Inviting students to tell their
story, safely, in a way that builds trust and offers hope.
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“Our mission is to ensure
that all young people (K-12) are provided an opportunity to heal from stress
and trauma through high-quality, therapeutic journaling. We give all
kids an opportunity to
talk about their feelings, process difficult life experiences, and Imagine a
new story in their lives…. [We aim] to give kids a voice to bring positive
change into their lives, and those of future generations.” The Imagine Project (https://theimagineproject.org)
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What if you attended
a faculty meeting after school and the main speakers were fifth graders? What
if they made a compelling case for the whole elementary school to take part in
a program they had experienced? What if these 10- and 11-year-old boys and
girls shared with all of us present that afternoon personal and sometimes
painful “Imagine stories”—one outcome of this project? And what if their
teachers left both moved and excited, so much so that soon after every one of
them, in grades 1-5, asked to bring the project’s 7-step writing tool to their
classrooms?
I want you to hear from those fifth graders (page 2), and
hope their words, more persuasive than anything I can offer, will make you
curious enough to learn more about The Imagine Project.
My
introduction came from hearing its founder, Dianne Maroney, RN, MSN—a neighbor
here in Parker—speak of her work. And
then from reading her book: The Imagine
Project - Empowering Kids to Rise Above Drama, Trauma, and Stress, Yampa
Valley Publisher, 2018. (Addendum A
includes several excerpts.) The more I have learned, the more it strikes me
that, if the strategy and the tools in The Imagine Project are fairly simple,
the idea behind it is profound. As an educator, it is aligned with what I believe
about good schools and the importance of knowing our students well; as a writing
teacher, I see it as a great tool to help students find their voice (see Addendum B from previous newsletters).
Like those fifth graders, I am now an advocate for this work.
The Imagine Project (founded in 2015) is much more than a
school-based program, but schools are my focus—so here are the basics for a
classroom. A teacher might spend 60-90
minutes going through the 7-steps with her class—perhaps best done over several
days, or even longer. There are four age-appropriate journal forms: for K-2,
3-5, 6-12, and for adults. It begins as “free writing”—i.e., not to be judged
nor graded for spelling or grammar.
Steps 1 and
2 serve as a warm-up, a kind of brainstorming. The writing begins with Step 3.
Step
3: Imagine
Choose
one challenging experience in your life. Tell the story of that experience by
beginning each sentence in your story with the word Imagine. Start with your first
memory—what do your heart and mind think of first, when you consider that
experience?
Step 3 can
begin to explore a painful past event, as in these two examples (from The Imagine Project):
By Kate, 5th grader:
Imagine … being friends with a girl one moment and being bullied
the next.
Imagine
… not knowing what you did.
Imagine
… feeling sad and upset.
Imagine
… not telling your mom, feeling afraid she might be angry.
By Joseph, 4th
grader:
Imagine
… you left your country for a better life.
Imagine
… you need to travel by train so others don’t see you.
Imagine
… you need to walk in the desert for days and days.
Imagine
… you need water but you don’t have any for days.
The next
step invites the writer into a more hopeful space. What might be. What could
be.
Step
4: Possibilities - Now it’s time to
imagine new possibilities in your life. What is the ending you would like to
have to your Imagine story? Dream big—imagine what you want to do in your life!
Steps 4 -7 takes
the writer forward. Maroney believes such expressive writing encourages the
student “to process and find meaning from a difficult life circumstance, to let
it go, and to create a new story for their lives. This kind of writing also allows the writer
to feel seen, heard, and validated” (The
Imagine Project, p. 78).
Those fifth graders at Walnut Hill Elementary School in Cherry
Creek must have felt that way, based on their enthusiasm in asking their teachers
to bring The Imagine Project to every classroom. The words of the boys and
girls—quoted here—seemed natural and honest, and proved effective in leading
the faculty to agree.
During the sessions, kids are able to reflect on
themselves. They can talk about their struggles, triumphs, and tragedies.
Writing about their stories can lead to healing.
It can help kids at
Walnut Hills get through their problems that they might be having at school or
home or anywhere. For example, a divorce. Some kids have parents who are
divorced or getting divorced. The Imagine Project would help those kids see
over the arc [of their story] and help them get to the other side of the
sadness.
One of our big goals is to show kids that it's ok
to be open about what they are going through.
The Imagine Project also helps kids reflect. When
kids think about good and bad things in life it can help them see that they can
rise above sadness and any other bad feelings they might be having. They can
also see that they have been able to get through bad things which can help them
see that there is always a way to get through something bad no matter
how bad it may feel.
By having kids teach the school about The Imagine
Project we want to make them feel like this is a privilege and not an
assignment.
… we will be sharing our own Imagine Projects so
that they can see everyone goes through this.
There are many good outcomes of thinking about and
writing imagine stories. … From kindergarten to 5th grade we think this project
will help kids of all ages. …
My goal: merely to provide
an introduction to The Imagine Project, and to ask you to take a look. Education
policy and school reform (and no doubt Another
View) can feel cold—too much “data-driven analysis,” too little heart. All
of us need to be wary of becoming so PARCC, SPF, and PDU-obsessed that we lose
our way. The young kids and teenagers walking into our classrooms hope for and
need adults who will pay attention to them as individuals. And many are hurting.
