Indirect Teaching

14th
February 2008

6 Comments
When this post was written: First child (D) was 4 yrs, 7 mo. Second child (B) was 3 yrs, 1 mo.

Third child (L) was 1 yrs, 3 mo.

I’ve been thinking about Barbara’s (and others’s) comments here and Jay’s comments here, and then yesterday I found something that woke me up thinking about the possibilities.

This is not an excursis; be patient. At a local thrift store I picked up a copy of Meet the Austins, by Madeleine L’Engle. Now, I collect Newbery Award winning books, and L’Engle is one of my favorite children’s book authors. I don’t recommend her theology, and some of her books have some objectionable elements that cause me not to recommend them. As far as writing style, though, I admire her very much. Last night as I looked at all the very strong children’s novels on my bookshelf, I thought again the sadness that they are predominantly set in dysfunctional or absent families.

The L’Engle book has a strong, stable and present family, but is criticized on Amazon because it is too preachy and implausible; this made me laugh. I enjoyed the book very much, but it also started me thinking of the value of stories to teach indirectly a child who may learn best that way.

I have plenty of overly didactic Christian literature. It seems authors have the same trouble I can have launching into monologue, teaching awkwardly, with an almost adversarial tone. Some of the really best authors rather successfully combine everyday life and spirituality of some sort, but the theology isn’t always clear or accurate. Still, that’s my model.

I’d like to write some stories for our children. They won’t be Newbery quality, and I’m not sure that’s my primary goal. They’ll be specifically tuned to my own children’s struggles and spiritual needs, and I’m certain somebody would think they were preachy. I’ve had this desire to write for my children before, but like all good intentions, it needs the discipline of execution to be beneficial.

I really want to suggest that telling or writing stories should be more common among mothers, even mothers who are not nerdy about books. Jesus set an example by teaching with stories. The storytelling tradition should be revived. What do you think?

6 Responses to "Indirect Teaching"

Michelle,

I tell Leah moralistic-type stories using “A little girl named Addy” as the main character. It all started because I have a younger brother who is 18 months younger than me. And Daniel is 17 months younger than Leah. I used true stories about struggles I faced with sharing, being kind, leaving him out, etc. to teach her how she needs to treat her brother. Eventually I ran out of true stories and started making up new ones based on the struggles Leah faces with shyness, whining, etc. Leah realizes they’re made up, because she supplies details or changes the story for me if she doesn’t like how it’s going. One time Dan told Leah a story about a character named “Stubborn Donkey,” and Leah knew that it was referring to some stubbornness in her own life, so she told Dan, “No, I want you to call her ‘Stubborn Leah’.” She loves these stories, and I’m able to address issues in a way that is enjoyable to her, and she’s all-ears, because I’m talking about little Addy instead of Little Leah. But she’s making the connections.

1 Addy said this (February 14, 2008 at 12:15 pm)
i do agree, michelle. Its a part of our routine with Ella Grace and we have recently started it with Miriam. We usually tie in a story for something that we have been teaching ( patience, complaining, whining, etc) or something that happened for the day. She begs to hear one. It’s also been good for us to use stories as a motivator for obedience and a consequence for disobedience. She always recognizes herself in the stories and it’s a good opportunity for us to pray for specifics in her life. The only problem is- she will remember a story I have forgotten about and I will re-tell it and it’s not what she is looking for. I loved reading Addy’s comments too. It’s neat to see that we all have some type of creativity given by God to help us get to the heart of our kids.

2 kelly said this (February 14, 2008 at 3:34 pm)
Michelle, this is why the stories of the Old Testament are so valuable. The narratives in Genesis, Ruth and the following history books contain drama, action and the importance of maintaining fidelity to God. Mastering the geographical, historical and human components yields a rich set of narratives so that the truth of God maybe embraced by our young children. They learn truth in real-life settings that will be an anchor for them the rest of their lives.

3 Jay Younts said this (February 14, 2008 at 6:41 pm)
Michelle, this is actually a method of teaching used in corporate cultural change. It is very effective…

4 NeoFundy said this (February 14, 2008 at 10:34 pm)
Addy and Kelly, I like your thoughts. It is fun to see the individual creativity reflected here.

Jay, I suspect we use Scripture stories less often because we haven’t taken the time to consider how the Bible account can relate to a child’s struggles.

Tom, I’ll have to do some reading on this topic. Maybe we could discuss it when you come out next.

5 Michelle said this (February 15, 2008 at 8:59 am)
I haven’t started telling Ethan stories yet, just reading, well… I do make up stories ‘reading’ picture books. But I babysat and mothered a girl for 3 years (her mother had died) and I told her stories to put her to sleep. Often Bible stories-Old and New Testament, sometimes made up stories, sometimes stories about animals (her pets were a favorite subject), and also stories about me and my family. I don’t like to write… it feels like to much stress, but storytelling is different in my mind. I may be fooling myself. I know a number of children’s books were written by parents for their children. (I also really like Madeleine L’Engle, but am uncomfortable with her objectionable elements.)

6 Maya said this (February 15, 2008 at 11:20 am)