McKee,+Melanie


 * Assignment #1**

My name is Melanie McKee, and I am a third grade teacher at Rosslyn Academy, a Christian international school in Nairobi, Kenya. I am passionate about learning and continuing to grow as an educator. In addition to pouring my life into my third graders, I love cooking, traveling to visit family and friends around the world, drinking coffee, reading, and enjoying this beautiful country I call home. Climbing Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro (TZ) have been two outdoor highlights of my time here. Since this is now my tenth year teaching at Rosslyn, I also love keeping up with former students who are now in middle and high school.



Just the course name “Conflict Resolution and Peaceable Schools” suggests a host of possibilities with endless practical applications. As a third grade teacher, I am hoping that this course will help me with practical suggestions to create a classroom environment that best fosters learning – an environment where students feel secure, loved, and supported. It should be an environment in which disagreements and problems can be resolved in a manner that helps students develop life-long conflict resolution skills, and in which they are empowered to independently think through and make decisions to promote a peaceful environment.

I would love to see several topics addressed in this course, specifically gender-specific conflict in younger grades, bullying, respect, home support and involvement, and video games. As a teacher of third graders the last six years, I see the same gender-specific problems each year. The boys generally experience conflict related to sports and competition, and the girl issues stem from friendship conflicts. Bullying is a topic that I would like to see addressed, even though I usually do not have serious problems with bullying in my classroom. Respect is a topic I would love to discuss further in this course, because I do feel strongly that an environment that does not have respectful speech and actions is going to be one where conflict is more prevalent. Home support and similar expectations to be respectful of others makes an enormous impact on the classroom. I think overall parent/guardian involvement in a student’s life also tremendously affects his/her social skills and conflict management. The last topic I am interested in learning more about is the impact of video games and other violent visual stimuli on students’ (especially boys’) ability to connect relationally with others and manage conflict in a healthy way.


 * Assignment # 2 **

The role of nurture in the film //The Power of One// is significant, but the role of nature also plays an important part of PK’s development throughout boyhood. From the beginning of the film, we see a boy whose life experiences profoundly shape who he is and who he becomes. We also see that despite hardship, loss, grief, persecution, and pain, PK stays resilient and makes choices to persevere and maintain hope. I have to believe that this is at least partly the role of nature in his life. Clearly, there are influential people, systems and experiences that help shape his life in positive ways – like his mother, the medicine man, Doc, Geel Piet, his headmaster, and Maria; and in negative ways – like his Afrikaner school, Botha, and Sergeant Bormann. But the ability to remain hopeful and to not let his spirit be crushed is a testament to something that is ingrained in each human being. We are all created with an innate desire to hope. “A waterfall begins with only one drop of water…look what comes from that?” says teenager PK to his secondary headmaster. As a young boy, leaving the security of home after the death of one parent, and then shortly after losing his mother as well, PK endures a horrific school experience, one that is not a place of safety, nor a secure environment in which to learn. Through the death of his mother, torment and rejection from students, and the loss of his chicken Masibindi, his beloved protector and best friend, PK’s indomitable spirit maintains hope. I think most people would understand a different outlook on life, an attitude of bitterness, anger, and a desire to retaliate. But that is not what PK chooses, despite more pain than any child should have to endure.

After his excruciating Afrikaner school experience, Doc becomes his mentor, parent-figure, teacher, and friend, and makes “Africa my classroom.” He nurtures in PK a love of nature, of learning, and of discovery, and happiness returns to PK’s life. “One by one the loneliness birds flew away with the stone eggs they had laid in my heart,” describes the lifting of the heavy burden formed from the difficulties in his early years. Even after Doc is imprisoned, he spends time with PK at the prison, asks him questions about school, and is interested in his life, continuing his mentoring role but also transferring some of that responsibility to Geel Piet, who trains PK as a boxer. PK writes letters for all the tribes, brings tobacco for everyone, and is respected by all. Geel Piet perpetuates hope among the inmates that PK is the bringer of peace and unity, or the ‘Rainmaker.’ I think that the unifying role that PK plays at the prison is instrumental in his life. While observing others who are mistreated, as he himself once was, he is able to courageously be a source of strength, courage, hope, and even justice.

