WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.419 Welcome to the Classroom Narratives Healing in 00:00:02.419 --> 00:00:04.900 Education podcast, the space where education 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:09.019 meets resilience. I'm Dr. Joey Weisler, and in 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.400 each episode, we dive deep into the personal 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:15.099 stories of educators, students, leaders, and 00:00:15.099 --> 00:00:18.079 frontline advocates who are navigating the complexities 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.260 within modern education. Whether you're just 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:23.879 starting your teaching journey, or are we seasoned 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:26.260 professionals looking for inspiration, we'll 00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:29.059 explore how to foster meaningful change, prevent 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:31.859 burnout, and build trauma -informed communities 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:34.979 within our schools. Now, let's take a seat at 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:36.799 the front of the classroom as we get started. 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:39.520 Welcome back to the Classroom Narratives Healing 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.259 in Education Podcast. I'm your host, Joey Weisler, 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:44.899 and today's guest is someone whose work beautifully 00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:47.500 bridges the worlds between storytelling, design, 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:50.939 and healing. Professor Brenda Cowan teaches in 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:53.100 the Exhibition and Experience Design Program 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:55.719 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, 00:00:56.020 --> 00:00:58.479 and she spent her career exploring how spaces, 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.759 stories, and objects can support wellness and 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:04.700 recovery, especially in the wake of trauma. Her 00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:07.750 theory of Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics, 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:11.079 examines how the things we preserve and present, 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:14.000 whether in classrooms or even museums, can really 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:16.920 work to facilitate our own healing. From Syrian 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:20.319 refugee stories to 9 -11 memorials, Brenda's 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:23.040 work invites us to ask the question, what do 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:26.299 objects remember for us? And this conversation 00:01:26.299 --> 00:01:28.400 is for anyone thinking about the environments 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.920 that we create for our students and for ourselves, 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:33.439 and even how the smallest details can really 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:35.719 work to speak volumes. Brenda, we're so happy 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:37.799 you're here with us. Welcome to the show. Yes, 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:40.500 Joey, thank you so much for inviting me. I'm 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:44.140 delighted. Delighted to be here. So Brenda and 00:01:44.140 --> 00:01:46.400 I actually met because we are colleagues together 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:49.719 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, but this 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:52.180 program is completely unaffiliated with FIT, 00:01:52.379 --> 00:01:55.000 yet it's so wonderful to merge two expert minds 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.000 in the fields and have a great conversation about 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:00.500 education. So Brenda, I wanted to begin by thinking 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:04.079 about the work that you have done with the Psychotherapeutic 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:07.370 Object Dynamics for our listeners. How can you 00:02:07.370 --> 00:02:09.909 break that down for us? And how did you get started 00:02:09.909 --> 00:02:11.770 in discovering what this theory is all about? 00:02:12.250 --> 00:02:16.689 Sure. So Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics looks 00:02:16.689 --> 00:02:20.629 specifically at the ways in which people engage 00:02:20.629 --> 00:02:24.370 with objects in ways that can be directly attributed 00:02:24.370 --> 00:02:28.909 to their well -being and also to their healing. 00:02:30.110 --> 00:02:33.849 in times of need. And healing also, it's the 00:02:33.849 --> 00:02:35.389 kind of thing that I've discovered throughout 00:02:35.389 --> 00:02:38.069 the course of this research work is something 00:02:38.069 --> 00:02:41.210 that we seem to be doing all the time. And sometimes 00:02:41.210 --> 00:02:44.409 in small ways, and then other times, of course, 00:02:44.449 --> 00:02:47.710 much more notable in the wake of tragedy or atrocity. 00:02:48.210 --> 00:02:53.520 So how did I begin? I've been teaching for many 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:57.900 years about objects in museums, objects in exhibitions, 00:02:58.020 --> 00:03:00.819 and how to use objects, how to explore them, 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:06.919 and how to design with them and for them. been 00:03:06.919 --> 00:03:10.539 able to take the research that is out there about 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:14.919 how objects are evocative, how objects have all 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:18.180 of these characteristics and how we associate 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:21.580 with them in different kinds of ways, all of 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:24.319 which are a part of meaning making, all of which 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:28.219 are a part of ways in which we form and can recognize 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:32.479 emotional connections with content or even with 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:37.240 our own lives and so on and so forth. I have 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:40.219 always been just so enamored with this aspect 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:42.620 of my teaching, and yet part of me was always 00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:45.699 feeling like I wasn't going quite deep enough 00:03:45.699 --> 00:03:50.759 and always wondering, why? Why is it that people 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:53.520 have all these connections with objects? Like, 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:56.919 what is it? Why are they evocative? Why do they 00:03:56.919 --> 00:04:01.250 spur memory? For what purpose? And I could never 00:04:01.250 --> 00:04:07.050 find an answer to that. And back in 2013, I became 00:04:07.050 --> 00:04:11.169 familiar with an adolescent wilderness therapy. 