This master storyteller was the headmaster of the school I visited, and he led a chapel on Wednesday morning for the 4th-6th grade students. He told the story of a French acrobat from the 19th century named Jean-François Gravelet, better known as Charles Blondin...the Great Blondin! Blondin was the first man to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls from the U.S. side to Canada and back. No safety devices, and no fear.
Thousands gathered to watch his many courageous feats across the 1,100 foot tightrope. Well, as I said, I'm not the storyteller. Here's a 2 minute video to give you the background of the Great Blondin.
A daredevil for sure, right? Let me tell you, the previously mentioned headmaster had those 4th-6th grade students eating out of the palm of his hand when he described the fantastic feats of Blondin. Their rapt attention was tangible. I had a good view.
May I focus in on a piece that the headmaster expanded upon? After all his spectacular accomplishments, and even with proof of pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with potatoes across Niagara Falls on a tightrope, when Blondin asked if they believed he could wheel a man across, the visiting dignitaries replied with a resounding, "Yes!" But when Blondin encouraged the dignitary to put his belief into action by "hopping in", the dignitary shamefully said, "No."
We, as fellow humans, can relate to the dignitaries, I'm sure. We believe with all our hearts that something is possible. We've seen it happen, and we celebrate successes. But when we are asked to step out in faith, we hesitate...or we procrastinate...or we respond with an outright "No." The book of James in the Bible is clear. At the end of James 2:26, it says, "faith without deeds is dead." Personally, I struggle with this. I would imagine you do as well.
After listening to the headmaster of the school I visited tell the story of Blondin, I realized in a new way that faith is not true unless there is also action. The dignitaries in Blondin's day were guilty of "believism", something I am guilty of, too. They believed in Blondin completely, but they would not act. However, faith contains works. And faith is what the old lady at the end of the story had. She had faith in her son, and her voluntary deed did not go unnoticed.
This is not only a Christian's struggle. It is a human struggle. We all have belief. But we don't all act. It is a businessperson's struggle, a student's struggle, a teacher's struggle. On some level, we all struggle to hold true faith.
Educationally, teachers know about what other teachers are doing and with what they are having success, but to pull the trigger on the idea that has been percolating in your mind is a completely different story. Specifically speaking of technology in the classroom, we can have tools (or toys) to our heart's content, but we have trouble redesigning our lessons, so we continue on as we always have. We have trouble finding time, so we continue on as we always have. We have trouble thinking outside the box, so we continue on as we always have.
We believe it can be done, but we never step out onto the tightrope, even under the guidance of a master tightrope walker. We don't have the faith.
Maybe you have this faith. I'm getting there. My "edtech" experiences have been good. I've failed with some but succeeded with many more.
In Blondin's story, I've been one of the spectators for way too long. I believed it could be done, and I've watched others walk the line. It's time to transform belief into faith and jump into the wheelbarrow, trusting that everything will turn out just fine.
Especially when that faith is grounded on the saving grace of Christ Jesus, who, by the way, is The. Master. Storyteller.
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