We all face fear, loneliness, distress, and other obstacles to joy and happiness. Sometimes it is by overcoming obstacles that we emerge stronger, having faced the fires of persecution. Certainly our experiences shape who we are, but it is each individual’s innate hope and strength that emerge through the storm. PK’s character is shaped by hardship, pain, struggle, and loss: out of these experiences emerge resilience, courage, determination, strength, perseverance, justice, and hope.


 * Assignment #3 **

A peaceable community, school, or classroom is one of respect. People – parents, teachers, students, and anyone else at all participating in a school community – would honor each other with respectful speech, by showing deference to one another in selfless acts, and by respecting the environment around them. In //The Power of One//, PK’s first school was anything but a peaceable community. The teacher we saw communicated with harshness that would have instilled anxiety and fear in any child listening, and the words he spoke against PK’s country were anything but tolerant. In a peaceable community of any kind, acceptance of each individual as a human being needs to be central, rules should make sense, expectations should be clear and high enough so that students are challenged, and responsibilities should be shared.

Arias, O. (1987, December)Only Peace Can Write the New History. Retrieved from: []

[|Manuel Roig-Franzia], M. (2012, August) Oscar Arias Sanchez reflects on 25 years since Central American peace accords. Retrieved from: [|http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/oscar-arias-] [|sanchez-reflects-on-25-years-since-central-american-peace-accords/2012/08/22/e396ea92-] [|e7d8-11e1-a3d2-2a05679928ef_story.html]

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica. (2014, October) []

If Hank came to my classroom, he would observe a fairly peaceable community, though some days the energy it takes me to help students process friendship problems, settle soccer disputes, and encourage respectful speech and attitudes makes me feel as though my mind is not completely at peace! I have worked hard to create a classroom environment where students feel like they are each an important part of a team – in fact, we call ourselves the 3A All-Stars and try to function as a team, each student doing his or her own part to contribute to creating a positive learning environment. In our classroom, Hank would notice several external encouragers of a peaceable environment, like a class covenant posted on the wall, signed by, and committing each student to, respecting one another in speech and actions, as well as giving best efforts toward learning, discovering, and problem-solving. A T.H.I.N.K. before you speak poster encourages students to consider before they speak: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? A S.T.E.P.S. toward problem solving poster reminds students how to systematically think and process through resolving conflict: Stop what you’re doing, Take Turns Talking, Explain how you feel (using I-messages: I feel _ when you _ because _), Plan how to fix the problem, and Shake hands. Realistically, I have to admit that the current evidence of a peaceable community is not as strong as it used to be in my classroom. I spend a lot of energy and effort working with a few students to practice respectful responses, especially to me and to the aide in my classroom. Violence is not an issue we have had to deal with at all this year. But an undercurrent of unrest sometimes permeates the entire team and creates an environment that stifles learning. With the boys, it is related to sports conflicts or one boy who generally has a bad attitude. With the girls, it is related to friendship conflicts – feeling left out, body language that communicates exclusivity, and disappointment. I can tell in students’ body language that they are affected by it. I fight to promote peace by modeling respect, by holding students to a high standard of respectful speech and behavior, and by focusing on a holistic educational instead of simply teaching content. I do believe that the commitment to dealing with interpersonal tensions in the classroom eventually reaps lifelong benefits. So if the learning environment is not entirely peace//ful//, it is for a greater and longer lasting peace than can be achieved by maintaining a classroom that seems peaceable on the surface but is filled with inner turmoil and distress. I also know that a classroom in conflict suppresses students’ ability to learn well, for their minds to be focused and for them to desire and be able to absorb new information. It is certainly a balancing act to meaningfully process and resolve conflict – which takes time – and also keep students interested and able to learn.