00:04:12.060 --> 00:04:16.680 facility and started to learn that young people, 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:20.180 teenagers who were going to wilderness therapy 00:04:20.180 --> 00:04:23.819 were using objects found in nature as a part 00:04:23.819 --> 00:04:26.360 of their healing therapies. They were using sticks 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:30.420 and stones and leaves and little plastic beads 00:04:30.420 --> 00:04:34.100 and were undergoing tremendous healing therapies. 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:39.689 And intrigued, I got my way into a week in one 00:04:39.689 --> 00:04:42.850 of these facilities and was able to observe therapies, 00:04:42.949 --> 00:04:45.209 was able to participate with young people who 00:04:45.209 --> 00:04:48.009 were going into the wilderness and undergoing 00:04:48.009 --> 00:04:51.250 specific kinds of therapies with these sorts 00:04:51.250 --> 00:04:55.110 of objects. And I began to recognize after a 00:04:55.110 --> 00:04:59.990 while that we do things that all people seem 00:04:59.990 --> 00:05:02.829 to be doing similar kinds of things with objects 00:05:02.829 --> 00:05:06.850 on our own, even without therapists. And then 00:05:06.850 --> 00:05:09.029 the more I looked and the more that I learned, 00:05:09.069 --> 00:05:12.370 I began to realize people in museums have these 00:05:12.370 --> 00:05:16.170 same kinds of relationships with objects that 00:05:16.170 --> 00:05:19.870 I'm seeing in these healing therapies. And so 00:05:19.870 --> 00:05:22.769 that was the spark that led to the theory. And 00:05:22.769 --> 00:05:26.310 the thing to know is that in the course of the 00:05:26.310 --> 00:05:30.569 real directed research that I did over the 00:05:30.569 --> 00:05:34.529 course of five more years and working with different 00:05:34.529 --> 00:05:37.970 museums in several different countries and with 00:05:37.970 --> 00:05:41.009 many different types of people, I was able to 00:05:41.009 --> 00:05:45.329 identify seven specific things that people do. 00:05:45.550 --> 00:05:48.939 The first is giving and receiving. When we give 00:05:48.939 --> 00:05:52.019 a gift, when we receive a gift, when we give 00:05:52.019 --> 00:05:55.899 an object as a legacy or an inheritance or any 00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:58.959 other number, birthday gifts, right? Any kind 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:03.060 of giving and receiving is an act of love. It 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:06.500 is an act of appreciation. It is an act of recognition. 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:13.779 It is an act of being seen and of seeing. The 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:16.939 next one I call associating. And associating 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:19.439 is when we keep an object close to us. Maybe 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:21.759 it's that wedding ring that we wear every day. 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:25.319 Maybe it's an item of clothing that we wear. 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:27.779 Maybe it's something that we keep in a box in 00:06:27.779 --> 00:06:30.660 the closet. And we just need to know it's nearby. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:34.839 And it always moves with us wherever we move 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:37.970 to throughout the course of years. And sometimes 00:06:37.970 --> 00:06:41.310 that means we visit an object at a museum over 00:06:41.310 --> 00:06:44.149 and over again. And we just like knowing that 00:06:44.149 --> 00:06:49.230 object is there. Releasing and unburdening is 00:06:49.230 --> 00:06:53.269 another dynamic. And that has to do with the 00:06:53.269 --> 00:06:56.550 action of removing something from your life. 00:06:57.819 --> 00:07:01.560 And maybe it's anything from spring cleaning, 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:06.360 donating objects to a goodwill. Maybe it's after 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:09.600 a bad breakup. That ex -partner, their stuff 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:13.120 has just got to go. Synergizing is another one. 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:17.220 That is a dynamic of donating, loaning objects 00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:20.579 to a collection. Maybe you collect objects on 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:23.579 your own. There is something in the knowing that 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:27.329 you are a part of a larger collective. that is 00:07:27.329 --> 00:07:30.110 a synergistic experience that you are having. 00:07:30.269 --> 00:07:33.949 Touching is another dynamic action. There's actually 00:07:33.949 --> 00:07:36.829 brilliant research out there about what happens 00:07:36.829 --> 00:07:40.069 when people touch objects and about touching 00:07:40.069 --> 00:07:43.709 objects that are museum objects, quite specifically, 00:07:43.970 --> 00:07:46.910 and that can be directly related with health 00:07:46.910 --> 00:07:51.439 and healing. The last one I call composing. And 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.399 composing is when you have two or more objects 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:59.600 that have to be kept together. It could be the 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:03.379 pair of boots that a first responder donated 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:07.600 to the 9 -11 Memorial Museum. And under no circumstances 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:10.800 can those two boots be separated because it is 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:12.779 only together that they tell the right story. 