20 February 2014

The Teacher's Journey

I was recently asked at work to explain my philosophy of education in a short paragraph. I'm a special education teacher. I don't do anything normally. The following is my response. Credit goes to Joseph Campbell and his teachings about the monomyth and the "Hero's Journey" and to Big City Mountaineers for using this as their wilderness mentoring curriculum. 


There is a theory out there which proposes that nearly all stories, plays, myths, and even religious and/or psychological development follows the same general path. This Hero's Journey essentially takes place in twelve stages.

First, we begin in our ordinary world. For us, that may be our classrooms on a Monday morning or our kitchen counters waiting for the coffee to finish brewing so that we can wake up enough to take on the day. For our students, it might be hopping into their Land Rover SUV for the arduous five mile commute to the school. For yet others, this ordinary world may start with fighting with seven other brothers and sisters over who gets the bathroom next in their three bedroom apartment, funded primarily by the government.

Suddenly, there is some sort of "call to action". This is an event which introduces an interruption to the mundane. Maybe it's the student who comes in for help for the first time...and it's the third grading period. Perhaps it's a phone call from some distant friend in need of help. In any case, our normal routine has been shaken up. Because of a fear of the unknown, however, that call is refused. The preference to continue on with the status quo is far more attractive than stepping into an uncomfortable situation. You sip your vanilla latte and drive on.

You drive until you remember the words from someone, maybe even a mentor, from the past (or maybe it happens in the present) which offer wisdom, guidance, or even material assistance. Your thoughts then turn inward to tap courage from deep down. That realization of courage now takes you to the precipice of a major decision. Do I stay at school until five o'clock to help this kid with her math problem? Do I sacrifice an extra hour of sleep to hold a study session in the morning to get everyone ready for today's test? Do I give a kid a ride home after school because his parents forgot to pick him up? You are now entering into an unknown realm that is neither comforting nor convenient.

The next two steps involve going through minor tests and trials in which you discover new allies in your struggle to accomplish your task. You pass these people every day in the halls. Sometimes, it's even the people you least expected. As a collective though, you all know there is something bigger looming on the horizon.

Invariably, we reach the crux. This is a moment where we may feel overwhelmed, outmatched, and maybe even conquered. By pooling our newly collected resources though, we emerge with a new life. It's a new take on the way things are and the way they should be done.

Now we have some kind of "reward". Johnny passed his math test for the first time all year, or Sara finally learned to log into Google Docs without needing help with her password. This treasure is invaluable to us, but it is in danger of being lost again if continued effort is not sustained. The road back is gonna be bumpy. Cue the chase scene.

Just before we make it all the way back to "normal", there's one last challenge. Some might refer to this as the CRCTs or some other asinine standardized test. Still others will see this in a bigger light. Morgan has been emotionally abused for years by her father, and she's ready to give up, regardless of the small victories you've been able to help her accomplish this year so far. You strike a deal with her which requires a big sacrifice on your own behalf (at least at the time). The sacrifice pays off though. You learn that a few years later, she graduates high school and has been accepted into nursing school. She tells you you are the reason she made it.

Finally, you return home. You are different though, and you realize that the journey really isn't over. In fact, maybe it's only just begun, and it's up to you to carry on this newly discovered and earned "treasure". You, we, must now try to transform the world around us as we have been transformed ourselves. Then, get ready to do it all again next August.

Man, that was long.



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