 * Assignment #4 **

When I took the violence quiz, I was not convinced that violence had actually decreased in the last 800 years. I overestimated violence in the United States, probably in part because of media attention to violent crime. I find it fascinating that such a disproportionate amount of negative attention is given to violence rather than positive news. Perhaps it is western media that actually helps perpetuate the atrocities we see in our nation. My quiz subjects were split on the question of the United States being in a period of extreme violence, probably because of media attention. I thought this lesson was interesting and somewhat confusing, because the Monkkonen article seemed to indicate that violence in the western world was increasing, but the information from the quiz and graphs showed that it is actually decreasing. I thought more about the possible reasons for an increase or decrease in violence, and while I did not come to a settled conclusion on the matter, I do think that violence in the United States is connected at its heart to the decline in family values.


 * Using Torture or Enhanced Interrogation Techniques **

I think that torture or other “enhanced” interrogation techniques defy our God-given human dignity and value. Even the UN Convention Against Torture recognizes “that those rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person,” stating that, “torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession…” Aside from the fact that information obtained by torture cannot necessarily be trusted, using such techniques is a violation of someone’s dignity. While I understand, and even agree, that those who have inflicted atrocities upon others do not deserve compassion and mercy, neither do their actions justify the removal of their own humanity by enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding, sleep deprivation, slapping, sexual threats, and humiliation. If justice cannot be obtained through humane means, then it should be left the hands of the Creator.

I was surprised that violence in the United States has not actually increased in the past 30 years. From the Monkkonen article, I had the impression that homicides were on the rise in the United States. In the contrast presented between Europe and the US, age of nations stands out to me as a factor in the development of violence on both sides of the ocean; and yet, it seems as though Canada’s gun ownership rates are similar, Canada’s homicide rate is nowhere near that of the US. As a relatively young nation, the United States has not yet endured the number of years nor reached the maturity of its friends across the Atlantic. Additionally, there are factors such as their fragmented government structure and a history of tolerated violence in slavery, which could have affect homicide rates.

CIA tactics: What is ‘enhanced interrogation’? (2014, December) Retrieved from: []

Convention Against Torture (1994, July 16). Retrieved from: []

Extra Credit

I was initially surprised at the W.F. Burns Middle School’s approach to preparing their teachers and middle school students for active shooters, but the rationale becomes more plausible upon reflection. With accounts of school shootings a common story in the news these days, it does make sense to prepare a school community to do something other than hide and wait to be found. In the unusual strategy described by Priscilla Holley, kids are actually empowered to do something besides wait to be targets. I think one can argue strongly that with the training and rehearsal that this Alabama school offers its teachers and students, mental preparation for a quick response places them in a better place to respond effectively in the unlikely chance that an intruder were to enter their school. The plan – A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Escape) – empowers students, but not only for a counteraction of throwing objects at an intruder. The most important response is a timely alert and lockdown, followed by dissemination of information. The hope, of course, is that in the event of an improbable intrusion, throwing objects would give students and teachers an increased chance of survival by confusing and surprising the intruder. Another argument for using the A.L.I.C.E. plan is that more people involved in immediate action against the intruder.

On the other side of the issue, I was also surprised at the W.F. Burns Middle School’s approach to preparing their teachers and middle school students for active shooters, and I am a teacher. This unconventional and unique approach of surprising an intruder would have me in arms if I were a parent. To have kids involved in active response against an intruder is risky, dangerous, and traumatic. Thinking through the repercussions that the training of A.L.I.C.E. entails is serious enough and should involve more than administration and a school board. Children who are barely teenagers do not need the distress that preparation for an intruder would require, and without knowing the kind of trauma that some students may have already suffered in their young lives, schools cannot put them through that kind of unneeded stress, merely for the unlikely event that an intruder might enter the school building. Additionally, in the actual event that an intruder did enter the school, I would not want my child involved in counteraction against him/her. Not only would I want my child dealing with the trauma of being involved in assault, I would not want my child to be put in greater danger of being harmed by being actively engaged against an intruder.