00:08:13.310 --> 00:08:16.550 So that is the quick, fast journey through the 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:20.009 psychotherapeutic object dynamics. It's automatic. 00:08:20.170 --> 00:08:23.709 It is inherent. It is a part of the dynamic of 00:08:23.709 --> 00:08:26.449 objects being a part of our lives every day, 00:08:26.470 --> 00:08:31.149 just as a part of being a person on this planet 00:08:31.149 --> 00:08:33.490 and being surrounded by objects and therefore 00:08:33.490 --> 00:08:37.450 knowing that we exist and that we have, that 00:08:37.450 --> 00:08:41.070 we're situated. in a place at any given time. 00:08:41.210 --> 00:08:43.269 You mentioned that there's objects that can be 00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:45.590 used as therapy. What kind of objects have you 00:08:45.590 --> 00:08:51.470 seen that are therapeutic? Like I said, it's 00:08:51.470 --> 00:08:54.490 in directed therapy. It's those stick stones, 00:08:54.629 --> 00:08:58.629 leaves, whatever it is that is on hand. Sometimes 00:08:58.629 --> 00:09:02.490 people, throughout the course of my research 00:09:02.490 --> 00:09:06.230 work, there are a lot of objects in museums 00:09:07.049 --> 00:09:10.250 that tend to have particularly evocative value 00:09:10.250 --> 00:09:14.330 and that people tend to really relate to very 00:09:14.330 --> 00:09:18.110 deeply. And it's a lot of different kinds of 00:09:18.110 --> 00:09:20.549 things. First of all, I can give you a very general 00:09:20.549 --> 00:09:24.409 kind of category, which is clothing is very evocative. 00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:27.509 And I saw this at a study that I did with the 00:09:27.509 --> 00:09:32.070 museum at FIT, but also clothing at the War Childhood 00:09:32.070 --> 00:09:35.669 Museum, hats, jackets, things that were worn 00:09:35.669 --> 00:09:39.190 by children during wartime. Very, very powerful, 00:09:39.389 --> 00:09:45.029 very, very evocative. I saw this at the 9 -11 00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:48.850 Memorial Museum, people relating to ordinary 00:09:48.850 --> 00:09:51.789 things, not even just items of clothing, but 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:55.620 things like watches or... teddy bears, like you 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:59.820 mentioned yourself earlier on, and items that 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:03.580 included things like ID badges or things that 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:06.639 had been crushed, things that had been coated 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:11.720 in dust, right? Things in ash and objects that 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:16.759 showed wear and tear of the event itself. Those 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.659 are the kinds of objects that people responded 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:23.860 to very, very powerfully. and had a relationship 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:28.320 with, or maybe identified with in specific kinds 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:31.440 of ways. I love here talking about clothing, 00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:33.519 most in part, because it makes me think about 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:36.159 Van Der Kolk, the brain and body keep the score, 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:40.200 where there's a study that I saw from other grief 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:45.039 scholars who indicate this idea that sometimes 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:48.720 when survivors actually re -wear a piece of clothing 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:51.259 or an article that they had on during a tragedy 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:53.799 their body reacts to it like they might literally 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:56.460 spawn a rash or some reaction of some kind from 00:10:56.460 --> 00:10:58.460 their body who's bringing them back to that time 00:10:58.460 --> 00:11:00.919 in that place and i think clothing has that for 00:11:00.919 --> 00:11:03.200 us because it brings us back to a moment in time 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:07.080 where we may have experienced trauma while wearing 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:09.980 that article and I remember in my own classroom 00:11:09.980 --> 00:11:13.120 as well like my favorite time of the year were 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.059 always the holidays And when I say holidays, 00:11:16.139 --> 00:11:18.419 I mean any occasion worth celebrating. That's 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:20.360 Halloween. That's Thanksgiving. That's Easter. 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:23.679 Any time that there was a season coming up because 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:25.740 students would see that I would put up little 00:11:25.740 --> 00:11:28.000 things around the classroom and then they would 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:29.799 come in with their own things to contribute as 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:33.100 well. For Halloween, I had a bunch of students 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:35.500 in my first year of teaching give me like all 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:37.539 these extra little pumpkins, like little plastic 00:11:37.539 --> 00:11:40.179 pumpkins that I can still hold on to. And same 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:43.149 thing in December with. holiday knickknacks and 00:11:43.149 --> 00:11:45.590 whatnot. And when it comes to these keepsakes, 00:11:45.710 --> 00:11:47.850 even though I haven't spoken to some of those 00:11:47.850 --> 00:11:50.809 students in almost six years, I still bring out 00:11:50.809 --> 00:11:53.470 their keepsakes every single year just to remember 00:11:53.470 --> 00:11:55.730 that one season we all got to share together. 00:11:56.070 --> 00:11:58.629 Hey, you know what, Joey? I'm going to unpack 00:11:58.629 --> 00:12:00.889 that for you. Are you ready? That was my next 00:12:00.889 --> 00:12:03.389 question to help me unload that. Sweet. Awesome. 00:12:03.629 --> 00:12:07.350 So here's what's going on. You have students 00:12:07.350 --> 00:12:13.299 who were giving. objects to join in with yours. 