We enter stories when we read.
We are characters in his book,
We see his plot wherever we look.
This is how we learn to fight
With dragons and to love the Light.
Monsters walk and horses speak
When we open books to read! (x2)
This chant, written by Mr. Dickison, serves a purpose in the 5th grade classes. Students recite this and similar chants in order to transition to various subjects throughout the school day. This chant on reading represents something simple, fun, but also profound.
How do we approach reading a story? Do we first put it in context? Do we
see ourselves rooted in a story? In God’s grand narrative? Do we see evidence of His plan and purpose
wherever we look?
The profound lesson our 5th graders learn is that there is a good way to approach a story, and indeed a
Christian way to read a book. This way teaches us to find meaning beneath the surface, to embark on a pursuit of
truth, and appreciate the creativity of our Creator. To approach a story in this manner fills us with anticipation, for “the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isa. 6:3).
And this could apply to any story or any book. For we may not readily find God’s glory in every book we read, but if we first consider His story and our place in it, then we learn to fight…with dragons and to love the Light.
We recognize the struggle for our affections in this world, and approach it from a position of strength. With
the simple act of reading, our 5th graders demonstrate one of our school’s convictions… Christian Worldview in our Thinking. At Trinity, we teach children to view everything they see, every story they read, and every
person they meet from the perspective of God’s story of redemption. We cannot filter or hide what our
children might read or experience as they get older, but we can teach them how to approach it from a Christian worldview. Then, and only then, will they be able to really discern what is true, good, and beautiful.
May our 5th graders be an encouragement to us as we all learn to “read the imperfect in light of the perfect,
the deficient in light of the sufficient, the temporary in light of the eternal, the groveling in light of the transcendent." 1
Stephen Sprague
Headmaster
1 Reinki, Tony. Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011.