Profiling six phases of the mythic hero's journey from unconscious innocence to ultimate self-awareness, argues that shared vision, purpose, and inquiry, combined with the use of the collective wisdom of myth, legend, and metaphor, can transform a school.
Trite. I question whether I learned anything from this metaphor-laden book that repeatedly compared the job of an educator to the heroic journeys of Odysseus, Dorothy in Oz, Luke Skywalker, and Bilbo Baggins. I do not accept that the educator's journey has six distinct stages. Moreover, the metaphor of Hercules defeating the Hydra by burying its immortal head baffled me (p. 62). Should educators solve problems by burying them? I'm not sure this metaphor is consistent with the book's central theme that educators must embrace and confront the complexity and chaos inherent in modern public education.