00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:16.519 You were receiving them right there, giving, 00:12:16.620 --> 00:12:19.320 receiving. You're recognizing them. You're saying 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:21.940 yes to them. They're saying, I want to be a part. 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:24.279 I want to be with you. I want to be with this. 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:29.080 So that relationship there was a part of enhancing 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:32.559 wellbeing, possibly even a part of healing for 00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:35.860 some of the students involved. Then there was 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:40.379 also the dynamic of synergizing. Their objects 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:44.019 were being a part of this larger collective whole 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:48.159 that you were generating. All of you were synergizing 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:52.919 together by creating this whole environment together 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.740 of objects. So we had synergizing happening right 00:12:56.740 --> 00:13:01.600 there. You're experiencing associating. Keeping 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.600 these objects year after year, bringing them 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:08.000 out, thinking about the students, reflecting 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:12.399 on that giving, taking a look at the synergizing 00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:16.379 that occurred within this whole sort of decorative 00:13:16.379 --> 00:13:19.120 experience that you were creating with these 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.820 objects. And again, the fact that you hang on 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:25.019 to them, that's associating, affiliating and 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:27.740 associating these objects with a specific holiday. 00:13:28.940 --> 00:13:33.559 that you then are marking the year with and you 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:37.799 are taking this composition of objects this collection 00:13:37.799 --> 00:13:40.580 that you have created and at this designated 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:44.799 time bringing them out you are also experiencing 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:49.779 the psychotherapeutic dynamic of composing so 00:13:49.779 --> 00:13:52.659 you see there's a whole lot happening if you 00:13:52.659 --> 00:13:56.120 use this particular framework all of these specific 00:13:56.120 --> 00:14:00.019 things are part of how you are experiencing your 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:03.059 own well -being and the students who participated 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:07.820 likewise. Absolutely. And I also think about 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:09.639 other things I would just keep around my classroom 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.000 for my own comfort. Admin used to say to me, 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:15.000 put out more of their A papers and their work. 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:17.259 And I'm like, well, they spend an hour a day 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:19.559 in here. I spend seven. So I'm going to decorate 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:21.860 it with things way more than seven, more like 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:24.960 10 or 12. I'm going to put things near that make 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:27.059 me think about myself, not to sound selfish, 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:30.299 but it was my mentality. So I had a little tree 00:14:30.299 --> 00:14:32.740 in the corner here. I had a poem that I wrote 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:35.620 on the side of my desk over there. And when I 00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:38.059 think about those things, just having all of 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:43.299 those things in presence gave me comfort. Because, 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:45.519 of course, does that mean that the government 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:48.059 funded classroom comes with. the ceiling the 00:14:48.059 --> 00:14:50.679 desk and the floor but the teacher classroom 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:53.840 it's their energy that they propel into there 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:56.779 to make it all come together to create some sort 00:14:56.779 --> 00:15:00.059 of I won't even say a healing space, but just 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:02.759 make a space. And then we can come in and say, 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:05.080 like I used to call my classroom, my Zen space. 00:15:05.299 --> 00:15:07.179 And the students like, oh, okay, this is a Zen 00:15:07.179 --> 00:15:10.080 space. And the mentality buys into them as well 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:12.960 that, okay, with these objects, this is the space 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:15.279 that he wants us to experience. And he wants 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:18.379 it to be Zen. With the tree in the corner over 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:20.639 there and the mean bag chairs beneath that, those 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:24.500 objects send the message that this classroom 00:15:24.500 --> 00:15:29.549 used to be Zen. healing. And I'm wondering, Brenda, 00:15:29.649 --> 00:15:32.610 what have educators learned from either museums 00:15:32.610 --> 00:15:36.409 or exhibits that when it comes to creating safe 00:15:36.409 --> 00:15:38.909 and reflective human -centered classrooms, what 00:15:38.909 --> 00:15:41.389 does that mean for us? Like, what's going on 00:15:41.389 --> 00:15:43.789 in our minds that you can help us unpack and 00:15:43.789 --> 00:15:47.429 explain when we want as educators to create those 00:15:47.429 --> 00:15:49.970 different classroom environments through the 00:15:49.970 --> 00:15:53.210 objects we put into it, like our zen areas that 00:15:53.210 --> 00:15:56.690 some teachers pointed out? I think that when 00:15:56.690 --> 00:15:59.529 we work with objects, such as what you're doing 00:15:59.529 --> 