Head of School Blog "Superheroes and Secret Identities"

Tom Rosenbluth
I walked into school today with Wonder Woman and The Flash. Of course, this is part of the fun of working at an elementary/middle school. The kids are uninhibited about trying on new personas and yesterday’s avatar for Suzie is today’s costume for John. A puzzled board member asked me what the costumes were all about. I have a number of theories about that.
 
First, when children experiment with their clothing, hair and general appearance I think it is a very healthy thing. They are hard at work creating their identity. They have many guideposts and examples to follow; family expectations, societal norms, gender norms, micro-cultural norms and even the expectations of their little clique or group of friends.
 
I had a student once who dressed up as Thor every single day in my Third Grade class. I was cool with it. Our daily conversations went something like this;

“Thor, you look particularly heroic today. Are you ready to conquer spelling?”
“Aw, sugar! Was that quiz today?”
“I’m afraid so. But I am confident a student with your powers will be able to cope.”
“By Odin’s Hammer, you are right! By the way, does Valhalla have two h’s?”
“Thor, Thor, I’m going to miss you when you graduate.”

The last time I heard from Thor was when he sent me his honors thesis from college on the value of heroic modeling in character development. I hope he is still wielding his mighty hammer out there somewhere for truth and justice.
 
I had an advisee in middle school who had a secret identity. In school, she was invisible. She always wore muted grey, spoke in hushed tones, rarely made eye contact, in fact, her bangs hid her eyes completely. But she gave me hints that this was just a disguise. One day an invitation mysteriously appeared on my desk for an open mic poetry reading at a bookstore. And there she was. And the confident, charismatic performer who held the audience spellbound was like an incredible sunburst after a period of fog. Amazed, I talked to her backstage and she confided that she had been wounded with some friendships but was ready to come out of hiding. She eventually ended up as president of student government in high school. But she might have easily remained cloaked. Yet another lesson on the value of connecting and the critical importance of truly seeing students and knowing who they are.
 
I knew a co-teacher who once confided that Atticus Finch was her hero. She hoped that the courage of her convictions were a fine example and believed deeply in the value of gentle strength. Her desk was festooned with quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird. And she truly internalized the qualities she worked so assiduously to emulate. I witnessed her bravery as she successfully battled a serious illness and overcame a bitter and unfair setback at work with class and grace. She became one of my heroes.
 
I caught up with Flash at recess. He was moving incredibly fast, avoiding the third grade amorous advances of Wonder Woman.

“Hey Streak! Where’s the fire?” I asked as I flagged him down.
“Right behind me! I don’t know what’s got into her.”
“I think she likes you. Watch out, Wonder Woman is gaining on you!”
“I’m not ready for a commitment. Anyway, she can’t hit a moving target.”

And he was gone in a blur, secure in his identity as the Flash, safe for now until that future point, almost unimaginable, when he will be ready to slow down and meet W.W. on her terms.
 
So heroes matter. I love it that at Orchard we give students the room and the freedom to experiment and try on different identities. Eventually they will find the right one that fits them perfectly.

Truly,

Tom 


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