Interview with the Shepherds

I love Christmas time at my primary school. It was only a couple of years ago I shared a few Mary Monologues with you because I was so bowled over by some of the writers in my class. I think, if I remember correctly, it was a nine-year-old Muslim boy who wrote the most poignant monologue, recording  Jesus’ birth from Mary’s point of view.  

This year, again, I am impressed by the writing abilities of the young people in my class. They are sensitive, have a lovely command of the English language, and use vocabulary that would impress the most gifted writers of our time. They are also incredibly witty. 

However, rather than write monologues, we are studying improvisation so I took the opportunity to merge both RE and literacy (again - ticks all the curriculum boxes) and each child chose their favourite nativity character in order to be interviewed. Wise people (not just men), shepherds, Mary, Joseph, the angels (including Gabriel), Herod, and some Roman soldiers were all interviewed. Together we devised a series of questions and, in pairs and threes, the children took part in improvised interviews. 

Writing from memory, I will attempt to share one with you. It went something like this:

The shepherds – George and William

Interviewer: Can you tell me what happened on that fateful night?

George: It was incredible, William, wasn’t it? I mean, these angels just appeared out of nowhere.

William: Yeah, we were sitting by the fire and suddenly the sheep started bleating really loudly.

George: And they weren’t just little fairy-like things either, they were …humungous. Huge with swords and stuff. I was terrified!

William: Yeah, they really scared the sheep. They wouldn’t stop bleating.

George: And there was this star. It wasn’t like a normal star.

William: No, it wasn’t star-shaped. It was…well…

George: …a really amazing, weird shape, like (George waves his hands in the air) this. Sort of 

blobby and blinking.

William: And twinkly. We decided to follow it.

Interviewer: Follow it? Why did you follow it?

George: Well, it just drew us to it. We couldn’t help ourselves. We just had to follow it.

Interviewer: And where did it lead you?

William: To a tiny little baby…

George: …in a stable, apparently there wasn’t any room at the inn. So this baby king was 

born in a stable.

William: Yeah, the dad…

George: … Joseph

William: …yeah, Joseph, put the baby in the animal feeding box. I think he took the food out 

first.

George: We took some lambs with us to give to the baby.

Interviewer: Lambs? Why lambs?

George (scornfully): Well, we didn’t have anything else did we?

William: Yeah, we’re poor and we thought it would keep the baby warm. And when the 

summer comes, they could eat it.

Perfect. Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone. Peace and goodwill.