[]

Schaeffer, C. (2015, January). Alabama school has a ‘funny’ way of arming students if there’s a shooter. And by ‘funny,’ we mean… Retrieved from: [|http://www.ijreview.com/2015/01/231864-middle-school-takes-bizarre-approach-] [|combat-potential-shooters-involves-canned-food/?] [|utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=conservativedaily&utm_campaign=Guns]


 * Assignment #5 **

One of my single friends has gone through the process of adopting a three-year old Kenyan girl this past year. The girl has been in her home for about eight months. As a single mom, my friend has to be “on” all the time, and this initial bonding period has, of course, been of utmost importance. But to help her out in her exhaustion, I volunteered to take the child one evening and put her to bed so that my friend could have a couple hours “off.” My attempt to help was a disaster. As soon as the child knew that I was staying with her, she lost complete control, inconsolably wailing and calling for “my momma.” If I picked her up, she writhed and flailed until I had to put her down. Nothing I could say or do helped, until eventually I turned on the television and left the room. She quieted until I came back into the room, and then again she lost complete control, and I could not reason with her. I had to call her mom back to the house. As soon as the girl saw her mom, she settled down and was calm. The tears were gone. While I realize that this story sounds like a child simply having a temper tantrum, I have been around enough children over the years to believe that this episode was something different, and I am interested to know more about the relationship between the amygdala in children who have been adopted.





I was fascinated with Amy Cuddy’s talk on the power of body language in influencing our attitudes about ourselves, as well as our actual behavior. I thought it was so interesting that not only is our nonverbal language communicated to and interpreted by others, but it also significantly influences how we think and behave. That simply changing your body posture can do so much to persuade your mind and thereby actions has powerful implications in so many arenas. As a teacher of young students, I am excited about the possibilities when introducing my students to public speaking. To be able to start developing these attitudes and habits as 8 and 9 year olds will affect their futures! I know that it took me years to feel confident and comfortable in front of people, and even now I can think of times when I exhibited some of the “weaker” behaviors that Cuddy mentioned: touching the neck, crossing arms or legs, and generally making my body small. One of my sisters recently mentioned that before the interview for her current job, she applied some of Cuddy’s principles – making her body “big” and stretching her arms over her head in a pose of victory. After watching the TED talk, I pay more attention to body language – mine and others’. I think that teaching my students how to act confidently, whether or not they feel confident, will empower them to become self-assured, poised individuals.


 * Assignment #6 **

What is a conflict? It is a clash between two opposing sides of a situation. According to Merriam-Webster, a conflict (noun) is “a fight, battle, or war; a competitive or opposing action of incompatibles: antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons);” a “mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands;” or “the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction.” Parties may view conflict as verbal disagreements or arguments, but sometimes conflict exists simply as opposing ideas that are not even discussed.

What is conflict resolution? It is resolving a conflict, or bringing the conflict to a close so that struggle ceases. According to Merriam-Webster, resolution is “the act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc, the act of resolving something.” Conflict resolution often involves compromise between two parties. I have used elements of the Responsive Classroom approach in my classroom and testify that in a safe learning environment in which students feel accepted and valued, this program encourages steps toward conflict resolution that are respectful and effective.

Merriam-Webster online dictionary. [|www.merriam-webster.com]

Crowe, C. (2009, February) Coaching Children in Handling Everyday Conflicts. Adapted from //Solving// //Thorny Behavior Problems//. Retrieved from: []

