Teaching for authenticity: an autoethnographic journey towards a spiritual pedagogy in the church and primary school

During my first inspection experience as a primary school music teacher, it was noted that my work contributed to the spiritual nature of the school. Since then, my exploration into what both children’s spirituality and spiritual pedagogy entail has formed the basis of my writing and research. This commentary paper documents my journey from a practitioner perspective to a deeper understanding which has sought to identify a philosophical underpinning for authentic teaching and learning. Exploration through the lenses of Heidegger and Hegel in particular have led to Bildung being adopted as a pedagogical framework, outlined here through examples from practice. The article concludes with an assessment of spirituality in my current field, early childhood education, and considers the importance of spirituality for an authentic pedagogy for and with young children.