00:16:02.090 with the tree, with the beanbag chair, even with 00:16:02.090 --> 00:16:07.750 the poem that you have on display, we are, and 00:16:07.750 --> 00:16:10.269 teachers who do and follow suit and do that kind 00:16:10.269 --> 00:16:13.509 of thing, and folks who, frankly, create exhibitions, 00:16:13.669 --> 00:16:16.289 for example, or work with objects in any number 00:16:16.289 --> 00:16:19.620 of ways within environments. We work with objects 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:24.059 and their subjective associations when we are 00:16:24.059 --> 00:16:27.440 looking to elicit sharing, when we're looking 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:32.360 to share personal perspectives, to add depth 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:36.620 to the explorations of topics. And I think that 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:40.179 really noticing that and being very aware of 00:16:40.179 --> 00:16:44.080 how it is that we're using objects to share ourselves, 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:47.919 to share our perspectives, to add depth. to the 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:50.860 different kinds of ways in which we want to learn 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:55.080 and grow within a space is definitely very important. 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:58.440 And what's happening when you say Zen space, 00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:02.299 what I'm hearing is a space that is about sharing 00:17:02.299 --> 00:17:05.960 and about allowing people to have associations 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:10.779 with objects in a very free form. So what Brenda 00:17:10.779 --> 00:17:13.589 is about to look at is a picture of My classroom 00:17:13.589 --> 00:17:15.490 from my first year of teaching, I call this the 00:17:15.490 --> 00:17:18.289 Zen area. What she notices is that there's a 00:17:18.289 --> 00:17:20.910 tree in the corner of the classroom. There is 00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:22.970 wallpaper in the background of it that's very 00:17:22.970 --> 00:17:25.670 deliberately made where I had a piano kind of 00:17:25.670 --> 00:17:28.089 background there. And that piano represents, 00:17:28.450 --> 00:17:30.710 in my eyes, the different keys where there's 00:17:30.710 --> 00:17:33.569 white notes and darker notes that just kind of 00:17:33.569 --> 00:17:35.890 show that pattern of the human experience that 00:17:35.890 --> 00:17:37.690 my students could be walking through. And I explain 00:17:37.690 --> 00:17:41.660 that to them. There is a Charles Schultz. Snoopy 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:44.160 poster that says, keep looking up. That's the 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:47.240 secret to life. Another poster that says, find 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:49.920 your path. Another one with a butterfly that 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:52.319 says, it doesn't get easier. You just get better. 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:56.019 And a Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket poster that 00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:58.059 says, always let your conscience be your guide. 00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:00.880 All deliberately placed within the Zen area. 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:04.559 Beneath that, there is also a applied suicide 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:08.039 first aid badge and certificate that shows my 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:11.930 training in that area. along with a sonnet that 00:18:11.930 --> 00:18:14.529 shows about the resiliency of overcoming grief 00:18:14.529 --> 00:18:17.410 and working to begin again that I wrote. This 00:18:17.410 --> 00:18:20.849 is after the Brooklyn shooting. So for an area 00:18:20.849 --> 00:18:25.829 like this, I was very, very partial towards this 00:18:25.829 --> 00:18:29.349 area in my classroom. It was as much as I wanted 00:18:29.349 --> 00:18:31.990 to welcome students into it. And they definitely 00:18:31.990 --> 00:18:34.009 took advantage of it. I was also very cautious 00:18:34.009 --> 00:18:36.710 of it. They knew I had one rule in my class. 00:18:36.789 --> 00:18:38.609 I should have had more rules, but I only had 00:18:38.609 --> 00:18:42.869 one rule. The one rule was never, ever touch 00:18:42.869 --> 00:18:46.470 that tree for any reason. Do not touch the tree. 00:18:46.529 --> 00:18:49.630 You can sit next to it, but never touch it. And 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:52.869 I guess what I'm thinking about is when we set 00:18:52.869 --> 00:18:55.529 these spaces up for students that help us just 00:18:55.529 --> 00:18:58.789 as much, by the way, I used to feel, I guess, 00:18:58.809 --> 00:19:01.690 in my own mind, I would tell myself I would feel 00:19:01.690 --> 00:19:04.849 better if I would step into the Zen zone and 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:07.269 take a deep breath and then step out of it before 00:19:07.269 --> 00:19:10.609 my worst class would come in. I had to breathe 00:19:10.609 --> 00:19:12.250 in that spot. It couldn't be anywhere else in 00:19:12.250 --> 00:19:14.670 the room. It had to be in that corner where I 00:19:14.670 --> 00:19:17.490 took that deep breath. Then I would feel better 00:19:17.490 --> 00:19:21.450 emotionally prepared for that class. And I guess 00:19:21.450 --> 00:19:24.250 my question is with all the objects that we see 00:19:24.250 --> 00:19:27.390 in this space, does that actually work? Is it 00:19:27.390 --> 00:19:31.109 all in our heads or is it true that those types 00:19:31.109 --> 00:19:35.119 of gestures help us find healing? Oh, I would 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:38.039 imagine very much so. I don't think it's, I mean, 00:19:38.059 --> 00:19:40.220 it's funny your question about it being all in 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:42.859 your head. I mean, we are talking about a dynamic 00:19:42.859 --> 00:19:45.720 psychological theory here. So it is all in your 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:47.500 head. And by the way, your head's a pretty important 00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:52.240 place. I think that there are probably a couple 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:55.200 of things that are going on when you describe 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:58.059 not just the design, the sort of the build out 00:19:58.059 --> 00:20:01.490 of your Zen area. First of all, there's the fact 00:20:01.490 --> 00:20:05.289 that you were taking an intentional pause, enabling 00:20:05.289 --> 00:20:11.990 yourself to reframe and get prepared for the 00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:14.990 next piece of work that you needed to attend 00:20:14.990 --> 00:20:20.009 to. But that pause is huge. That's really important. 