Metaphors of Hope

Abstract

Refusing to be disheartened by all the negative press surrounding education today, Ms. Chenfeld travels the country encounters one inspiring educator after another. She tells four of their stories here. On the Big Island of Hawaii, there's a forest of lava-crusted hills bare corpses of trees called Devastation Trail. Old volcanic eruptions burnt the Ohia trees left this once-lush terrain barren ashen. Walking on the wooden paths through the devastation, one could easily miss the tiny flowers remarkably pushing through the charred earth. The markers that identify these flowers read: Thimbleberry, Swordfern, Creeping Dayflower, Nutgrass. While others aimed their cameras at the stark, mysterious lava hills, I focused on the flowers. In the midst of such a desolate scene, these perky signs of seemed to be symbols of courage persistence. Reading daily the bleak headlines articles that stress the stress by focusing on bullying, violence, gangs cliques, numerous random acts of unkindness hostility in our seemingly devastated educational landscape, one could easily sink into despair. However, as a stubborn optimist, I always search for markers of thimbleberry, swordfern, creeping dayflower, nutgrass -- metaphors of hope! Thimbleberry: Mr. T When Mr. T (also known as Tom Tenerovich) was moved upstairs after years of teaching kindergarten classes, he observed that second-graders were more vocal, more argumentative, more opinionated! A voracious reader of books about education, he was familiar with many theories programs. But reading about ideas is different from doing. One idea that intrigued Mr. T was that of Town Meeting. He his students discussed building a structure that would enable all voices to be heard, problems to be solved, good listening habits to be formed.1 The class added mayor assistant mayor to the list of jobs on their classroom helpers board. During the year, every student would be assigned to these jobs for a one-week term of office. The Town Meeting works this way: each week, the mayor assistant mayor, along with Tom, write an agenda for two, 30- to 40-minute Town Meetings. Any student can submit a proposal for discussion, but it has to be written include name, date, the issue to be discussed. Some of the issues concerning the students have included changing seats, playground rules, classmates being hurtful, picking team members, activities for Fun Fridays. At the Town Meeting, the class discusses the topic votes to resolve the issue. if they it's so sweet to hear how they disagree, Tom reports. They're really beginning to listen to each other. He continues, It's amazing the way it works out. None of the kids are bossy when they become mayor. Even our most timid children became good mayors. Believe it or not, one of my most high-maintenance tough kids was the best mayor! He took charge in a fair way -- he knew what to do -- he behaved appropriately. Even I became an agenda issue! One of the kids reminded me that I hadn't done something I promised. That was important to the children, I had to remedy it. Committees formed from discussions: academic committees, playground committees (to see that no students were left out of games or weren't chosen for teams), classroom improvement committees. Tom was thrilled to see how the twice-weekly Town Meetings honoring the feelings agendas of the students carried over into the everyday life of the group. This really is democracy in action! Points of view are freely expressed. All opinions are valued respected. You can see feel the increase of courtesy kindness. The school mascot is a bobcat. Tom his second-graders added the idea of Bobcat Purrs to their Town Meeting. Like warm fuzzies, pats on the back, recognition of positive acts, observations of improvements, Bobcat Purrs were built into our meetings, Tom explains, and became part of our culture. …