This essay--an example of narrative inquiry--draws on a fictional account of Merlyn the Magician acting as tutor to young King Arthur to illuminate the author's own experiences as a student and teacher. Those experiences are starkly contrasted in method and intent. On the one hand, stern Mr. Thompson with his white lab coat, map of the leaf, and pointer taught objectivity along with photosynthesis in seventh-grade science lab. In contrast, Sunship Earth, a wildly creative outdoor education program, used fantasy and role playing to immerse fifth-graders in the concepts of photosynthesis as part of an ecologically based program structured on a holistic, deep connection with the earth and nature. Yet in the end, the reconstruction of the educational values in these two dramatically different modes of instruction reveals that multiple views are part of the world, to be accepted, even embraced. There are many ways to learn; the differences should not be unwelcome. Many unanswered questions persist about the magical process of photosynthesis, and only the magic of imagination prevails. (TD)