00:20:20.410 --> 00:20:24.150 And as a tangent, every single class that I teach 00:20:24.150 --> 00:20:26.289 with my graduate students, so these are folks 00:20:26.289 --> 00:20:31.130 in their 20s, 30s, 40s, older. We always begin 00:20:31.130 --> 00:20:34.369 with a pause and a stretch every single class 00:20:34.369 --> 00:20:36.589 session. And at first the students find it really 00:20:36.589 --> 00:20:38.769 kind of funny or weird, and then they really 00:20:38.769 --> 00:20:41.130 get into it. And by the time students have graduated 00:20:41.130 --> 00:20:43.089 from my program, they're like, hey, we forgot 00:20:43.089 --> 00:20:45.390 to stretch today. That's not cool. Let's do it 00:20:45.390 --> 00:20:48.390 now. It's a really great thing to take a pause 00:20:48.390 --> 00:20:51.849 and to make that a part of a transition. The 00:20:51.849 --> 00:20:54.910 second thing that I noticed was you've got an 00:20:54.910 --> 00:20:58.190 object from nature there. And folks who are experts 00:20:58.190 --> 00:21:02.009 in biophilia will talk about how it is that objects 00:21:02.009 --> 00:21:04.390 in nature as a part of designed environments 00:21:04.390 --> 00:21:08.230 are really essential to folks having experiences 00:21:08.230 --> 00:21:11.990 that are based in well -being. People, and this 00:21:11.990 --> 00:21:14.349 is part of wilderness therapy, going back to 00:21:14.349 --> 00:21:19.579 where we began. When our listeners start to prepare 00:21:19.579 --> 00:21:21.380 for their upcoming school year, as much as they 00:21:21.380 --> 00:21:22.839 don't want to do that in the middle of the summer 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:26.359 there, and when they start to think about different 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:28.160 layouts for their classrooms, whether they're 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.559 coming back to an old space and reworking some 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:32.579 things or starting somewhere completely new, 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:35.339 what are some ideas that they can carry into 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:38.059 their classrooms as a way to design it to be 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:41.920 both student and teacher friendly? I think that 00:21:42.750 --> 00:21:46.230 Having a combination of what you're doing, which 00:21:46.230 --> 00:21:49.829 is having maybe a couple of personal objects 00:21:49.829 --> 00:21:53.609 that tell the story of who you are on display 00:21:53.609 --> 00:21:57.369 is really, really important. Having an object 00:21:57.369 --> 00:22:00.690 or more from nature, and it doesn't even have 00:22:00.690 --> 00:22:03.390 to be a living thing. It can be, again, it can 00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:05.650 be beautiful stones that you've collected or 00:22:05.650 --> 00:22:08.269 seashells or whatever the case might be. It could 00:22:08.269 --> 00:22:12.220 be beautiful sticks and twigs. a branch from 00:22:12.220 --> 00:22:14.339 a tree, who knows? There's all kinds of beautiful 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:16.900 things out there that can be brought into a classroom 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:21.640 as objects of nature. And then I think that it's 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:25.680 really interesting to offer to students to bring 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:29.779 in an object that perhaps they have made or an 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:32.559 object that is in some way important to them 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:36.440 and maybe having an exhibition area. in the classroom. 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:38.779 It can be a shelf. It doesn't have to be anything 00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:42.359 elaborate. It'd be great if you had like a display 00:22:42.359 --> 00:22:46.519 case. And by the way, like IKEA sells display 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:48.920 cases that even can, that are all glass that 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:52.160 can be locked up. So having a display case where 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:54.839 students have little objects on display that 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:58.940 tell a part of their story of who they are, that 00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:01.579 would be very meaningful. You reminded me of 00:23:01.579 --> 00:23:03.240 another little project I tried in that first 00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:07.559 year. called the Nostalgia Wall Project. What 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:10.039 I did is that in one corner of the room, I had 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:13.119 a bunch of seasonal pictures, like from Halloween. 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:15.059 It was like anywhere from my first Halloween 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:18.150 to... Halloween when I was a little bit older 00:23:18.150 --> 00:23:20.390 like in my late teens early 20s and I just had 00:23:20.390 --> 00:23:23.190 pictures from that October season that I would 00:23:23.190 --> 00:23:25.809 keep on my wall for October and I would switch 00:23:25.809 --> 00:23:28.750 it for all the different seasons and I invited 00:23:28.750 --> 00:23:31.150 students to also share their own pictures as 00:23:31.150 --> 00:23:33.349 well to be in that area but the buy -in culture 00:23:33.349 --> 00:23:37.130 was very low as well and same thing with the 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:39.930 holidays I asked students the one time they could 00:23:39.930 --> 00:23:44.180 actually really be in touch with that tree. is 00:23:44.180 --> 00:23:45.859 that we almost turned it into like a little bit 00:23:45.859 --> 00:23:48.420 of a holiday tree and the way I phrased them 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:51.700 is that I said every tree needs an angel on top 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:53.980 during the holiday season so I asked them to 00:23:53.980 --> 00:23:57.079 