The Practice of Listening - Part 2

Listening is not just a recommended discipline in the Bible, it is a skill that can be learned and practiced. This article seeks to apply some of the skills and benefits of listening to the role of the pastor

Beyond Telling: Narrating Trauma in the Wartime Writings of Great War Chaplain William McKenzie

In a centenary period of Anzac celebration that is often given to the valorising of soldiers’ heroic experiences of the First World War, this article introduces teachers to a case study of William McKenzie. Once a house-hold name, the legendary Salvation Army Chaplain of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) McKenzie documented his responses to the trauma of war in his prolific letters and diaries. Drawing heavily on primary sources, this article suggests that McKenzie’s story recaptures the essence of what it means to be Christian educators: being engaged in the midst of suffering, disarray and confusion. In the variety of human experiences encountered in the classroom and the playground, the presence of Christian educators must leave a legacy and provide a model for being salt and light

Teaching YA Cancer Narratives: The Fault in Our Stars and Issues with Voicing Illness

Increasingly publishers are promoting illness as a commodifiable literary product. There is now a wide range of autobiographical and fictional texts that explore life-threatening illnesses from the embodied perspective of protagonists. This trend is also evidenced in the content of young adult literature where concepts of the diseased self, agency and mortality are explored. The aim of this paper is to provide some background context on illness narratives and offer a close reading of the young adult text, The Fault in our Stars by John Green, in order to highlight important issues such as the accurate and realistic portrayal of cancer, particularly in the lived experience of adolescent readers. It is anticipated that this discussion will allow classroom teachers to engage more fully in conversations about text selection and content, and the ways in which literature can advance realistic representation of illness that previously have been culturally taboo

Factors Predicting the Mental Health of Adolescents Attending a Faith-based Australian School System: A Multi-group Structural Equation Analysis

Background: Adolescents attending Seventh-day Adventist schools (Adventist) in Australia tend to experience good health and exhibit better health behaviors than national norms, however few studies have investigated factors predicting their mental health. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the complex network of factors that predict the mental health status (MHS) of adolescents attending Adventist schools in Australia. Methods: A survey instrument was used to collect data from 1527 secondary school students attending Adventist schools across Australia. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine concomitantly the direct and indirect effects of childhood experiences, present attitudes and selected health behaviors on MHS. Results: Childhood family dynamics had the strongest association with MHS (βtotal = 0.33) followed by a sense of meaning and purpose (βtotal = 0.27), perceived social misfit status (βtotal = –0.19), and school academic performance (βtotal = 0.18). Multi-group analysis found significant pathway differences in the model for gender with regards to the association of meaning and purpose, physical activity and sleep quantity with MHS. Conclusions: The outcomes of the study highlight the importance of early positive childhood family dynamics and the discovery of meaning and purpose during adolescence to promote positive mental health among adolescents

The Practice of Listening - Part 2

Listening is not just a recommended discipline in the Bible, it is a skill that can be learned and practiced. This article seeks to apply some of the skills and benefits of listening to the role of the pastor

A Message to Teens about Domestic Violence

In this resource, Trafford Fischer interviews Paul Bogacs, a marriage and family therapist in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Paul is also a school counselor and has a keen interest in keeping young people heading in the right direction when it comes to relationships

The Most Overlooked Spiritual Discipline - Part 1

Listening, while frequently mentioned in the Bible, is virtually never listed as a spiritual discipline. However, the Bible has much to say about practicing it, enumerating the many benefits to be had by listening and hearing. It is a distinguishing skill of both God and Jesus. As humans, listening is a skill to be practiced toward God, toward each other and toward our own self. This article explores the biblical foundation of listening and some of its benefits and implications

The Most Overlooked Spiritual Discipline - Part 1

Listening, while frequently mentioned in the Bible, is virtually never listed as a spiritual discipline. However, the Bible has much to say about practicing it, enumerating the many benefits to be had by listening and hearing. It is a distinguishing skill of both God and Jesus. As humans, listening is a skill to be practiced toward God, toward each other and toward our own self. This article explores the biblical foundation of listening and some of its benefits and implications

A Message to Teens about Domestic Violence

In this resource, Trafford Fischer interviews Paul Bogacs, a marriage and family therapist in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Paul is also a school counselor and has a keen interest in keeping young people heading in the right direction when it comes to relationships

Beyond Telling: Narrating Trauma in the Wartime Writings of Great War Chaplain William McKenzie

In a centenary period of Anzac celebration that is often given to the valorising of soldiers’ heroic experiences of the First World War, this article introduces teachers to a case study of William McKenzie. Once a house-hold name, the legendary Salvation Army Chaplain of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) McKenzie documented his responses to the trauma of war in his prolific letters and diaries. Drawing heavily on primary sources, this article suggests that McKenzie’s story recaptures the essence of what it means to be Christian educators: being engaged in the midst of suffering, disarray and confusion. In the variety of human experiences encountered in the classroom and the playground, the presence of Christian educators must leave a legacy and provide a model for being salt and light