They need to find a way to share their stories with a trusted adult. When they are
allowed to do so, the classroom can become a safe haven, a place where they are
known, and an even better place to grow and learn.
Addendum A
The Imagine Project – Empowering Kids to Rise Above Drama,
Trauma, and Stress (excerpts)
From Foreword, by Dr. Jerry Yager, Denver
Children’s Advocacy Center
Maroney “effectively
communicates her understanding of how hard it is to hear young people’s
stories, and encourages us to trust that the very act of sharing and having
someone present to hear them, see them and know them is healing in and of
itself.”
“We cannot get
overwhelmed by the challenges we face. We must learn to imagine ourselves
collectively, finding innovative, creative solutions. This book offers the
reader many resources that can help our children transform their suffering and
maximize their resiliency and well-being.”
**
From Introduction
Her own painful
experiences led her to wonder: “What if there was a way to help kids who’ve
suffered from stress and trauma? Could telling their stories in the Imagine format steer them away from
despair and toward hope and healing?”
From Chapter
1 – What is Emotional Wellness?
“… many of
us find it extremely difficult to deal with our children’s expressions of
painful emotions like sadness, disappointment, and frustration. Because of
this, some children—especially teens—go inward and don’t like talking about
their feelings to adults. And yet expressing emotion is extremely important. So
how can we help children express their emotions?”
From Chapter
4 – The Value of Expressive Writing
“Kids and
teens hold so much in their minds and hearts. When troubles are kept under
cover, they remain unprocessed, take up too much space, and prevent kids from
moving forward. Being ‘stuck’ only perpetuates cycles of dysfunction, such as
abuse, addiction, and poverty, generation after generation. Fortunately,
expressive writing is an effective tool that can help kids process and let go
of their stories so they aren’t defined or limited by them. Expressive writing
inspires them to imagine new possibilities ….”
From Chapter
5 – Writing with The Imagine Project
“At first
glance teachers and administrators often worry that doing the journaling
process will be heavy and hard for students (and teachers), but in most cases,
it’s not as difficult as you might think. Instead, it’s profound and inspiring.
Will there be tears? Probably, and that’s okay—what a wonderful way to show
kids that expressing emotion is permitted and appropriate.”
Addendum B
Another View (2010, 2013, 2018) and Chalkbeat Colorado (2016)
1.
From AV #65 – A Guiding Principle – Know Your Students Well (July
2010)
…
What is most important? What makes the biggest difference for
students? In facing difficult choices—we
can’t be all things to all people—what essential principles should guide our
thinking?
Many of us agree on two guiding
principles: we want 1) caring, committed, and capable teachers, and 2) a strong
curriculum reflecting high standards and expectations. Here is a third
principle that might guide us: we need
structures that enable the faculty to know their students well.
I believe the principle of knowing
students well should be among our top priorities for several reasons. The first reason is because it is such a
human principle—it is about relationships—and therefore speaks to all parties
concerned—parents, educators, and students.
Schools are communities where adults need to show respect for the young
people in their trust, where adults need to build connections with and
understanding of their students so that they believe: the men and women here do care about me and will treat me as an
individual. Second, in an era of
data-driven accountability, it speaks to a factor that may not be
measurable—and therefore can easily be discounted—even though our best school
leaders constantly remind us that a school’s culture, its ethos, and its
values—all related to personalization—are critical to its success.
2.
From AV #105 – Teaching our students to write: Why I
believe we’re headed in the wrong direction - Writing
standards & high school expectations frown on students finding their voice (Dec.
2013)
Welcome the young person
– not just the student
“The children who came into my classrooms were also perceptive—they
caught on quickly whether school was going to be a place where they should
bring their whole selves, or leave most of themselves at the schoolhouse door.” Deborah Meier, Nov. 21, 2013, http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences.
3.
From Chalkbeat Colorado – “On week one after a tense summer, don’t be afraid to
tell students: ‘We want to know you’” (Aug. 2016) https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/co/2016/08/23/on-week-one-after-a-tense-summer-dont-be-afraid-to-tell-students-we-want-to-know-you/
[Those freshmen entering this high school of
2,000 students] will wonder: Are the men and women in this building on their
side? Is any adult there happy to see them?
In those first days, English teachers will
have their own questions about their students’ writing skills and their
students’ lives. As a longtime English teacher in Parker, my solution was to
embrace the simple journal entry.
In my final years as a teacher, that first
week of school, I asked my students to produce three journal entries. No magic
there. But perhaps the big high school becomes less scary when one adult says,
I care. I’d like to know who you are and what’s on your mind. Tell me.
4.
From AV #182 – Schools
& the English classroom; depression & suicide (Aug. 2018)
If
I were teaching again this year, I would find it impossible not to be thinking,
more than ever, about the mental health of my students…. it feels especially important to acknowledge
the emotional struggles of so many of our students, and to ask: what is our
responsibility? …
[The Addenda included this quote from LeeAndra Khan, CEO of Civitas Partners, Education Post, June 6, 2018}
“Listening Is an Act of Kindness
- It’s hard for all of us to do,
especially educators [,] but listen with an empathetic heart. Our students are
trying to tell us what they need, but the constructs of schooling sometimes
prevent us from truly hearing them. When we listen, we open up opportunities to
build relationships. When we build relationships, students can feel connected.
If they feel connected, they may ask for your help.”
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