come in with pictures of those anywhere from 00:23:57.079 --> 00:23:59.519 a pet to a person of people that they could not 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:01.259 share their holiday with because they were no 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:03.700 longer there and we would attach those pictures 00:24:03.700 --> 00:24:07.809 onto the tree for that month. And again, the 00:24:07.809 --> 00:24:11.029 buying culture was also very low. So what are 00:24:11.029 --> 00:24:13.490 some ways, first of all, how can we explain why 00:24:13.490 --> 00:24:15.750 the buying culture could have been low? And what 00:24:15.750 --> 00:24:17.430 are some ways that other teachers who may want 00:24:17.430 --> 00:24:20.109 to try that increase the engagement from their 00:24:20.109 --> 00:24:23.950 students? Yeah, I think that it's a triggering 00:24:23.950 --> 00:24:27.569 thing for students to really think about, for 00:24:27.569 --> 00:24:30.289 anybody to think about someone whom they've lost. 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:35.500 So I think that from thinking about it as being 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:37.619 a potential trigger, it could be something that 00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:40.240 folks just aren't ready to go to. You know, it 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:42.220 takes a lot of healing, a lot of processing, 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:48.500 growth to be able to connect with, to reflect 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:54.690 upon, to meditate upon a loss. So I can imagine 00:24:54.690 --> 00:24:57.730 that it might have felt too personal. It might 00:24:57.730 --> 00:25:01.250 have felt too intimate for somebody to go there. 00:25:01.730 --> 00:25:05.230 And other students would have been ready, right? 00:25:05.369 --> 00:25:08.089 And therefore would have participated eagerly, 00:25:08.089 --> 00:25:11.549 really found it to be really meaningful in a 00:25:11.549 --> 00:25:14.490 very deep way. So I imagine people are at very 00:25:14.490 --> 00:25:17.849 different stages at any given time. One thing 00:25:17.849 --> 00:25:20.809 that I would recommend is actually keeping things 00:25:20.809 --> 00:25:25.349 really vague and letting the students identify 00:25:25.349 --> 00:25:30.849 what is meaningful. So for example, I do an exercise 00:25:30.849 --> 00:25:35.349 in my class with my students where I keep really 00:25:35.349 --> 00:25:38.289 open -ended and really simple. And I say, bring 00:25:38.289 --> 00:25:42.250 in an object that is meaningful to you, deeply 00:25:42.250 --> 00:25:47.240 meaningful. And that's all I say. And a lot of 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:49.259 times people will bring in objects from their 00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:51.960 childhood. They will bring objects associated 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:55.359 with a special day or a milestone. They will 00:25:55.359 --> 00:25:57.880 bring in an object that is something that was 00:25:57.880 --> 00:26:00.740 given to them by somebody who they lost. They 00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:04.460 will bring in objects that they made. They will 00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:08.480 bring in all kinds of objects that... I always 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:11.940 am surprised by they'll bring in objects that 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:15.000 are very humorous or objects that are very serious. 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:17.640 And what we do is we then go around the room 00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:20.519 and the students share. And I give a lot of allowance. 00:26:20.660 --> 00:26:24.819 I'm like, you don't even have to share the meaning 00:26:24.819 --> 00:26:27.900 with the group if you need to pass. If it's too 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:30.500 hard, if it's too emotional, that's cool. You 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:33.319 can pass and we'll go on to the rest of the group. 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:36.980 And almost always people want to share. Because 00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:38.740 they brought in the object and they really want 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:40.900 to share it because it was their own choosing 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:43.400 and their own decision about what was meaningful 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:46.720 about it. And I get a lot of depth. And folks 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:49.339 will, there will be tears sometimes and there 00:26:49.339 --> 00:26:52.579 will be laughter sometimes. But I find that by 00:26:52.579 --> 00:26:54.900 keeping things open -ended like that and having 00:26:54.900 --> 00:26:58.839 the student define what meaningful is and what, 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:03.039 you know, where they want to come to that kind 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:06.509 of conversation, they'll go there. And you will 00:27:06.509 --> 00:27:10.009 see participation, I think, on a higher level. 00:27:10.450 --> 00:27:12.829 And you'll get stuff that you wouldn't have expected. 00:27:13.230 --> 00:27:16.029 As an educator and something to always bear in 00:27:16.029 --> 00:27:20.930 mind, have the students bring themselves to the 00:27:20.930 --> 00:27:26.130 topic, to the task at hand, and let them use 00:27:26.130 --> 00:27:29.329 their own agency when it comes to decision making 00:27:29.329 --> 00:27:32.690 in these kinds of situations that we create, 00:27:32.829 --> 00:27:36.599 that we set up for them to engage. Let them determine 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:40.039 what they're going to bring to it. And you will 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:43.380 see students really step up. I'm going to mention 00:27:43.380 --> 00:27:45.519 something that's very, very grim and dark for 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:48.279 a moment. After the tragedy, there were teacher 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:51.799 friends of mine that had original things like 00:27:51.799 --> 00:27:54.279 original diplomas and original trophies that 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:58.079 they never got to see again because they were 00:27:58.079 --> 00:28:01.160 in the building that was massacred and they never 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:03.019 