessional teaching experience and highlevels of commitment to the teachingprofession.42 Hackett and Lavery high-light the importance of pre-serviceteachers developing a deep sense oftheir vocation as teachers when theydescribe vocation as work that is ofservice to others, while at the sametime providing people with a sense ofidentity and meaning.43

In a study of 10 teachers involved inan overseas professional teaching ex -perience, it was found that this cohort showed increased levels of long-term commitment to the profession ofteaching on their return as demon-strated by higher levels of teachingtime and higher rates of further study.While this area needs more investiga-

MOTO students and lecturers covered with red dye as part of an annual Nepali festival.


tion, if overseas professional teachingexperiences were shown to conclusivelyincrease the commitment of pre-ser-vice teachers, OPTEs would be ex-tremely valuable for initial teacher-edu cation institutions to implement,including combating current dilemmaswith regard to teacher dropout.

Enhanced Collaboration and Collegiality

Rather than sending individualteachers to separate locations, overseasprofessional teaching experiences ofteninvolve groups of pre-service teacherstogether. This is referred to as “cluster-ing” and allows for pre-service teachersto support one another within learningcommunities, including universitymentors available to support both thepre-service teachers and their supervis-ing teachers.44 The notion of a learningcommunity contrasts the “sink orswim” and “do it yourself” view of stu-dent teaching in the typical practicum.Experiences that incorporate a learn-ing-community approach, like OPTEs,indicate that learners not only take re-sponsibility for their own survival butalso take on responsibility for the well-being and learning of their peers.45

Pre-service teachers quickly learn theimportance of working collaborativelywith their team members in overseasprofessional teaching experiences as it isonly by sharing ideas and supportingone another that each teacher is able toovercome the challenges faced. From asocial constructivist viewpoint, wherelearning occurs by constructing mean-ings, vis à vis “absorbing” them from an-other, involving pre-service teachers inan active, communal, and collaborativeenvironment is theoretically sound.46

OPTEs include many shared expe-riences. As a result, collegial relation-ships are often developed between uni-versity academics and pre-serviceteachers and between pre-serviceteachers and their peers.47 The trustand respect that exists in this learningcommunity may well provide pre-ser-vice teachers with the perfect environ-ment to be willing to be themselves,share their story with their peers and

teachers collegially, and possibly for thefirst time experience real learning in anair of freedom.

Challenges That Reflect Reality It has been suggested that in many

ways, OPTEs may closely reflect theexperiences of a first-year graduateteacher. Both experiences are exposedto significant challenges and high levelsof responsibility.48 While this causes in-creased stress, it far better simulates theenvironment in which teachers findthemselves during their first year ofteaching. The advantage of experienc-ing the true nature of teaching earlier isthat they are sharing this experiencewith other pre-service teachers and aretherefore able to support and relate toothers experiencing the same crisis.Pre-service teachers are thus given theopportunity to grow in a supportiveenvironment and develop personalconfidence, which should sustain them

in their future teaching careers. Thissupportive environment offers the in-dividual the opportunity to take risksin regard to developing the nexus be-tween what they have learned in lec-tures with their own personal beliefsystem. Thus, the personal and profes-sional identity can more fully mesh. Ithas been suggested that this nexus isvital for a teacher’s ongoing commit-ment to the profession, as well as thedevelopment of authentic learningspaces.49

ReflectionSimply experiencing classroom cul-

ture is not enough. As Cattley has ar-gued, deep reflection is the key to devel-oping a sound teaching identity wherebythe concepts of teaching and learningbecome glued into a professionalwhole.50 This melding through reflectionwould appear to ensure a more focused

After finishing teaching every day, each MOTO student completed one hour of communityservice. Gina Al-Ali and Anna Beaden (third and fourth from left) chose to get involved withrice planting.


classroom. Smith51 argues that overseasprofessional teaching is a powerful pro-fessional-development opportunity thatfurther enhances this force. It should benurtured and supported, as students areforced to question many of their per-spectives. As a result, in such times oftransition, reflection is always promotedas people are making sense of their newenvironments and of who they are pro-fessionally.

Two significant transitions occurduring any overseas teaching experi-ence. The first transition occurs duringentry into the host country and thesecond upon re-entry into the homecountry. Students always returnchanged as a result as they see them-selves, their world, and their profes-sions differently. There is agreementthat pre-service teachers have beenfound to become more reflective as aresult of an overseas professionalteaching experience.52

Probably the single most importantattribute in becoming a quality teacheris reflective practice. When pre-serviceteachers develop the art of consistentlyreflecting on teaching experiences, theycontinually grow and discover theirvoice in explaining why they do thethings they do in the classroom. Deweydescribes a two-part process in reflec-tion which helps to explain why over-seas teaching experiences are so power-ful in developing the art of reflection.53

First, learners experience a state ofdoubt and perplexity in which thinkingbegins. OPTEs are ideal for creatingmostly unavoidable difficulties to en-sure real thinking results. The environ-ments and cultures in which the pre-service teachers live and work are oftenfar removed from what they once con-sidered normal. These challenges oftenlead to pre-service teachers questioningwho they are as people and teachersand reflecting on their own ability tocope with the demands they are facing.“It is precisely the difficult experiencesencountered during the adjustmentprocess that seem to be what people re-member and that facilitate the resultinggrowth.”54

The second part of the reflectionprocess, according to Dewey, involvesthe learners searching to find answers

to resolve the doubt and settle and dis-pose of the perplexity.55 OPTEs pro-mote this part of the process also. Thedoubts and perplexities that pre-serviceteachers experience are not hypotheti-cal and therefore foster a real-lifeteaching experience, where answers todoubts are essential. If pre-serviceteachers are to survive their teachingexperience, they are required to de-velop adequate answers to resolvedoubts they initially experienced.

OPTEs in Developing Countries:Stories Yet to Be Told

Very little research has taken placein relation to the impact of overseasprofessional teaching experiences indeveloping countries on pre-serviceteachers’ “stories of self.” Despite thelimited existing knowledge in this area,it appears there is much to be learned,and this motivates the current researchproject investigating pre-service teach-ers on overseas professional teachingexperiences in developing countries.The story of present understandings isshared to provide enough evidence tojustify the continuation of our OPTEsallowing “our real story” to be told inthe not-too-distant future. In theprocess, this story will undergo somechanges. Present understandings willbe questioned, but “the voice” is ex-pected to become stronger and clearer,and increase in trustworthiness in theprocess.