I have a student with whom I have had frequent conflict over the last couple months. If I confront him about a problem he has had with another student, or about his attitude toward learning, or even simply request that he sit in a different spot in the room, he will immediately be on the defensive and begin to question me and argue in a high-pitched heated and argumentative way. Usually the issues are inconsequential, but once his emotions are fully engaged, and until he can calm down, there is absolutely no reasoning with him. Removing him from the situation is the only way to restart his brain; it allows him to refocus, reflect, and calm down, at which point he becomes a docile, sweet child again. Recently, this student continually caused distractions in the classroom, becoming more of a disturbance to others and becoming disrespectful to me as well in his responses, gestures, and tone and volume of his voice. Finally, I asked him to go sit in the office. When I followed about 15 minutes later, I reiterated expectations for the classroom and how he needed to behave and respond. His demeanor was completely changed from the out-of-control boy who had been disruptive not long before. He was calm, respectful, and compliant. Removal from the classroom changed the rest of his day, because it allowed him to reset his mind and emotions. My frequent observations of this student and the way he overreacts and then cannot calm down once confronted lead me to believe that the amygdala does hinder conflict resolution, and until he deescalates away from the situation, it is impossible to have a rational conversation, learn effectively, or solve a conflict.


 * Assignment #7 **

I-Messages:

// When you cover your mouth and laugh and whisper when you’re looking at other girls, it looks like you’re talking about and laughing at them, and they feel left out and hurt. //

// When you look at me when I’m talking, you are more likely to understand the lesson and instructions, and I feel respected and confident that you will complete your task well. //

// When you give your best effort and have a positive attitude in class, you accomplish more and set a good example for others, and I feel encouraged that our classroom is a better learning environment for everyone. //

I delivered my I-messages in a classroom setting. The reactions were neutral, at best. The girls to whom I delivered the first I-message seem to need more than words to convince them that their actions are hurtful to other girls in our class. In this particular situation, another teacher is now working with the group of girls to role-play situations through the creation of a friendship skit, as well as focusing on caring for each other in a variety of ways.

Developmentally for third graders, I think that I-messages are important to teach students how to articulate actions and their consequences. To help students arrive at a point where these messages truly sink into their hearts and change their behavior is easier said than done. Positive I-messages may, at this stage, be more helpful than corrective ones, especially if used in conjunction with praise to reinforce each message.

// Messages to Gigi //
 * Corrective: **

Dear Gigi,

When you enter my home uninvited and borrow things without asking, I can’t keep track of my belongings, and I feel disrespected and like you have invaded my privacy.


 * Positive: **

Dear Gigi,

When you ask to borrow things from me, you allow me to maintain my privacy and security, and I feel respected.

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT

Watching the story of the teacher who wrote the letter about smelly children, I could empathize with how the teacher must have felt, but I also would not have handled the situation in the same way. I have had students come to school, not with soiled clothing, but with offensive body odor. It is a sensitive matter, because in no way should a teacher jeopardize a student’s feeling of physical or emotional security in his or her learning environment, but at the same time hygiene is an important part of a child’s physical well-being. When this particular teacher hand-wrote a letter home, expressing that it was difficult to be around children who smelled bad and were dirty, her entire purpose as an educator was defeated. Teachers exist to love and educate a whole child. What this teacher could have done was to deliver an I-message that communicated the need for better hygiene, without making the child or guardian feel offended or hurt. In a professional, typed, administration-approved letter, a possible I-message could have been: “When children come to school in soiled clothes, they are not physically and mentally ready to learn, and we as a school feel like we need to take time to address personal hygiene before we can effectively meet children’s academic needs.” Making it a school issue rather than a personal one (which the handwritten, unprofessional letter did by specifically referencing the difficulty of being close to the children when they were smelly and unclean) leaves the message a general one, not specific or personal one. I think parents would be more receptive to such a message. And like the one grandmother said in the video, a face-to-face meeting, learning more about a child’s situation, and showing care and concern, would have gone a long way to making families feel like the teacher was bringing up hygiene out of love for her students and with their best interests in mind.

