The front line: teaching language and spirit

This chapter features six narratives related to leadership in teaching and learning. These chapters portray the depth and diversity of the concept of teaching, and readers will construct links across the very different contexts represented. Jianlian Liang reflects on children’s experience of praying in Chinese, placing language learning close to the heart, in a Christian Bilingual school. Mala Mehta’s passion was to establish a school to provide Hindi learning for children. Melanie Brown’s story is one of engagement with not only learning and teaching Arabic but with her love of supporting young people. Mojgan Mokhatebi Ardakani and Zainab Rivzi narrate the establishment of an English language Islamic Studies school. For Trisha Watts the Taizé community inspired a career in teaching communities to develop spirituality through multilingual singing and meditation. John Harris tells the story of the Nyoongar Bible translation and its deep impact on teaching and learning for Nyoongar leaders.