The Context of and Platform forthe Continuing Story

Providing the context of stories isoften as important as the stories them-selves56 and here enables better under-standing of these OPTEs and MOTO inparticular.

MOTO stands for the Ministry OfTeaching Overseas program run by theSchool of Education at Avondale Col-lege of Higher Education. The college’smotto, “A Greater Vision of WorldNeeds,” highlights the emphasis itplaces on preparing its graduates for alife of service in their communities.

Each year, all primary and second-ary pre-service teachers—approxi-

mately 500 or more—are expected tocomplete a professional teaching-expe-rience component. Every student isgiven an opportunity to complete oneprofessional teaching experience (15days of teaching) in a developing coun-try, as part of his or her four-year de-gree course. Presently, about one-halfof all pre-service teachers choose aMOTO experience in place of one oftheir “normal domestic” professionalteaching experiences.

The 2013 cohort who completed aMOTO experience chose between threedifferent locations: India, Cambodia, orNepal. All three experiences providedthe pre-service teachers with the op-portunity to teach in classrooms withvery basic facilities, few resources, andlittle equipment. The selected overseasschools highly value the opportunity tohost pre-service teachers from Aus-tralia, as many of their teachers havehad little higher education and see it asan opportunity to learn. All MOTO ex-periences attempt to facilitate a learn-ing community through the demon-stration of quality teaching and by anAustralian lecturer running profes-sional-development workshops for thehost teachers.

Whenever possible, the pre-serviceteachers live as part of the communityin which they are teaching, learning,and serving. The accommodation cho-sen, the food eaten, and the lifestylemaintained while teaching closely re-flect the lives of the locals. Pre-serviceteachers are each required to daily be-come involved in a service-based com-munity activity in addition to theirteaching responsibilities. This aims toconnect pre-service teachers individu-ally with the local community andbuild quality relationships with thelocal people.

A MOTO experience, however, isnot limited to the teaching componentalone. In total, most MOTO experi-ences run for approximately 30 dayswith another eight months of prepara-tion time. An overview of the processmight be helpful at this point.Decision to go—Pre-service teachers

sign up for the experience in Novemberof the year before they take part in theexperience.


Pre-trip course—Beginning inMarch of the year of departure, allMOTO participants take part in aweekly preparation program run by theacademics responsible for supervisingthe teams overseas. Some weeks, all ofthe participants meet together to dis-cuss common areas; and other weeks,they meet according to the countryteam in which they are involved. Thepre-trip course covers topics such asculture, safety, team expectations,teaching strategies, language immer-sion, and logistics. Pre-service teachersgenerally begin bonding as a team dur-ing these experiences.Social events prior to departure—In

recognition of the value of a unitedteam, each country team plans two so-cial events prior to departure as an op-portunity to get to know one anotherbefore being thrown into the challengeof overseas teaching. These events at-tempt to build community, facilitatesupportive relationships, and build ex-citement prior to departure.Planning with family—While plan-

ning takes place at a team level, indi-viduals also plan individually, oftenwith the help of their families. Thefamilies are highly involved in thepreparation process prior to departure.Support is provided via e-mails andphone calls during the experience, andin sharing the many stories told by theparticipants on their return.Teaching experience—While the op-

erating time of each school differs,what does remain consistent is the in-dependence and responsibility thatpre-service teachers experience in theiroverseas classrooms. Typically, the hostsupervisors open up their schools andclassrooms and require that pre-serviceteachers take full teaching responsibili-ties on arrival. Teaching takes up themajority of the school day, often withlittle involvement from the local teach-ers. Generally, pre-service teachers canchoose to teach on their own or with apeer.Team worships/reflection—In addi-

tion to teaching responsibilities, allMOTO participants meet each morn-ing before school begins to take part ina short (approximately 15-minute)

team worship. Generally, these wor-ships are taken by a different teammember each morning and are achance to share what they have learnedabout themselves, their everyday orspiritual life, from their experiences. Itis also a time of encouragement andteam bonding. Each evening, all teamsgather again and for approximately 20minutes are involved in a team debrief-ing session. This usually begins with ateam affirmation session and opportu-nity for individuals to share the high-lights and challenges of their day. Thisis usually a real highlight of the day asparticipants share their stories, supportone another, and make decisions as ateam that will direct the next day’sevents. Journal writing also occurs onan individual level each day.Service project—Each participant,

independently, is involved in his orher local community with a focus onservice for an hour a day while teach-ing. The service projects must involveworking with locals; and wheneverpossible, this is completed apart fromtheir team members. This encouragesparticipants to once again step out oftheir comfort zone and form relation-ships with local people. In the past,pre-service teachers have helped withcooking, read to/with children in or-phanages, helped locals plant rice, orentertained children by playinggames.Travel component—This takes place

after the teaching component is com-pleted. As a team, all participants areinvolved in a joint adventure whileoverseas. The India team traveledacross India exploring places such asVaranasi, the Taj Mahal, and Delhi. TheCambodian team travelled to a ruralvillage before flying to Luang Prabang(Laos), while the Nepal team was in-volved in a nine-day trek to AnnapurnaBase Camp.

Although the context of the storymay be helpful for a fuller apprecia-tion, in a sense it is only what a frameis to a picture. Much more of the storyneeds to be told.

An Unfinished StoryUsing a music metaphor, what has

been heard at present is really an “un-finished symphony.” It is not unlike acantata in which the voices of soloistsand those of the choir have yet to beheard. There is a reason for this, ofcourse. While we have been “given aglimpse of the conductor at work,” thescore has yet to be fully developed andwritten—a story that is still forming;consisting of many individual storiesthat will contribute to the “genre of au-thentic teacher identity.”

Jason Hinze is aLecturer in the De-partment of Educa-tion at AvondaleCollege of HigherEducation inCooranbong, NewSouth Wales, Aus-

tralia. He is completing a Ph.D. on thetopic related to this article, entitled “In-vestigation of the Impact of an OverseasProfessional Teaching Experience on Pre-service Teachers’ Stories of Self.”

