Journal May 2026 Release_Full Edition - Flipbook - Page 19
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Darnell:
Okay.
Trouble still shows up, but strength wins out
The school nurse stopped me in the hall several months later to ask if I had a
student named Darnell. She then related the following story to me. I asked her
to put the story in writing as I was so delighted that others were witnessing
Darnell’s growth and conquering of Trouble. Here is her account:
On April 21st, I was at the clinic window, and I noticed a group of
boys on the playground. They were playing four squares in the
parking area near the dumpsters. One child became visibly upset
over the game and lashed out physically at others. He was yelling
and swinging his arms. There were no teachers witnessing the
incident, and the children could not hear or see me at the window.
One student, whom I believed to be Darnell, immediately put his arm
around the angry child and tried to walk him away from the area. He
went back and put his arm around the other child. I could see that
he was talking to him. I wasn’t sure of the names of the children
involved, so I called the secretary to the window. She verified for me
that the peacemaker was Darnell. I wrote his name on my student
log, followed by a two-word description of what I had witnessed:
Darnell – the hero.
Solidifying the story
During our last art class of the year, students created heavy board portfolios for
their work from the year. With markers, they drew and colored designs on the
outside of their portfolios that reflected their personalities. I noticed that Darnell
was drawing a large face of a young, strong man on his portfolio, and then saw
that this man was lifting a barbell with weights.
Virginia:
Darnell, that’s quite a drawing there – is that you lifting weights?
“It’s Taken Care Of”: A Collaborative Effort by a Student and a Teacher to Keep Trouble out of the Classroom
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, May 2026 Release, p. 9-24.
www.journalnft.com
