Increasingly, narrative has been accepted as an essential mode of knowing and thinking. However, contemporary educators are unlikely to acknowledge that narrative is as essential to social and political action as it is to personal catharsis and self-understanding. In many schools, narrative writing has become an end in itself rather than the beginning of curriculum work. With new emphases on whole language instruction, process writing, and qualitative research methodologies, early childhood educators are becoming more willing to listen to life stories of students and teachers. This conference paper questions the use of narrative or story in research and education. The following sections address different aspects of using personal stories in the classroom: (1) "Queer Stories," addressing changes in popular representations of gay people along with issues of postmodern theory and questioning of the "developmental canon"; (2) "The Sun Is Wearing Sunglasses," using James Garbarino's "Children in Danger" (1992) to reflect strengths and weaknesses of traditional early childhood education strategies along with discussing a therapeutic approach to classroom teaching, including how children address and represent issues of violence and substance abuse through story; (3) "Taking the Victims Side," discussing stories of witness and testimony; and (4) "Risks and Responsibilities." Contains 46 references. (BGC)