Phil Fitzsimmonsis an Associate Pro-fessor of Educationat Avondale Collegeof Higher Educa-tion. Prior to ac-cepting this ap-pointment, he was

Director of Research at the San RoqueResearch Insti tute, Santa Barbara, Cali-fornia. Dr. Fitzsimmons’ current researchinterests include writing and spiritualdevelopment in adolescence.

This article has been slightlyadapted with permission of TEACH,where it was originally published.

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“Stories of Experience and Narrative Inquiry,”Educational Researcher (1990):2-14.

2. T. Gitlin, The Whole World Is Watching:Mass Media in the Making and Unmaking of theNew Left (Berkeley: University of CaliforniaPress, 1980), p. 49.

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19. Pettigrew, “Does Intergroup Contact Re-duce Racial Prejudice Throughout the World?”op. cit.

20. E. Hollins and M. T. Guzman, “Researchon Preparing Teachers for Diverse Populations”in M. Cochran-Smith and K. M. Zeichner, eds.,Studying Teacher Education: The Report of theAERA Panel on Research and Teacher Education,op. cit., pp. 477-548.

21. Cochran-Smith and Zeichner, StudyingTeacher Education, ibid.

22. T. Pettigrew and L. Tropp, “A Meta-ana-lytic Test of Intergroup Contact Theory,” Journalof Personality and Social Psychology 90:5 (2006):751-783.

23. Ibid.24. C. Willard-Holt, “The Impact of a Short-

time International Experience for PreserviceTeachers,” Teaching and Teacher Education 17(2001):505-517.

25. J. Fung King Lee, “International Field Ex-perience—What Do Student Teachers Learn?”Australian Journal of Teacher Education 36:10(2011), Article 1.

26. J. Mahon, “Fact or Fiction? Analyzing In-stitutional Barriers and Individual Responsibilityto Advance the Internationalization of TeacherEducation,” Teaching Education 21:1 (2010):7-18.

27. Quezada, “Beyond Educational Tourism,”op. cit.

28. Willard-Holt, “The Impact of a Short-time International Experience for PreserviceTeachers,” op. cit.; Faulconer, “These Kids Are SoBright!” op. cit.

29. S. L. Bryan and M. M. Sprague, “The Ef-fect of Overseas Internships on Early TeachingExperiences,” The Clearing House 70:4 (1997): 199-201.

30. C. Alfaro, “Global Student Teaching Expe-riences: Stories Bridging Cultural and Inter-cul-tural Difference,” Multicultural Education 15:4(2008):20-26.

31. L. L. Stachowski and T. Sparks, “ThirtyYears and 2,000 Student Teachers Later: An Over-seas Student Teaching Project That Is Popular,Successful, and Replicable,” Teacher Education34:1 (2007):115-132.

32. Mahon, “Fact or Fiction?” op. cit., p. 9. 33. Quezada, “Beyond Educational Tourism,”

op. cit.34. Bryan and Sprague, “The Effect of Over-

seas Intenships on Early Teaching Experiences,”op. cit., p. 201.

35. P. Fitzsimmons and B. McKenzie, “Superor Superfluous in the South Pacific: Unearthingthe Benefits of an Overseas Teaching Practicum,”Journal of Research in International Education 5:2(2006):177-189.

36. Cushner and Mahon, “Overseas StudentTeaching,” op. cit., pp. 44-58.

37. Fitzsimmons and McKenzie, “Super orSuperfluous in the South Pacific,” op. cit.

38. M. Firmin, R. Firmin, and B. MacKay,“Spiritual Dynamics Involved With Overseas Stu-

dent Teaching: A Qualitative Analysis,” ChristianHigher Education 8:2 (2009):132-155.

39. Cushner and Mahon, “Overseas StudentTeaching,” op. cit.

40. Fitzsimmons and McKenzie, “Super orSuperfluous in the South Pacific,” op. cit.; H.Pence and I. Macgillivray, “The Impact of an In-ternational Field Experience on Preservice Teach-ers,” Teaching and Teacher Education 24 (2008):14-25.

41. Cushner and Mahon, “Overseas StudentTeaching,” op. cit.

42. Bryan and Sprague, “The Effect of Over-seas Intenships on Early Teaching Experiences,”op. cit.

43. C. Hackett and S. Lavery, “ASPIRE: For-mation of Pre-service Teachers Through Lead -ership, Community Engagement and RetreatTraining,” Australian Journal of Teacher Education35:1 (2010):76-89.

44. R. Le Cornu, “Changing Roles, Relation-ships and Responsibilities in Changing Times,”Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 38:3(2010):195-206.

45. Ibid.46. J. Bruner, “Life as Narrative,” Social Re-

search 54:1 (1987): 11-32.47. J. Robertson and C. Webber, “Cross-cul-

tural Leadership Development,” InternationalJournal of Leadership in Education 3:4 (2000): 315-330.

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49. Linda Darling-Hammond, et al., “The De-sign of Teacher Education Programs,” in LindaDarling-Hammond and J. Bransford, eds., Pre -paring Teachers for a Changing World: WhatTeachers Should Learn and Be Able to Do (SanFrancisco: Jossey Bass, 2005), pp. 390-441.

50. G. Cattley, “Emergence of ProfessionalIdentity for the Preservice Teachers,” Interna-tional Education Journal 8:2 (2007):337-347.

51. K. Smith, “Transnational Teaching Experi-ences: An Under-explored Territory for Transfor-mative Professional Development,” InternationalJournal for Academic Development 14:2 (2009): 111-122.

52. Pence and Macgillivray, “The Impact ofan International Field Experience on PreserviceTeachers,” op. cit.

53. John Dewey, How We Think: A Restate-ment of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to theEducative Process (Boston: D. C. Heath and Com-pany, 1933), p. 12.

54. Cushner, “The Role of Experience in theMaking of Internationally-minded Teachers,” op.cit.

55. Dewey, How We Think, op. cit.56. John W. Creswell, Research Design: Quali-

tative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Ap-proaches (3rd ed.) (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGEPublications, 2009).

