Narratives   


  Week 5/Journal entry
 
 I really enjoyed this week’s assignment to connect through narrative. As a former playwright and future counsellor I am a strong believer in the power of narrative; but I have never considered its value in the classroom.  In both cases it is important to first teach the student/client how to tell a story if they don’t have that skill. Part of feeling heard is being able to convey what you mean clearly – or to at least try.

I am reminded of a story Maya Angelou tells about herself where, as a child, she stopped talking completely because she could not find the words to describe a horrible event she had witnessed.  She said that not speaking made her feel invisible - I suppose knowing what it is like to be without a story is part of the reason why she became a writer and poet.   

(After) PEER INTERACTION 

For all the time that I have been in university I have believed that I should leave my teachers alone unless I have a problem. It never occurred to me that they would be interested in knowing who I am or that sharing and getting to know them on a more personal level would enhance my enjoyment of the class. As much as I enjoyed talking about the distant and uninvolved teachers of my childhood (on WebCT) I guess I also need to admit to my part in maintaining that distance, back then and today.

Below is a story that I wrote after making my submission to WebCT.  It came about due to Anne’s story (1.2) about the importance of putting things into context. This was a very powerful experience for everyone concerned and I can’t help but wish cooler heads had prevailed sooner.  I’m including it here as an additional offering of my understanding and appreciation of how meaningful relationships can transform the fragmented pleas of individuals who want to be heard into enriching interactions that connect one to the other.      

The story that comes to my mind while reading the section, Anne’s Story of Contextualizing Events, has to do with my daughter. A few years ago, when she was in grade 6, I got a call from the school Principal asking my husband and me to come to a meeting after school – my daughter (A) and another girl (I’ll call her “M) had been in an altercation.

When we arrived everyone was in a high state of anxiety, the girls, the Principal, the Vice-Principal, and M’s mother.  We were told that A had grabbed M in the washroom and pushed her around. Obviously, they said, A was a bully. A denied being a bully but did admit to trying to move M away from the bathroom door by pulling her by the arm. She apologised but M’s mother wasn’t ready to move on and both of the Principals seemed very keen to “handle” this bullying case. I’m afraid we joined in the frenzy as well, wound up over the way A had been taken to the Principal’s office and, for half an hour, had had both Principals stand over her and accuse her of lying.

 The next several days were tough on both girls - M was labelled a squealer, and A was labelled a bully. It took forever for any of us to settle down and actually listen to the stories involved. The conduit for sanity was the girl’s homeroom teacher.

The teacher had known both girls for several years. She knew A had never been an aggressive girl and that M, who had always had a tough time fitting in, was having a particularly difficult time at that point. She also knew that both of the Principals had just returned from an anti-bullying workshop and were pumped to use their new skills. Finally, she had spoken to M’s mother several times and was aware that she, too, had had a tough time fitting in at school and was very upset that her daughter was suffering in the same way. The teacher was the only one who stepped back and considered the individual stories involved.

Once she got the chance to speak to everyone we all backed off and approached things from a completely different angle, one that considered the individuals:  M admitted to being very upset in gym on the day of the “event”. The girls had been teasing her more than usual. A had wanted the door closed for privacy and M, angry, had refused to move out of the way. When A grabbed M’s arm and pulled her away from the door it was the last straw for M who went home and fell apart. Her mother couldn’t stand to see her daughter so upset and called the principal demanding something be done. 

In the end the girls apologised to each other and within weeks were having sleepovers. M’s mother said she hadn’t realized how much events in her childhood were affecting her in the present and decided to explore that. The Principal and Vice- Principal acknowledged that they had missed some important steps in their eagerness to handle a bullying situation properly and we ended up being even more grateful for our daughter’s teacher and how she took the time to get us all to hear each other’s stories. Without her we may not have reached a resolution. 

Afterwards the teacher gave the class several opportunities to discuss and reflect on similar situations which, I now recognise, was her way of letting the classroom community take part (and take apart) situations such as this. It also probably helped A and M “restory” their experience as well.          

Turning my thoughts towards the relationship between teachers and children is very refreshing for me since I've spent the majority of my time these past couple of years focusing on issues around counselling for older adults. It reminds me that no mater how old we get or what life throws at us, our basic needs and functions remain (more or less) the same. We want to be seen, be heard, to belong, and sometimes, we need someone else's view of things to move ahead.  

 
 
Unit 1 - Recap

What am I aware of now that I wasn't aware of before this unit?

That creating meaningful relationships with students is one of the keys to good teaching and classroom management. Finding ways to meet both your own (as teacher) and student’s needs is the first step towards eliminating problems in the classroom.

Just as important to class harmony is for the students to feel they have some control in the classroom. They get this when they are given real choices and quality work that is meaningful.  

In learning type theory Sensation and Intuition are the most important aspects of learning style. Cookie-cutter curriculum that does not consider and engage all the different combinations of learning styles is curriculum that fails students (and teachers). 

Self-actualization can be achieved, in part, through the creative process. Teacher’s can help students develop their skills by creating a supportive atmosphere where each student feels that their stories are important and by teaching story-telling skills. Give students a chance to practice telling stories so they may move beyond that into writing stories which fosters the creative process.

In the classroom, as well as in counselling, the “use of narrative as a sharing and creative process” is an effective healing tool (P.31). From the oral histories of the past to the internet biographies of today human beings use narrative to connect, learn and teach.

A crucial factor for a healthy, productive classroom is the teacher’s attitude - which can affect everything from their approach to teaching and the students to the values and beliefs they impart.