The Hanged Man - Different Points of View

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."- To Kill a Mockingbird

My class has been reading that novel this term and that quote really got me thinking more about the Hanged Man. In fact, Atticus Finch reminds me of the Hanged Man in some ways. Although this card represents a time of inaction and contemplation, while Atticus Finch was a man who worked hard to defend his client, I do believe they have some things in common.

Beyond inaction and contemplation, the Hanged Man represents sacrifice, of giving up something for the greater good. In the case of Atticus, he sacrificed his own security and stability to stand up and do the right thing. Atticus and his children were being harassed and even threatened by some of the townspeople, but he never wavered in his mission. The Hanged Man is also about seeing things from different angles in order to get a better understanding of people and of situations and this was a concept that Atticus tried hard to teach his children.

I feel that the Hanged Man is a good match to the concept of critical thinking - a huge topic at my school and I'm sure in many others. I think it's important that students learn not just how to read, but also to come up with interesting, thoughtful, and hopefully accurate interpretations of a text, as well as to evaluate the ideas that they read about. The days of spoon feeding facts are over and it's important that we teach our students to think for themselves instead of having them rely on us to do all the thinking for them!

I also feel that the Hanged Man is an important card for teachers. Speaking for myself, I know that sometimes I can fall into the trap of just seeing my students as my students and not seeing them as individuals, especially when they are ticking me off. But it's really important that we see where they are coming from. That we see them.

This came to light for me on a deeper level yesterday when I assigned them a personal narrative essay assessment. They have their choice of four prompts which came from the 2014 Common Application:

1. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
2. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
3. Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
4. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Overall, during the brainstorming session, most wrote down benign topics that most teenagers face - failing a test, questioning authority, listening to music in their bedrooms, and winning a championship. However, some wrote about darker topics like domestic violence, cutting, eating disorders, coming out and not being accepted by family, or just being neglected. Obviously, I had to connect with guidance counselors about some of the responses I received because I am a mandated reporter, but I also became very reflective about the whole experience. And it all came down to one big question for me: how can we expect our students to learn when some of them are struggling with really difficult and possibly traumatic things?

But upon further reflection,  I realized that at some point in all of our lives we all experience really difficult and traumatic things. This IS the human experience. We really are all in this together. This is why it is so important to take breaks from ego-centric thinking so that we can really tap into our compassionate energy. This doesn't mean that we should pity our students and not hold them accountable for their work, but it does mean that we should be gentler in our tone and reactions when they make mistakes academically or behaviorally. And we also need to remember that everyone has a story. People can look fine and put together on the outside, but we don't know what Hell they are experiencing on the inside. I was shocked to discover what some of my A students are living through.

So I really think the Hanged Man is a great card to meditate with when you need to get in touch with your inner Atticus Finch.

All my best,

Amy