3. E. Goffman, Frame Analysis: An Essay onthe Organization of Experience (Cambridge,Mass.: Cambridge University Press, 1975), p. 26.

4. M. Cochran-Smith and K. M. Zeichner,eds., Studying Teacher Education: The Report ofthe AERA American Educational Research Associa-tion Panel on Research and Teacher Education(Washington, D.C.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associ-ates, 2005).

5. Australian Commonwealth Government,Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals forYoung Australians (Canberra, Australian CapitalTerritory: Government Printer, 2008), p. 4.

6. Australian Institute for Teaching andSchool Leadership (AITSL), National ProfessionalStandards for Teachers (Carlton, Vic.: EducationServices, 2011), p. 8.

7. T. Pettigrew, “Does Intergroup Contact Re-duce Racial Prejudice Throughout the World?”(2001). Paper presented at the Second BiennialMeeting of the International Academy for Inter-cultural Research, Oxford, Mississippi.

8. G. Ramsey, Quality Matters. RevitalisingTeaching: Critical Times, Critical Choices (Sydney,Australia: New South Wales Department of Edu-cation and Training, 2000).

9. S. Cwick and J. Benton, “Teacher Prepara-tion Programs: Making Student Teaching Abroadan Effective Option,” Delta Kappa Gamma Bul-letin 75:3 (2009):37-41.

10. A. McCormack, J. Gore, and K. Thomas,“Early Career Teacher Professional Learning,”Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 34:1(2006):95-113.

11. L. L. Stachowski, A. Bodle, and M. Mor-rin, “Service Learning in Overseas and NavajoReservation Communities: Student Teachers’Powerful Experiences Build Community Con-nections, Broaden Worldview, and Inform Class-room Practice,” International Education 38:1(2008):27-66.

12. K. S. Meaney, et al., “Service-learning andPre-service Educators’ Cultural Competence forTeaching: An Exploratory Study,” The Journal ofExperiential Education 31:2 (2008):189-208.

13. C. Gibson, “Multicultural Pre-service Ed-ucation: Promising Multicultural Pre-serviceTeacher Education Initiatives,” Radical Pedagogy6:1(2004).

14. K. Cushner and J. Mahon, “Overseas Stu-dent Teaching: Affecting Personal, Professional,and Global Competencies in an Age of Globaliza-tion,” Journal of Studies in International Educa-tion 6:1 (2002):56.

15. K. Cushner, “The Role of Experience inthe Making of Internationally-minded Teachers,”Teacher Education Quarterly (Winter 2007):27-39.

16. R. L. Quezada, “Beyond EducationalTourism: Lessons Learned While Student Teach-ing Abroad,” International Education Journal 5:4(2004):458-465.

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18. T. Faulconer, “These Kids Are So Bright!Pre-service Teachers’ Insights and Discoveries

School administrators wear manyhats and have many respon-sibilities, one of which is tomanage the risks that couldcause harm to students, employ-

ees, or volunteers. Another duty is to be surethe school is covered with appropriate levels ofinsurance to protect it from physical or financialloss. We call these responsibilities “Risk Manage-ment.”* But risk management is more than “insurance.”Managing risk on campus entails a three-part process:

• Identifying potential hazards and risks.• Implementing specific loss-prevention measures to help

avoid or mitigate accidents.• Making sure organizations have implemented appropriate

strategies to deal with the financial impact of possible losses.

We typically call the third elementof the risk-management process “in-surance.” Determining the appropri-ate level of insurance needed by a

school is a strategic decision that includesself-insuring the cost of specific deductibles,

transferring the risk to specific types of insur-ance policies, and making sure these insurance

contracts provide appropriate limits in accordancewith denominational working policies. In this article, we

will explore the administrator’s responsibilities for manag-ing a school’s insurance program.

Focus on InsuranceModern commercial insurance was founded through mu-

tual agreements sealed with a gentlemen’s handshake at Lloyd’s


B Y A R T H U R F . B L I N C I a n d T I M N O R T H R O P

IS YOUR CAMPUS PROPERLY

INSURED?


Coffee Shop in the 1600s along the docks of London to “insure”the safe passage of maritime commerce. Lloyds of London, oneof the first commercial insurers, continues even today. It andmany other companies established more recently operate underthe premise of mutual trust and understanding between the in-surer and the insured.

The same is true of the insurance coverage by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Since 1936, the church has owned and operated its own cap-tive insurance company* to protect denominational assetsaround the globe. Our risk-management specialists understandthe needs of the church and the unique global challenges facedby denominational organizations, so they are able to craft aninsurance program tomeet those needs. Thechurch is also veryproactive in ensuringthat denominationalorganizations have ob -tained appropriate in-surance coverage in ac-cordance with SectionS-60 of General Con-ference Working Policy.

In most divisions ofthe world church, thearrangements and pur-chase of insurance cov-erage for the school orinstitution are handled by the treasurer at the union, confer-ence, or mission level. This allows for uniformity in the type ofinsurance purchased and the limits of protection, and ensurescompliance with denominational working policies. It relievesthe local school administrator from having to shop for mostforms of insurance through local insurance brokers or compa-nies. However, it is very important that school administratorscarefully review the insurance policies provided for their schoolin order to comprehend the scope and limits of protection, andunderstand their responsibility to prevent and promptly reportlosses.

Property and Equipment Breakdown Insurance School buildings, as well as their equipment and contents,

are insured under a commercial property insurance policy thatprovides protection from physical loss or damage to school

property, providing the peril is included within the terms andconditions of the insurance contract. Losses caused by fire,smoke, wind, lightning, water damage, ice, snow, vandalism,and theft are typical insured perils, subject to the limits listedon the policy. Typical exclusions include catastrophic perilssuch as an earthquake, flood, earth movement, tsunami, andvolcano. When a school needs coverage for these risks, the ad-ministrator will need to obtain specialized insurance. Consultwith your denominational treasurer to secure quotations forthis type of coverage.

Another important insurance coverage needed by schools isloss of use through business interruption and extra expense. Whencatastrophic losses occur, schools may suffer such severe dam-

age that temporary fa-cilities are required,and/or tuition incomemay be lost for a time.Business interruptionand extra expense cov-erage pro vides financialassistance for thesetypes of unplanned ex-penses or loss of rev-enue.