Tan, S. (2013, November) Teacher faces discipline for letter about smelly children. Retrieved from:

[|http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo-public-schools/teacher-faces-discipline-for-] [|letter-about-smelly-children-20131122]


 * Assignment #8 **

I have one student, who is a leader in the class, and whose behavior in the classroom is distracting to others and to me, limiting his own ability to complete his work well and in a time frame that he is capable of completing it. He frequently leaves his seat during lessons and walks around the classroom for various reasons. In the last month, he has had a negative attitude, complaining about assignments or tasks, groaning audibly, and telling me frequently that he wants to go home. Two specific behaviors I want him to work on changing are: 1) Raising his hand to ask permission before leaving his seat during a lesson, and 2) Keeping a neutral or positive attitude, by maintaining a neutral or positive facial expression, and by responding positively about normal classroom expectations. There are other behaviors that I would also like this student to change, but focusing on two changes seems to be the most manageable approach, both in terms of success for the student as well as measurability. These two behaviors are also the most distracting and disruptive of the behaviors I have noticed.

Thankfully, for better or worse, this student also displays the second behavior at home. His parents and I are in frequent contact about strategies, and they are supportive and encouraging of my efforts in the classroom. I think that in this case, having the parents sign off on the behavior contract will help reinforce what we are attempting to accomplish. In a case where parents were not supportive or helpful in enforcing and encouraging the desired behavior, I would probably not request a parent signature on a behavior contract but instead keep it a matter of school record and simply inform the parents of what I was attempting to accomplish.

I like the Positive Behavior contract, because it is manageable and understandable for the student, and it also requires student feedback. For the first week, I will use this every day. I will combine this contract with a Countdown tracking sheet for the student to keep and record the positive behaviors both for staying in his seat and positive attitude, facial expressions, and responses to tasks. I think this third grader is capable of the responsibility of tracking his own behavior, and I think in doing so will experience the satisfaction of seeing how much more he can accomplish in a day and how much better it feels to practice a positive attitude. I will not provide extrinsic motivation for this behavior contract, except to compliment what he does well and point out the benefits of the positive behaviors. At the end of the week, I will re-evaluate with the student to see if we need to continue to use a behavior contract each day. If the behavior has shown improvement, I will use the “Race to 20” charts – one for each behavior – and stamp a smiley face stamp each day that he shows positive attitudes, responses, and facial expressions; or that he stays in his seat during lessons. When he fills up the chart, I will give him choice of a small reward that I know he would enjoy – playing soccer or basketball during our weekly “Fun Friday,” going out a few minutes early for recess, or having lunch in the classroom with me.




 * Assignment #9 **

When I took the Personality Profile test, my results were fairly balanced across all four styles. My strongest preferences were Practical Manager, followed closely by Learned Expert. As I read the description of the Practical Manger, most of what Baum and Nicols describe resonated with me: I prefer one or two close friends with similar interests, and I work better when I know expectations, rules, and deadlines. I work best in a quiet and organized environment, check items off a list, and sometimes seem perfectionistic. I do not think that anyone would consider me obsessive-compulsive, based on my organization. I feel that because of my profession as a teacher, I have honed necessary organizational skills over the past ten years. Teaching, planning, communicating, and all the rest of the details that come with an educator’s job – especially in an elementary classroom – require organizational skills. So I do wonder how much of scoring highest as Practical Manager is learned, rather than innate personality. My second highest score was Learned Expert. As I read the description, my dad and only a few students in my past ten years of teaching truly fit that description. I did not think that the description fit me at all – specifically, eloquent expression, enjoyment of debate, advanced verbal skills, and continual engagement in intellectual pursuits. I was surprised that the point difference between Practical Manager and Learned Expert was so small.