got to go in and take those objects back because 00:28:03.019 --> 00:28:06.619 that building was eventually. disintegrated and 00:28:06.619 --> 00:28:09.740 I think one thing that I've learned is that our 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:12.200 room should be filled with things that we love 00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:15.819 but not the most personal things that we love 00:28:15.819 --> 00:28:17.880 that we would risk losing out on and I think 00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:19.940 that's a good message for our students as well 00:28:19.940 --> 00:28:24.759 to bring your energy in but bring in copies or 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:27.500 even dummies of things that can be duplicated 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:32.460 at any time. Absolutely. I mean, your most cherished 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:34.599 possession, bring in a photograph of it. Yes, 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:37.799 exactly. Yeah. Right. And leave the real deal 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:41.960 at home. That works too. What have you also seen 00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:44.059 that students bring into a buy -in culture that 00:28:44.059 --> 00:28:48.700 works for them? So many different things. I see 00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:52.579 students bring in a lot of things that for a 00:28:52.579 --> 00:28:55.640 30 -year -old would really surprise you. A toy. 00:28:56.359 --> 00:29:02.200 I see a lot of toys. I see a lot of objects given 00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:07.819 from siblings or parents or dear friends that 00:29:07.819 --> 00:29:11.720 embody the relationship with a very important 00:29:11.720 --> 00:29:15.980 person in their life. I see a lot of that in 00:29:15.980 --> 00:29:19.380 those associations being drawn, the connections 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:23.009 with another person. Is there a question that 00:29:23.009 --> 00:29:24.950 I haven't asked you yet that we expected to talk 00:29:24.950 --> 00:29:27.230 about today or any final thoughts for our listeners? 00:29:27.450 --> 00:29:29.670 And another question I'll ask is when it comes 00:29:29.670 --> 00:29:31.849 to what I call the secret sauce of education, 00:29:32.230 --> 00:29:34.869 what would you say is like the secret sauce to 00:29:34.869 --> 00:29:37.789 the psychotherapeutic object dynamics that educators 00:29:37.789 --> 00:29:39.569 can think about going into their next school 00:29:39.569 --> 00:29:42.970 year? Oh, my goodness. I think in a way what 00:29:42.970 --> 00:29:47.809 I already shared in terms of using objects. to 00:29:47.809 --> 00:29:51.109 allow people to share, to offer their own perspectives, 00:29:51.430 --> 00:29:55.529 is really probably one of the best things that 00:29:55.529 --> 00:29:59.390 I say, keep in your head, keep in your mind as 00:29:59.390 --> 00:30:02.650 an activity that can be done. And again, if it's 00:30:02.650 --> 00:30:05.049 bringing in a photograph of an object that's 00:30:05.049 --> 00:30:07.450 too precious or too dear to be able to actually 00:30:07.450 --> 00:30:11.049 bring in itself. But having students create a 00:30:11.049 --> 00:30:13.829 display, have an exhibition, and again, maybe 00:30:13.829 --> 00:30:16.250 it is an exhibition of photos of an object that 00:30:16.250 --> 00:30:19.190 is very near and dear to you, creating an environment 00:30:19.190 --> 00:30:22.009 where the students are sharing those things and 00:30:22.009 --> 00:30:25.470 they're on display, or even if it is just a one 00:30:25.470 --> 00:30:29.390 -day sharing kind of activity, having an object 00:30:29.390 --> 00:30:32.809 where a student is, again, giving definition 00:30:32.809 --> 00:30:37.880 to what they think meaningful is. And how that 00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:41.240 works from their own perspective, the return 00:30:41.240 --> 00:30:45.259 on that is huge, really huge. Even if you're 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:47.519 not seeing it, even if students are acting kind 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:49.500 of like, yeah, well, I just did this because 00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:52.819 I was told to. Chances are there's something 00:30:52.819 --> 00:30:55.960 there that is really, really clicking for the 00:30:55.960 --> 00:31:01.259 student. And you will find a tone of sharing 00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:04.970 student to student, student to you. that will 00:31:04.970 --> 00:31:09.589 be really changed in a really positive way. And 00:31:09.589 --> 00:31:12.789 I think that students definitely engage in classes 00:31:12.789 --> 00:31:16.289 that invite them to do so, so much more, because 00:31:16.289 --> 00:31:18.890 now they're physically a part of it, not just 00:31:18.890 --> 00:31:20.490 emotionally, but also physically a part of it. 00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:24.380 Professor Brenda Cowan, thank you so much again 00:31:24.380 --> 00:31:26.380 for sharing your thoughts and your insights on 00:31:26.380 --> 00:31:29.119 the power of stories, spaces, and the objects 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:31.519 that we hold on to. This episode reminds us that 00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:34.299 healing isn't always loud. It's often quiet, 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:37.619 subtle, and found in the textures of our everyday 00:31:37.619 --> 00:31:40.319 lives. To our listeners, remember that the spaces 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:43.099 you shape are stories in themselves. So let's 00:31:43.099 --> 00:31:44.960 keep building ones that make room for reflection, 00:31:45.220 --> 00:31:49.140 empathy, and growth. Thank you for joining us 00:31:49.140 --> 00:31:51.359 on the Classroom Narratives Healing and Education 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:54.619 podcast. If today's episode inspired you or made 00:31:54.619 --> 00:31:56.619 you think differently, I'd love to hear from 00:31:56.619 --> 00:31:59.500 you. Drop a comment or review wherever you listen 00:31:59.500 --> 00:32:02.299 to podcasts and stay connected with us on the 00:32:02.299 --> 00:32:04.660 at Classroom Narratives podcast over Instagram 00:32:04.660 --> 00:32:08.160 and Facebook. Remember, together we can transform 00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:11.799 our scars into stars in education, one conversation 00:32:11.799 --> 00:32:12.920 at a time.