Many school facilitieshave a variety of equip-ment such as high pres-sure boilers, air condi-tioning/heating units,

walk-in freezers/refrigerators, large electrical panels, industrialor farm machinery, and computerized systems that are subjectto mechanical breakdown. Specialized equipment breakdown cov-erage can be added to the school’s insurance policy if the institu-tion has these types of mechanisms. Beyond paying for the tra-ditional property-loss expenses, this coverage also covers lossesfrom service interruption and the spoilage of perishable goods.

Every school year, the school administrator should reviewthe statement of insurance values for each building includedin the institution’s property policy in order to ensure that nobuildings have been left out, and the estimated value is ade-quate to replace the building, equipment, and contents in theevent of a loss. To obtain accurate property value estimates,school administrators will need to work closely with the de-nominational treasurer or insurance company representativeeach year before the insurance policy renewal date.

Insure, Retain, or Transfer to a Third Party

R I S K I D E N T I F I C A T I O N

Accident Prevention, Minimization, or Avoidance

Analyze Risks, Hazards, and Property Values

R I S K C O N T R O L

R I S K F I N A N C I N G

Managing risk on campus requires more

than insurance.

General Liability InsuranceAccidents that occur on campus or during school activities

off campus are covered under a general liability insurance policy.This type of policy provides legal defense and indemnity* toinjured third parties for which the school, its employees, or vol-unteers may be held legally liable due to negligence associatedwith the accident. General liability insurance provides specifiedlimits of coverage for physical injury, property damage, per-sonal injury (defamation), product liability, and other liabilitiesthat may arise from a school’s operation.

This type of insurance is very broad and includes the oper-ation of mobile equipment that is not licensed for highway use(farm tractors, riding lawn mowers, golf carts, etc.). Limits arenormally stated in increments of U.S.$1million.

School insurance policies need to in-clude an endorsement stating that allschool employees and volunteers arelisted as an additional named insuredunder the provisions of the institution’sgeneral liability insurance. This means ifteachers or volunteers are named in alawsuit alleging their negligence* asso-ciated with an incident that occurredwhile they were performing their as-signed duties, the school’s general liabil-ity insurance coverage will provide legaldefense for these individuals, as well asfor the school.

Employment Practices and SexualMisconduct Liability Insurance

In North America and some otherchurch divisions, a special form of lia-bility insurance is provided to cover al-legations of certain wrongful acts asso-ciated with the school’s employmentpractices: wrongful termination, dis-crimination, sexual harassment, etc.This insurance also provides protection from claims associatedwith sexual misconduct that may occur between teachers, em-ployees, or volunteers and a minor (a child under age 18).

Educators Professional Liability InsuranceEducators are held to professional standards in their teach-

ing and academic decision-making. The church provides $2million limits of educators professional liability insurance for allteachers as part of a General Conference master professional li-ability insurance program. Fortunately, throughout the years wehave experienced very few claims in this area.

Automobile Liability InsuranceSchools operate many types of vehicles. Buses, vans, and au-

tomobiles transport students, teachers, and volunteers; trucks,tractors, and trailers haul goods and/or perform other serviceson behalf of the school. All of these vehicles need to be properlyinsured against the liability that may arise as the result of an

accident. The minimum limits of liability insurance requiredon vehicles are established by local and state laws. Limits arealso specified in denominational working policies, which typ-ically exceed the minimum limits required by the government.This added protection helps minimize the potential financialloss that can result from a vehicle accident.

Accidents can occur during the operation of any type of ve-hicle. All school-owned vehicles licensed for highway useshould be included in a single insurance policy and registeredin the legal name of the conference/mission or school. In theinterest of safety, all denominational organizations are advisednot to purchase, rent, or use 15-passenger vans to transportpeople because these types of vans have a very high risk of

rollover accidents. In many jurisdictions, transporting studentsin this type of vehicle is prohibited by local laws. Within de-nominational organizations, tragic accidents involving schoolvehicles have resulted in death and paralyzing injuries. As a re-sult, millions of dollars have had to be paid in claim settlementson behalf of the denomination.

In addition to the liability protection afforded by thesepolicies, the school administrator needs to determine whetherto insure the institution’s vehicles for physical damage due tocollision or other perils such as fire, water damage, hail, flyingdebris, theft, and vandalism. Although this is usually an easydecision for newer vehicles (physical damage coverage is usu-ally required if the school is making payments on the vehicle),in the case of older vehicles, it will be more cost-effective notto buy physical damage insurance and to self-insure the riskat the school level. When a vehicle without this type of insur-ance is damaged in an accident, the school will be responsiblefor the financial cost.


Type of Insurance Limits of Liability(U.S. Dollars)

General Liability $1,000,000 Hospital Professional Liability $1,000,000Commercial Auto Liability $1,000,000Garage Liability $1,000,000Excess Liability $9,000,000Executive Risk—Directors and Officers Liability $25,000,000Executive Risk—Fiduciary Liability $10,000,000Executive Risk—Employee Dishonesty $3,000,000Miscellaneous Professional Liability $1,000,000Trustees Errors and Omissions Liability $1,000,000Aircraft Liability (Owned and Non-owned) $50,000,000Airport Liability $50,000,000

Minimum Limits of Liability Insurance — GC Working Policy S 60 101

Workers’ Compensation InsuranceWhen employees are injured on the job, it is important for

them to receive prompt medical care. Many governments re-quire the employer to have workers’ compensation insurance topay for medical care, rehabilitation, disability, and loss of earn-ings in accordance with the statutory regulations where theschool is located. This facilitates the employee’s return to workand saves the school additional substitute staffing costs. In mostcountries, workers’ compensation insurance covers all or mostof these types of financial loss.

Executive Risk InsuranceSchool governance is handled through school boards com-

prised of denominational employees and church members.The duties of board members and school officers include theresponsibility to operate the school in accordance with locallaws and denominational education codes and workingpolicies. Directors and officers liability insurance protects thein stitution from liability caused by wrongful acts of boardmembers or officers that cause harm to third parties. This in-surance is subject to an exclusion that does not allow denom-inational organizations to bring legal actions against anotherdenominational entity’s board for alleged “wrongful acts”since they are all insured under one master insurance policyby the General Conference.