 * Assignment #10 **

In the movies, //The Power of One// and //October Sky//, nature and nurture both play important roles in the development of the main characters, PK and Homer. In //October Sky//, Homer’s family is instrumental in many ways in shaping who he becomes, through meaningful interactions, by harsh criticism, and by supportive encouragement. Homer’s father is neither supportive nor encouraging, calling his son a “menace,” a “thief,” telling him that he is ashamed of him, and even throwing Homer’s rocket away. He tries in various ways to crush Homer’s dream, leaving Homer confused and emotionally hurt at his father’s support of his brother, but not of him. But it does not dampen his ambition. When Homer decides to take his father’s place in the mine, father and son finally find common ground and his father respects Homer for the sacrifice he has made for the family. Homer’s father expresses his pride in Homer for his work in the mine as well as his expectation that he will continue there, making the disappointment even greater when his son stands up to him and boldly expresses his dream of space instead. Ironically, though perhaps not surprisingly, Homer eventually affirms his dad as his hero, identifying in his father the same qualities that have made him successful and that make Homer driven in his hopes and dreams. Through being harsh and pushing him, Homer’s father helps shape the successful man that Homer will become as a NASA engineer, training astronauts for space missions. The quiet encouragement and support from Homer’s mother is a steadying force in his life, balancing his father’s rebukes and discouragement. PK does not have much time with his family, as his mother dies when he is young. But her encouragement and love influence him still as he matures. PK’s “family” is not biological, but people certainly help shape him with their encouragement and belief in him, like Doc, Geel Piet, his headmaster at the Prince of Wales school, and Maria. Clearly, there are influential people, systems and experiences that help shape both Homer’s and PK’s lives, in negative ways as well – like the young PK’s Afrikaner school, Botha, and Sergeant Bormann, and for Homer, his father. Both the positive and negative mold these young men into the strong and influential men that they become.

PK and Homer are both influenced by their mothers, though in different ways and for differing periods of time. While PK’s mother is only physically present for a short time in his life, she still is a loving and inspiring presence, the effect of her love and support remaining with PK through the difficulties that he faces as a boy and young man. Homer’s mother is present during his formative years, exerting a peaceful, encouraging influence over him, giving him the space he needs to pursue his dreams. She is quiet and calm, assuring Homer of her love as well as her husband’s, despite his harshness.

PK and Homer have vastly different school experiences. While PK’s initial exposure to education is one of degradation, shame, and discouragement, Homer is challenged and inspired by Miss Riley, believing that he can succeed, despite the obstacles he faces at home and in the process of building his rockets. The hope that Miss Riley enthusiastically displays for the boys’ success drives them to succeed, and she even stands up to the principal of the school when he voices no hope for their future. “How ‘bout I believe in the unlucky ones,” are Miss Riley’s words, showing not only her determination to support the rocket boys, but also her faith in the power of education. The principal doesn’t believe that Homer and the boys can do anything besides work in the mines. His only hope for students escaping the town is to get out on a football scholarship. Eventually, though he supports the boys. In //The Power of One//, the headmaster of the prestigious Prince of Wales School is supportive of PK and encourages him in his desire to teach underprivileged South Africans, despite the possible threat to the school.

Miss Riley’s influence exemplifies the heart and soul that so many teachers pour into education. When Homer’s mother will not overtly support him, and his father refuses to support him, Miss Riley says, “I’m proud of you, whatever you choose.” Her life of service and support of her students make Homer and his friends strive toward seemingly unreachable goals, and they enter a science fair. PK does not have the same kind of loving and motivating support from his instructors in school, but the encouragement and attention he receives from Doc open up his world to endless possibilities of exploration.

Even the community rallies behind the Rocket Boys, though their initial skepticism keeps many at arm’s length in the early stages of rocket launching. From the supportive friends who band together to develop the rocket, to a helpful welder, to the growing crowd at the launches, the town becomes a part of the experience to encourage and support Homer and his friends. In the end, they dedicate their final rocket to the ones who inspired, helped, and supported them through the arduous process of creating a working rocket. Similarly, PK’s experience is one in which the community helps shape and propel him in his dreams. His community is somewhat different, however, as he is surrounded by prisoners while spending time with Doc, and by friends in the black South African community when he boxes. He also faces opposition from the Afrikaner community.

Both Homer and PK are shaped by their experiences and by the people in their lives. Inspiration and discouragement, love and hate, support and opposition – the good and the bad influence who they become and foster spirits of resilience and hope for a better future.