Chris Steenhof
“How are you?” A year ago this question was simply a greeting, but given the events of the past year, it has become something much different. COVID-19 has changed everything. These simple words have become a checkpoint, a question about how one is coping with a world that has been turned upside down. Like so many others, every aspect of my life has been altered in positive and difficult ways by COVID-19.
As a direct result of the pandemic, I have been exploring a new frontier. I’m an English teacher, passionate about literature. I believe deeply in its transformative power, especially for students who are willing to explore the complexities of human existence. So one would think that the various lockdown measures made necessary by the pandemic would have been an opportunity for me to read, and read some more. Instead, I was ushered into new worlds of creativity, storytelling, and artistic expression, guided by some of my teenage and adult children who returned home temporarily during the beginning of the pandemic.
I stepped back into the classroom to teach a course titled “New Media,” which focuses on new forms of storytelling and artistic expression, including multimedia and multimodal texts.
A few years ago I took a step back from the classroom to focus more on my role as the principal of our K–12 school. This year, as the pandemic continued, I stepped back into the classroom to teach a course titled “New Media,” which focuses on new forms of storytelling and artistic expression, including multimedia and multimodal texts. This meant joining my students in the world of Netflix, Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, and other media platforms. I must tell you: I began this journey with quite a bit of fear and trepidation.
But I’d like to invite you to join me on my journey. Many of you may have already begun or perhaps are further along the path than I am. I would like to tell you a bit about this journey and then suggest a number of compelling texts that I encountered en route.
I am now much more willing to embrace other mediums as a means to engage students in narrative and artistic expression.
Throughout this journey, many of my assumptions about literature, storytelling, and social media have been significantly challenged. I am now much more willing to embrace other mediums as a means to engage students in narrative and artistic expression.
My approach to teaching literature is influenced by Roger Lundin’s book Literature through the Eyes of Faith, but I find myself uncertain about his distinction between escape and interpretive literature. Christians have always had a problematic relationship with escape. Influenced by utilitarianism, pragmatism, and asceticism, Christians have often been dismissive, if not contemptuous, of certain forms of escape. But perhaps one positive thing about the pandemic is that we have been forced to rethink this relationship. Hours spent “doomscrolling”—a new word used to describe our tendency to endlessly dwell on negative news—has left us feeling anxious and depressed. Our need for escape and leisure has never been greater. As Leland Ryken states, “Legitimate pleasure and enjoyment [are] God’s gifts to the human race. The way to show gratitude for the gift of enjoyment is to accept it and experience it” (265).
While celebrating God’s gift of leisure and escape, I entered this new world with a sense of fear—an emotion that is well justified. As a society, we are addicted to our devices—the gateway to this world. Some studies suggest that teenagers spend upward of seven hours a day on their devices for entertainment purposes, with adults not too far behind (Jacobo). We know about the negative impacts of social media on our communal and individual psyches. But sometimes I worry that by focusing predominantly on these realities, we miss out on helping our students and ourselves navigate the dominating presence of media through the eyes of faith—both in what we participate in and how we do so.
I continue to hold on to the power of storytelling and narrative. I’m worried and disheartened by how little exposure my students have to this central element of our faith. It is our challenge in the world of YouTube rabbit holes, memes, and mindless TikTok videos to present compelling narratives to our students. I will continue to hold on to the tremendous power of traditional texts—Shakespeare will always have an important place in my school—but I have expanded my world and embraced other forms of expression.
So I’d like to share several pieces of media that I enjoyed in my journey in the hopes that you’ll find something that touches your soul.
Podcast: Serial, Season 1 (anywhere you get your podcasts; not rated but appropriate for high schoolers)
This is an engaging and award-winning series from the creators of This American Life. It is hosted by Sarah Koenig and is a multiple–award winner. The first season centers on the disappearance of a high school senior by the name of Hae Min Lee and the subsequent arrest and conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. Over twelve episodes, Koenig sifts through evidence, talks to a variety of people connected to the crime, and uncovers a much more complex story than the one presented at the trial.