The General Conference arranges this insurance protectionfor schools through its executive risk insurance program. Thisprogram covers four key exposures to risk:

• Directors and officers liability• Outside-directorship liability• Fiduciary liability • Crime—internal theftOutside-directorship liability insurance provides profes-

sional liability coverage for employees who may be authorizedby the school to serve on a board of directors for a non-denom-inational organization. Fiduciary liability insurance protectsthe school from legal liability in the administration employeebenefit-related programs, e.g., retirement and medical health-care programs.

School funds can be lost through theft by employees andvolunteers, or through other fraudulent acts. All schools in theNorth American Division have a $3 million limit on crime-insurance protection. Unfortunately, this insurance is not avail-able to schools in other divisions. Therefore, it is critical for theschool’s financial records to be audited annually and stronginternal-control practices implemented to protect the school’sfinancial assets.

In many countries, the church requires student accident insur-ance to pay for minor accidents that occur during typical schoolactivities. By providing insurance for these kinds of medical ex-penses, the school is able to minimize the impact on its generalliability insurance premiums. Some divisions require the pur-chase of this type of insurance for students by the con fer -ence/mission office, while others expect the local school to handlethe responsibility. Administrators need to understand the terms,conditions, and exclusions of the accident insurance protectionand to ensure that the policy is renewed at the beginning of each

school year. The conference/mission treasurer or an insurancebroker can assist the school in securing this type of insurance.

Trading Dollars or Financing Losses?Many forms of insurance, such as property insurance, re-

quire the policyholder to select an appropriate level of financialrisk to be self-insured by the school. This is called a policy de-ductible. In the event of a covered loss, the school is requiredto pay the deductible, while the insurance company is respon-sible for the remainder of the claim. It is a fallacy to think thata low deductible is the best choice to protect the school’s assets.The level of the deductible will vary, based on several factors.Issues to consider when choosing a deductible include:

1. Type of insurance policy2. Level of exposure for loss a. How frequently a specific type of loss can be expectedto occur

b. The anticipated financial cost to the school 3. Financial capability of the school to fund a certain de-ductible level

The administrator must evaluate his or her school’s expo-sure to specific types of loss and determine how frequentlythese occur. Yes, the cost of a $500 loss may be recovered; how-ever, if three of these losses occur during one school year, andthe annual premium is only $1,200, how will these losses affectthe renewal premium? Deductible levels should be set so theschool is responsible for handling small losses that can be read-ily cared for within the annual operating budget. Schoolsshould avoid being in a situation where loss dollars are simplybeing traded for premium dollars each year. Insurance is de-signed to support the school by offering financial integrity andstability during major loss situations and providing financialresources to restore normal operations in a timely manner. De-ductible levels should be established with input from the schooladministration, school board, and conference/mission treas-urer.

Other Insurance ProgramsThe types of insurance described in this article comprise the

key elements of a school’s property/casualty insurance portfo-lio. In addition, many schools also provide other types of cov-erage for employee benefits such as health/medical insurance,life and disability insurance, and accident insurance for studentsand volunteers. It is critical for school administrators to under-stand the terms and conditions associated with each type of in-surance pertaining to their school, employees, and students.This article provides only a brief description of the basic cov-erage needed for educational organizations within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Specific details appear in the policieswritten for each school or denominational organization. Con-sult with denominational treasurers or your insurance com-pany if additional questions emerge from reading this article.

Fortuitous Versus Business Risks*Commercial insurance is designed to provide protection

from fortuitous risks. This means insurance provides financialprotection from losses associated with accidental occurrences


for which school employees may be deemed liable. However, aschool can suffer significant financial loss caused by non-fortuitous acts as well. These are called business risks. Here aresome examples in each of these categories:

Fortuitous Risk• A student is injured in an accident on the playground as

the result of negligence in maintaining the swing set.• A gymnasium roof is destroyed by hail during a storm.• A pedestrian is injured by a school-owned vehicle, either

on campus or off. Each of these incidents involves an unforeseen or accidental

event for which insurance would provide legal defense for theschool and indemnification for lawsuits resulting from varioustypes of injuries.

Business-related RisksBusiness-related risks include a variety of risks relating to

the normal expected operation of the school. For example:• The principal enters into a contract to purchase a major

piece of equipment for the school without obtaining properboard authority. The school thereby incurs a financial obliga-tion for which it has insufficient cash flow.

• The treasurer is tardy in sending the payroll tax depositsto governmental authorities due to cash-flow challenges. As aresult, the school is fined several thousand dollars in penaltiesand interest.

• The school illegally disposes of hazardous chemicals, forwhich it is fined by the government and required to pay for theresulting environmental cleanup.

These are actual examples of situations that have occurredat Adventist schools for which there is no insurance protection.In each case, one or more school employees engaged in eitherunauthorized or illegal acts.

These incidents above involved actions taken by school per-sonnel that were not fortuitous or accidental. In these situa-tions, the school is financially responsible for making restitu-tion as required under the terms of a contract or the laws ofthe government. Such expenses will have a direct impact on theschool’s operating budget.

It is very important that school boards establish policies en-suring the review and approval of all contracts by legal counselbefore they can be authorized. School administrators must en-sure that all contracts are approved before they commit theschool to the terms and conditions required. Likewise, theschool administrator must make sure that employees and vol-unteers are following the laws of the land.

Pay Now or Pay LaterIn the 1970s, Fram became known for its marketing slogan

for selling oil filters: “You can pay me now, or pay me later.” Thelesson was simple—you can pay a few dollars today for a newoil filter and perform regular maintenance on your vehicles, orneglect maintenance and pay thousands of dollars for a majorengine repair later. This principle can also be applied to thepurchase of insurance for Adventist schools.Unfortunately, some school administrators display an at-

titude of entitlement when it comes to filing an insuranceclaim. Entitlement thinking reasons as follows: Since theschool has property insurance, why bother to spend extra moneynow for routine preventative maintenance, even if these actionscould help minimize building damage in the future? Supposethe roof on the gymnasium is old and needs replacing. Enti-tlement thinking reasons: If a windstorm rips off the shingles,insurance will replace the roof. Let’s defer maintenance for an-other year and see what happens. This is called a moral haz-ard.* This type of thinking destroys the relationship of mu-tual good faith and integrity between the insurance companyand its policyholders.

