Basic Description

The logo consists of an African elephant done in a style reminiscent of the Pacific Islander / Polynesian / Maori style of tatu art. The dot on the elephant’s forehead represents the “third eye,” the point in the forehead considered to be the seat of knowledge in many cultures. The seven wrinkles in the trunk represent the value of the number 7 in many cultures, such as being lucky or reflective of the 7 chakras. Being an elephant, the symbol also alludes to the Buddha and the Hindu deity Ganesha / Ganesh. The logo itself reflects multiculturalism in that the influences on the image come from a wide array of cultures.

Teacher Learning

The elephant’s trunk is one of the most diverse biomechanical feats of engineering in existence. It can both fell a tree and pick up a needle. No single man-made machine can replicate this feat — anything similar would be a composite of several mechanisms. Likewise, teachers must use a variety of approaches in working with students from diverse cultures. At times these may be blatant (strong) and other times subtle (dexterous). This broad spectrum of ability reflects the way professional development should help teachers employ a broad range of techniques — some strong, some subtle — in working with and being aware of differences in students’ cultural backgrounds.

Student Learning

An elephant’s height can be considered reflective of high standards. In cartoons, elephants are often depicted as having rather stodgy personalities — like that of the “British commander” types seen in Dumbo and Disney’s adaptation of Tarzan (if I remember correctly). These personality types are considered to be the product of high standards that are considered stereotypical of both British and military upbringing.

The elephant can also be related to the principles of student learning in that my own interest in elephants, as well as the other cultural influences that went into the design, came from a host of personal experiences and the opportunity to travel and view contexts outside the social, political, and economic ones in which I typically lived. Some of these were through extra-curricular and co-curricular activities that enhanced my global perspective and academic achievement.

Much like my own experiences, I like to expose students to other cultures through a variety of means. For example, I showed a DVD on paragliding in the Himalayas to the students who showed up for school on the day of a beloved classmate’s funeral. Classes were so sparse, there was no purpose in actually doing anything academic. Even though there was no point in moving the chemistry and geology classes forward, I thought the documentary would give students a glimpse into the culture of a people they were not familiar with, while also showing those people experiencing something from Western culture (the climbers were teaching sherpas to paraglide).

Intergroup Relations

In the same way that students should be aware of cultural differences and be able to integrate, even celebrate, those differences into the identity of a given class as a unified group — perhaps even a culture of its own, e.g. the “culture” of 5th period chemistry — the logo draws upon multiple cultural influences, consolidating them into a single, unified whole that preserves those elements while taking on a life of its own in the combination of those elements.

School Governance,
Organization, and Equity

Though elephant herds are predominantly female, the makeup of the herd can be reflective of a school’s governing body. You may notice that the cast of the elephant’s eyes in the logo gives it a decidedly feminine appearance. Members of the elephant herd support each other by providing aid, comfort, and education to ensure survival, just as a human social group — in this case, a school or district — would provide support to students to ensure their “survival” in today’s society.

Assessment

In the same way that teachers should use multiple culturally sensitive techniques to assess students’ cognitive and social skills, we return to the theme of the elephant’s trunk, embodying a broad array of physical ability — representing the teacher being able to employ a broad spectrum of techniques.

As a final note, the relation to the Hindu deity Ganesha is not mere coincidence. In Hinduism, Ganesha is considered to be the “remover of obstacles.” In Buddhism, Ganesha often an obstacle himself — a rival to Mahakela. In both cultures, a reclining Ganesha is one who is making an obstacle of himself. There are times in which it helps to have someone to remove obstacles, but there are also times in life when we are best served in the long run by learning to remove or circumnavigate obstacles on our own.

This is much like what teachers do for students. We present students with obstacles in the form of challenges, questions, problems, and so on. The teaching process then has us helping students acquire the skills necessary to overcome those obstacles on their own by becoming self-teaching learners capable of defining a problem, researching possible solutions, and then selecting and employing one that will best address the problem.

January, 2009

A is for Alaska
            From which I originally hail

B is for Buddhist
            Namu Amida butsu

C is for Creek
            Though you wouldn’t know it to look at me,
            my great grandfather was full-blooded Creek

D is for Destitute
            Currently a poor grad student
            living off of the good graces of my very supportive
            (and very appreciated) family

E is for European
            Scottish, Irish, French…
            I’m a little bit of everything thrown in

F is for Fayetteville
            My current place of residence

G is for Geology
            My academic background and the field
            that crossed my path with my wife’s

H is for Hinduism
            One of the religions I take some of my ideals from

I is for Interested
            In what we can learn from other cultures’ ways
            of seeing and doing things

J is for Japanese
            Nihongo wa sukoshi wakarimasu demo
            mada jozu jya arimasen.
            Translation: I understand a little Japanese,
            but I’m not very good at it yet.

K is for Kendall
            My father, who deals with Parkinson’s disease every day
           with grace, humility, and above all — humor

L is for Limited Income
            The simple reality of being in grad school right now

M is for Male
            While I may be masculine, I don’t subscribe
            to the traditional ideas of what is “manly”

N is for Northwest Arkansas
            My home and stomping grounds at present

O is for Older
            Though I don’t feel it, or look it, I’m thirty-seven

P is for Pensacola
            The town in Florida where I grew up —
            a sharp contrast to my early days in Alaska

Q is for Quan Yin
            The bodhisattva of compassion —
            another prominent figure in my religion

R is for Rita
            My lovely wife from whom I have learned the trials,
            tribulations, and triumphs of the blind

S is for Siddhartha
            The prince who became the pauper
            The pauper who became the Buddha
            The Buddha who became the model I try to follow

T is for Travel
            Far and wide, to witness and partake of many cultures

U is for Understanding
            What we must extend to others and their cultures
            if we are to expect them to understand us and our own

V is for Values
            Mine are largely influenced by my travels
           and exposures to other cultures and ways of thinking

W is for Wales
            Where my family originated

X is for X Chromosome
            I only have one

Y is for Y Chromosome
            A matched set with the X — it’s what makes me a dude

Z is for Zen
            Mindfulness, clarity, and unity with all things

February 26, 2009

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