“…we define faith as ‘the dynamic and symbolic frame of orientation or the ultimate concern to which a person is committed and from which she or he derives purpose in life.’…” (Sadowski, 2012, p.190)

I thought that Toshalis and Nakkula’s definition of faith was very interesting and particularly pertinent when talking about adolescents and the challenges they face. It seems that as a society we tend to think about faith as something that is religious, controversial and therefore has no place in the classroom.

However, I appreciate that in A question of “Faith”: Adolescent spirituality in public schools Toshalis talks about how faith doesn’t always relate to religion and that it is just defined as something that gives someone a purpose in life and that this could be anything from religion, to morals, the concern for “growth of profit”, faith in other people etc. This is particularly important when talking about adolescents because adolescents are trying to figure out their identity which is constantly changing and therefore they need to feel that they have a safe environment to explore their identity and their faith. If schools don’t talk about faith in a productive way, then adolescents won’t feel that they have a safe community where they can take risks and discover who they are and discover their faith. Although it is important for schools to talk about faith in terms of the definition given by Toshalis and Nakkula, I am not saying that schools should directly discuss faith as religion (we must remember separation of church and state). Toshalis gives useful recommendations on how to create a productive discussion relating to faith such as posing thoughtfully worded questions such as “How do people make moral decisions about _______, and what do you think?”

To end on a note related to Toshalis and Nakkula’s definition of faith, I wanted to add a quote that I recently heard while watching a cartoon TV show about teenagers. The other night while I was watching the show Daria, a show about a teenage girl who moves to a new town, the episode was talking about faith and at the end of the show the main character said, “I think what makes sense is to believe whatever makes you feel best.” This quote resonated with me because it hits the nail right on the head, it is exactly what Toshalis is talking about when he talks about faith.