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The Hero's Journey: How Educators Can Transform Schools and Improve Learning by John L. Brown and Cerylle A. MoffettTable of ContentsChapter 8. Insight and Transformation: Arriving Where We Started and Knowing thePlace for the First TimeIs the work that I have described— the liberation of the genius and goodness of allchildren, the creation of the new mind for the new millennium, and the creation of learning communities that invite and challenge the wonder and awe of the human spirit— is this the work that you want to do? —Stephanie Pace Marshall (1998 ASCD Annual Conference General Session)The ultimate purpose and outcome of the hero's journey is the return of the protagonist toher point of origin, knowing and contributing to the place in a new, more fully consciousway. The hero's experiences have been transforming and have equipped her withnewfound powers of insight, wisdom, efficacy, and commitment. In turn, the individuals,empires, and kingdoms touched by the heroic figure as she continues on the path towardtransformation are, in turn, transformed themselves.As Campbell (1949) explains:The mythological hero or heroine sets forth from her hut or castle, is lured—or voluntarily proceeds—to the threshold of adventure. She journeys through a world of unfamiliar forces, some of which severely threaten her. When she arrives at the lowest point of the journey, she undergoes a supreme ordeal and gains her reward. The finalwork is that of the return. . . . The treasure that she brings restores the world. (pp. 245– 246)After trials and tests that are both moral and physical, Odysseus, Penelope, andTelemachus are reunited at the conclusion of The Odyssey. The 10-year ordeal that theysustained results in a deeper sense of their own identity, and in a renewed sense of theenduring value of their relationship. Order is restored to Ithaca, and the rightful ruler isreinstated to the throne. In contemporary mythology, Bilbo Baggins returns home with anew-found courage, a broader view of the world, and in possession of Gollum's magic
 
ring. Bilbo is no longer a "Hobbit who has never had an adventure." Similarly, in the final battle with Darth Vader, Luke defeats—at least temporarily—the Dark Side of the Force, both within himself and, externally, in the form of Vader, who is Luke's shadow self andalter ego. Peace returns to the Galaxy.In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell (1949) describes the end of themythological hero's journey: "The effect of the successful adventure of the hero is theunlocking and release again of the flow of life into the body of the world" (p. 40). Thefinal phase of the heroic journey in education can bring new life to schools. On the way,however, we must answer the following questions:What are the characteristics of a transformed educator, school, and system?When do we "arrive" and what does "transformation" look like?Is the journey a one-time event?To what "place" do we return?Based on what we learn on our journey, what is the legacy that we can offer to others asthey embark on similar quests?The hero's journey that we describe in this book is neither a one-time event nor a linear  path. Like the paradoxes cited in quantum physics, the journey is a spiraling, recursive process. Pearson (1989) notes: "We keep circling through its archetypal manifestations atdifferent levels of depth, breadth, and height" (p. 153). This view of the recursive natureof the journey of educational change was reinforced by a teacher we interviewed:We never really arrive at the point of being a hero, but we are constantly becomingheroic. We don't "get there." We are always "getting there." It's a cycle of growth.Deborah Meier (1995), principal of the nationally recognized Central Park EastSecondary School in Harlem, New York, reinforces the ongoing nature of the journey inThe Power of Their Ideas:There's never a time when one can say, Well, I've done all that can be done. There isalways something else. A child you haven't done quite right for; a family that is inunnecessary distress because of school issues; a teacher you haven't been a help to; a book, a game, an idea that might turn the tide. (p. 180)Contradictions and Paradoxes
 
The world of the heroic educator, school, and system is riddled by questions,contradiction, and paradox. Recurrently, contemporary educators face three issues as theytravel the path of the hero's journey:The Pogo Paradox: As the cartoon character Pogo once remarked, "We have met theenemy, and they be us." The return within the contemporary hero's journey in education isthe recognition that we are at the heart of the journey. True transformation withinourselves, our schools, and our systems rests with us. It will not occur if we somehowexpect others to do it for us. The paradox rests in the reality that both the positive and thenegative—the good, the bad, and the ugly—are part of what it means to be human. Whenwe accept personal responsibility for cultural and structural school change, we come torecognize the complexity and contradictions that are a natural and inevitable part of thechange process.The Peter Pan Conundrum: The transformation of schools and education as we knowthem will occur only when we "grow up"—when we overcome our tendency to remainattached to an earlier stage of development that placed responsibility for change outsideourselves. Clinging to antiquated mental models and paradigms about the way "thingsused to be" or "ought to have been" precludes our looking directly and honestly at thetruth of our current problems and potential. By confronting the Peter Pan Conundrum, wegrow up as individuals, organizations, and systems.Maturity takes the form of personal efficacy and a capacity for collaboration, sharedinquiry, and continuous improvement. With maturity we are able to see the big picture— how the classroom, school, and system are interrelated. Clinging to the factory model of schools that may have served us once but is no longer viable hinders us from successfullyusing the change principles and strategies available to us—many of which are presentedin this book. We need to seek and create the knowledge to mature as individuals, schools,and systems.The Wizard of Oz Insight: Ultimately, Dorothy discovers that she had the power to returnto her home in Kansas all along. But it was necessary for her to have undertaken her adventures with her fellow travelers—the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion—tofully and completely internalize this insight. Like Dorothy, the heroic educator, school,and system open themselves to the experience of change to bring about ultimate renewaland transformation. We also come to realize our own inherent power and collectivesynergy, replacing a less-evolved tendency to rely on external authority figures andwould-be wizards in favor of our own capacity for problem solving, creativity, andaction.To be heroic at the classroom, school, or system level is to accept responsibility andsustain the commitment for confronting and resolving the complex problems facingeducation today. Heroic educators and schools are like the heroes of Campbell's universalmyth. They are men and women who have been able to overcome their personal, psychological, cultural, and organizational limitations to achieve a higher form of 
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