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Telling and listening to stories can be a powerful sign of regard – of caring – for one another. (p. 280) This recognition of stories and narrative as not only providing a form in which human experience as lived can be expressed (Ricoeur, 1984,1991), but also as a legitimate tool for research, is reiterated by Connelly and Clandinin (1990). Perhaps because it focuses on human experiences, perhaps because it is a fundamental structure of human experience and perhaps because it has a holistic quality, narrative has an important place in other disciplines.

Memos were nonexistent. Throughout the many files, curriculum documentation and specifically science curriculum materials were relatively few. Some draft curriculum proposals and occasional letters reflecting the views of an association or individual provided the bulk. After the 1950s there was little of interest except letters between senior State educators regarding senior level courses and high school exit certification. I was immensely disappointed. In my full-time role at school and meeting with colleagues, I expressed my frustration at the lack of information and especially the lack of individual and group responses to the curriculum reports and statements.

At his suggestion I interviewed two recently retired science curriculum consultants who had worked in the central office. They provided further reasons for the absence of paper evidence. In the 1970s our minister of education gave instructions that we were not to communicate with any federal officers, or anyone from another state. That was just impossible! So we used the telephone all the time. You won’t find any archival records – they were ‘lost’ for excellent reasons. (Proteus, Superintendent of mathematics in the 1970s interviewed in 1992) When the 1987 restructure came, I packed the science curriculum materials I’d collected and labelled them with ‘Not to be destroyed’ and ‘Refer to Jason before removal’.