Читать книгу The Courageous Classroom - Jed Dearybury - Страница 7

When student and teacher meet with a shared respect, magic happens. Mythical things happen. Over the past 20 years I have worked with urban youth through the telling, discussion, and analysis of mythological stories. We provide a safe space, a temenos, where youth feel comfortable being and becoming who they are meant to become. The goal is to have them become the hero/heroine in their own stories. Our process helps make real the idea that they will need heroic character traits to get through life; traits such as perseverance, humility, resourcefulness, and willingness to make necessary sacrifices for something larger than themselves. And, they will need courage to continue despite the odds not being in their favor.

Janet Taylor has been a champion of our methods, and of all teachers who seek to educate in ways that meet the needs of the youth, instead of the needs of adults who insist on sterile measurements. She observed our sessions, and she reported to her audience on what she witnessed. She lifted up our method of telling myth to the beat of a djembe drum, stopping at critical points in the myth, and asking the youth what resonates with them – no right or wrong answers. A key to our process is that as educators, we share intimate parts of our history, about times when we found ourselves facing dilemmas similar to those that the myth depicts, and similar to those that the youth face. As adults, we have found the courage to shed tears in front of our youth, and they in turn have found the courage to shed tears in front of us.

In myth the hero often cries, and as we tell our youth, “It is okay to cry.” As a man, I model that it is okay for boys to cry. We create an environment of trust and mutual respect. It is beyond amazing what youth share in our circles. Part of the amazement is because we realize we have a symbiotic relationship. We know we are learning just as much from the students as they are from us. Another key aspect of our process is the importance of listening and keeping an open mind. It is this level of wonder that Janet and Jed are advocating with their book.

Dedicated teachers have a challenging and stressful job. Most are looking for methods that will bring success to student and teacher alike. I have personally held back tears watching some teachers and administrators take advantage of authority in the name of rigid policy that does not serve the students. When this happens, we lose another youth with vast potential. In myth, the hero/heroine never accomplishes their tasks alone. They always have some sort of assistance from a guide and mentor. They are given tools and advice to overcome obstacles before them. When education works best, teachers are allowed to serve this role in the lives of students. Students feel free to come to them with hopes, dreams, and fears. Teachers must uncover both the gifts and wounds of their students, often while having to revisit past fears of their own.

As adults, we often project our own fears and past experiences onto present situations. Adults who work with youth need tools that will allow us to look into the mirror of our own souls and heal our own wounds, prior to working with youth. It takes courage to be an educator. It takes patience. It takes a belief in oneself and a belief in the student. This book allows both the teacher and student to garner the courage to become the heroes/heroines in their own stories.

Kwame Scruggs, PhD

Founder and Director

Alchemy, Inc.