The church, and the insurance company, expect the schoolto take appropriate care of its facilities. This includes routinemaintenance and implementation of safety measures that pre-vent or mitigate the impact of accidents on campus. Yes, theschool may “win” the game of deferred maintenance rouletteif a severe windstorm or hailstorm comes through campus andfinishes off the gymnasium roof. But when the loss adjustorlooks at the damage, it will be evident that neglect of preventivemaintenance contributed to the severity of the damage. In thesesituations, the insurance company may charge a depreciationfactor in calculating the loss settlement. This could result in theschool still bearing a financial responsibility in restoring thebuilding to usable condition.

Another factor to consider is the impact of claims on futureinsurance premiums. Underwriters recognize that the cost ofa serious property loss or accident may exceed the premiumpaid for insurance in one year. However, this situation shouldbe the exception rather than the rule. Repeated claim payoutsthat exceed the amount of the premium will result in steep in-creases in insurance costs. It will prove true the oil filter adage,“You can pay me now, or pay me later.” This type of situationcan be avoided if a school implements good maintenance andsafety practices.

Timely Reporting of LossesSchool administrators must provide timely reporting of ac-

cidents and losses that occur throughout the year. The soonerthe school notifies its insurance carrier that an accident or losshas occurred, the faster investigation and restoration can begin.All insurance policies require prompt reporting of all coveredlosses. Delays in accident reports and submission of claims cancreate several problems:

• The evidence or facts of what occurred may be destroyedor lost due to the delay.

• The school incurs unnecessary financial cost in the earlystages of handling the loss.

• Claimants can become frustrated because of the lack ofcommunication, thus increasing the ultimate settlement costs.

• The insurance company’s ability to file a subrogation* ac-tion against other responsible third parties may be jeopardized.

• The claim may incur restrictions or even be denied becauseof failure to report the loss promptly as required by the insur-ance policy.

• A delay in reporting may increase the cost of settling theclaim.


J O N I D R E H E R - S M I T H I S A C L A I M E X A M I N E R W H O H A S B E E N S E R V I N G T H E S E V E N T H - D A Y A D V E N T I S T C H U R C H A T A D V E N T I S T R I S K M A N A G E M E N T ®, I N C . F O R 1 2 Y E A R S .

“Helping through Adventist Risk

Management®, Inc. encourages me daily. The feeling of helping

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Remember, insurance is based on a mutual relationship oftrust and understanding. The insurance company has a duty topromptly adjudicate all legitimate claims in accordance with theterms and conditions of the school’s insurance policy. It is not anadversary; it is your agent, representing the school and the churchin order to professionally handle the settlement of these claims.

Risk Management—It’s More Than InsuranceManaging the risks at school requires all administrators,

teachers, and school employees to be faithful stewards in caringfor assets entrusted to them. This includes appropriate main-tenance of facilities, careful supervision of all activities, and fol-lowing the biblical counsel: “Treat people in the same way thatyou want them to treat you”2 in dealing with students, employ-ees, and volunteers. This is true stewardship in action. To rein-force these efforts, the school needs to have a comprehensiveinsurance program in place that is prepared to respond on be-half of the school in times of crisis or loss.

Adventist Risk Management considers it a privilege to pro-vide both risk management and insurance services to the Sev-enth-day Adventist Church throughout the world. Our missionis to help support your mission. To learn more about the in-surance programs available for your school, visit our Website:http://www.adventistrisk.org. �


Arthur F. Blinci is Vice President and ChiefRisk Management Officer for Adventist RiskManagement, Inc. He has earned an Exec-utive Master of Business Administrationand holds the Associate Risk Managementprofessional designation from the InsuranceInstitute of America.

Tim Northrop is Vice President and ChiefInsurance Operations Officer for AdventistRisk Management, Inc. He has earned aB.A. in Business Management and holds thefollowing professional designations: Associ-ate in Risk Management and Associate inGeneral Insurance from the Insurance Insti-tute of America. Adventist Risk Manage-

ment, Inc., is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Risk Management†—The practice of identifying and analyzing loss exposures and taking steps to minimize the financial impact of therisks they impose. Traditional risk management, sometimes called “insurance risk management,” has focused on “pure risks” (i.e., possi-ble loss by fortuitous or accidental means) but not business risks (i.e., those that may present the possibility of loss or gain).

Captive Insurer—An insurance company established by a parent firm [i.e., General Conference] for the purpose of insuring the parent’sexposures [i.e., Seventh-day Adventist Church entities].

Indemnity, Principle of—A general legal principle related to insurance that holds that the individual recovering under an insurance policyshould be restored to the approximate financial position he or she was in prior to the loss. Legal principle limiting compensation for dam-ages equivalent to the losses incurred.

Negligence—Failure to exercise reasonable consideration resulting in loss or damage to oneself or others.

Business Risk†—A risk of loss so closely tied to an insured’s way of doing business that it is considered not to be an appropriate subjectof insurance coverage; such risks are typically addressed as overhead (i.e., the cost of the loss is included in the price of the business’sproducts or services) or as a subject for loss control.

Moral Hazard—Personality characteristics that increase the probability of losses. For example, not taking proper care to protect insuredproperty because the insured knows the insurance company will replace if it is damaged or stolen.

Subrogation—Situation where an insurer, on behalf of the insured, has a legal right to bring a liability suit against a third party whocaused losses to the insured. Insurer maintains the right to seek reimbursement for losses incurred by insurer at the fault of a third party.

* Unless otherwise noted, terms in this list are taken from National Associ-ation of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Glossary of Insurance Terms:http://www.naic.org/consumer_glossary.htm. Terms marked with a † arefrom the International Risk Management Institute, Inc. Glossary of Insur-

ance and Risk Management Terms: http://www.irmi.com/online/insurance -glossary/default.aspx.

A more comprehensive list of insurance-related terms appears in an on-line glossary prepared especially for this article by article coauthor ArthurBlinci. See http://circle.adventist.org/files/jae/en/jae201477014902.pdf.

