Wayfinding

We can learn how to navigate challenging waters by mapping the stories of hard-won experience offered by our fellow travelers. River Journeys is the braiding together of such stories: seven educators “putting in”  at very different places  – from student teacher to administrator –  and sharing how their participation in Artful Teaching shaped their individual “River Journeys” as evolving teachers and human beings.

These stories were collected during interviews in the fall of 2025, as the Artful Teaching project was reaching its landing spot. The storytelling framework we used was derived through two Artful Teaching workshops: Story, Circle, Place with teaching artists Ryan Connaro and Lillian Petershoare, and Lifting The Human Spirit through the Spoken Word with spoken word poets Dr. Moira Pirsch and Theresa Siagatonu.

The interviews began with an invitation and quiet time for participants to draw a simple map of their Artful Teaching experience through a river metaphor. We then recorded them as they detailed the elements of their map as a pathway to sharing their experiences with generosity and heartfelt honesty.

Once the individual stories and maps were collected, we pored over them closely (and more than a few times), noting where experiences and sentiments overlapped and where they diverged. From this careful analysis, we were able to synthesize our “data” to create a collective map that charted the course of an artful educator and the features and forces that comprise the journey of answering the call to teach. All while growing confidence and competence (and a shared sense of direction) with each paddle stroke.