The story is incredibly engaging because the listener feels the changing emotions and perspectives of the storyteller as she digs deeper into the story. Koenig challenges the stories of all those involved, especially Syed, and the listener goes back and forth between believing his claims of innocence and doubting his alternative narrative. It is an engrossing exploration of perspective, high school culture, and race. Koenig is both objective and subjective at the same time, and this mixture of perspectives keeps the audience on edge, wondering if the storyteller herself can be believed.
Television series: Voices of Fire (Netflix; rated PG)Voices of Fire is a gem I discovered within the bowels of Netflix. It is a series infused by faith that centers on stories of grace, redemption, forgiveness, and resilience.
Watching it, I was pleasantly surprised by the clear annunciation of the Christian faith. The series follows Pharrell Williams, a famous American singer and rapper; his uncle Bishop Ezekiel Williams; and a group of faith leaders as they travel to Pharrell’s hometown of Hampton Roads, Virginia, and build a gospel choir. The power of the series is in the stories of the various members of the choir as they audition, practice, and finally perform with the choir. It is clear that the gospel changes the lives of the choir members, and this fuels their passion for gospel music.
We feel connected to each member of the choir, from Marcus, whose difficult past included a tragic accident resulting in a potential paralysis, to Danlie, who is overcome with emotion while performing “Jesus Loves Me.” Even if you are not a fan of gospel music, the passion and talent of the various performers is compelling and captivating. Finally, I was drawn in by the positivity and encouraging nature of Bishop Williams, the creator and driver of this particular project. I’m looking forward immensely to season 2.
Movie: Whiplash (various streaming platforms; rated R)
Unlike Voices of Fire, this is no feel-good work of art. Whiplash tells the story of Andrew Niemann, who wants to be the greatest jazz drummer in the world. In his first year at Shaffer Conservatory of Music, Niemann is asked to be in the studio band, led by Terence Fletcher. Fletcher is able to produce incredible music with his band, but his style is based on cruelty and intimidation. The story centers on Niemann’s relationship with Fletcher, his father, and himself. The character of Terence Fletcher, played by J. K. Simmons, draws the viewer in the same way our attention is drawn to a highway accident. His character creates a tension that stayed with me for days. As a Christian educator, I’m fascinated by Fletcher’s effectiveness and his drive for excellence while at the same time repelled by his cruelty. The conclusion of this movie is especially absorbing, as the director does not feel the need to satisfy the audience with a comfortable ending.
Mixed Media: Morgan Harper Nichols (https://www.instagram.com/morganharpernichols/; https://morganharpernichols.com/)
I was introduced to Nichols’s Instagram page by a fellow staff member and was instantly mesmerized by her multimodal storytelling. Based in Arizona, Nichols posts daily, sometimes in collaboration with other artists. Her work combines images, video, photography, poetry, and other art forms into “stories” that inspire creativity and positivity. Sometimes her posts call for an action such as taking a screenshot of an artistic rendering of a word of positivity and using it as inspiration for the day. Through the dark days of the pandemic, her work serves as a reminder of the need for human connection and community.
These examples remind me of the words of the great Canadian Marshall McLuhan: “The medium is the message” (7). The form of a work of art plays a pivotal role in what is communicated. This is an important aspect of my journey. We cannot abandon traditional forms of media while embracing the new, else we lose out on past knowledge and wisdom. But neither do we reject the new, else we limit our ability to express undiscovered aspects of our humanity.
Works Cited
Jacobo, Julia. “Teens Spend More Than 7 Hours on Screens for Entertainment a Day: Report.” ABC News, 29 October 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/US/teens-spend-hours-screens-entertainment-day-report/story?id=66607555.
McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. McGraw-Hill, 1964.
Ryken, Leland. Redeeming the Time: A Christian Approach to Work and Leisure. Baker Books, 1995.
Chris Steenhof is the principal of Bulkley Valley Christian, a K–12 school in Smithers, British Columbia. Chris has worked in various capacities at the school for the past twenty-seven years. He is passionate about education at all levels, and he currently serves on the board of Kings University in Edmonton, Alberta. If you have an engaging Netflix series, podcast, etc., to share, feel free to email him at csteenhof@bvcs.ca.