REFERENCES1. General Conference Working Policy S 60 10: “Minimum Limits shall be

defined as no less than the limits indicated.”2. Luke 6:31, Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Common English

Bible.

* B R I E F G L O S S A R Y

tinct, unique voice as an Adventist educator. The JOURNALspeaks with that voice; it propels me to reflect upon my disci-pline through the lens of my faith, and ponder new avenues forteaching and learning. In turn, I, too, engage. My personal ex-perience as a beginning teacher, along with insights gainedfrom reading and abstracting JOURNAL articles while serving atCIRCLE, led to incorporating the JOURNAL in my teaching, ac-tively writing for the JOURNAL, and encouraging others to dothe same. Let’s keep the conversations going!

An erudite thinker once said: “Life’s most persistent and ur-gent question is: What are you doing for others? Living is aform of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. Themoment you know how, you begin to die a little.”8 And recently,a well-known theorist in education technology noted that “weare facing a future in which ‘knowing’ may be obsolete.”9 Theconcept of “knowing” has become a point of vulnerability inour world today. Both statements propel us to think deeplyabout what our stories teach and how we interact with newideas. In order to grow, we must be willing to explore new path-ways, create new trails, and conquer our fear of the rockycrevices, loose stones, and mossy soil.

The articles in this issue present a variety of perspectives,each one an example of undertaking something new, facingrisks, and carving a new path. Veering away from the knowncan be risky—and at times, controversial! David Steen helps usnavigate the GMO controversy in light of our commitment toknowledge and faith. Beverly Christian’s article, an adaptedchapter from the book Developing a Faith-based Education: ATeacher’s Manual, provides powerful ideas on values transfor-mation and faith formation. Dennis Plubell and Carol Camp-bell discuss the new Standards for Student Learning in NorthAmerican Division Seventh-day Adventist Elementary and Sec-ondary Schools. Shared ideals provide a foundation as we ex-plore new paths.

Yet, shared ideals and shared stories are not synonymous.While our stories differ, they matter. Stories paired with reflec-tion can be powerful sources of insight. Barbara Fisher exploresbiblical narratives and metanarratives, and the power of storiesto inspire and transform. Jason Hinze and Phil Fitzsimmonsaddress the “nature and nuances of the narratives we each tellourselves”10 within the context of pre-service teachers and theirprofessional experiences.

Ultimately, venturing out means facing the unknown,preparing for the unexpected. How do we navigate the unfore-seen? Arthur Blinci and Tim Northrop offer a comprehensiveguide to managing risk and making sure plans are in place toprotect tangible resources. Yet, how do we prepare for the in-tangible risks that come with new ideas, or stories that chal-lenge our thinking and our faith? Articles in this issue provideperspectives on how we can equip ourselves to engage with newideas and prepare learners to do the same.

As a single entity, the JOURNAL is incapable of transforming11

any one teacher/professor, principal/president, board member/trustee, or other vested individual. Instead, we partner withand commit to working under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

We seek to become a conduit that inspires and initiates a desirefor transformation—from teachers to students, administratorsto parents, and organizations and institutions. We proclaim aunique and distinct message with a clear, unapologetic voice.

As we journey together, I envision the JOURNAL in the handof every teacher and as a venue for conversation and dialogueamongst professionals and scholars. Our collective paths do notend here, however, and in this sense, the JOURNAL’S mission isprophetic12: to participate in the transformation of individu-als13—students, teachers, and administrators—as we preparefor another school, the Eden School above “where the studentsshould thus be fitted more and more fully to reflect, throughoutendless ages, the light of the knowledge of His glory.”14 Let thejourney continue!

Faith-Ann McGarrell is the Editor of THE JOURNAL OF ADVENT -IST EDUCATION. Prior to this appointment, she served as an Asso-ciate Professor of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum at AndrewsUniversity in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Over the past 17 years,Dr. McGarrell has taught English in grades 7-12, Basic Writingand Freshman Composition at the college level, and Curriculumand Instruction at the graduate level. She also served as ProgramDirector for Curriculum & Instruction at Andrews University.McGarrell holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, and anM.A. and B.A. in English Literature.


Editorial Continued from page 3

REFERENCES1. A variation of the Latin definition of the word currere used in the Interna-

tional Association of the Advancement of Curriculum Studies Conference pro-gram materials, Tampere, Finland, 2006. Currere and curriculum are often linked.

2. The Journal of Adventist Education, Volume 60, Issue 3, 1998. A themeissue dedicated to teaching writing and developing cognitive thinking skills.

3. The Journal of Adventist Education Mission Statement: http://jae.adventist.org/mission.htm.

4. Voted at the Annual Council of 1976: “To request employing organizations(conferences, academies, colleges, and universities) to provide The Journal of Ad-ventist Education for all teachers at all levels,” both in NAD and overseas. Actionof 1976 Annual Council (October 21, 1976), GC Committee Minutes, 76-400.

5. John P. Miller and Wayne Seller, Curriculum: Perspectives and Practice(Toronto: Copp Clark Pitman, 1990). Introduced the curriculum developmentprocess of transmit, transact, and transform.

6. Ibid.7. CIRCLE (circle.adventist.org) is the Curriculum and Instruction Re-

source Center Linking Educators clearinghouse for teachers and administra-tors, worldwide.

8. Martin Luther King, Jr., Montgomery, Alabama, August 11, 1957, speak-ing on the occasion of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The speech charged lis-teners to move beyond the comfortable and challenge the status quo.

9. Sugata Mitra, 2013 TED Talk, Build a School in the Cloud, https:// www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud.

10. See page 32.11. Miller and Seller, Curdriculum Perspectives and Practice, op. cit.12. The concept of the “prophetic mission of the Journal” is one I have em-

braced after conversations with Beverly Robinson-Rumble over the past severalmonths.

13. 2 Corinthians 3:18; Titus 3:5.14. Ellen G. White, “The Eden School,” Education (Mountain View, Calif.:

Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 1952), p. 22.

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75 - Adventist CIRCLEcircle.adventist.org/files/jae/JAE_v77n1.pdfour navigation skills for life’s challenging moments, and the power of stories—our own and those of others—to