The Wizard of Oz as an Empowering Metaphor

The Power of a Metaphor
“The Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Lion and me...
Empowerment on the Yellow Brick Road” (Adapted from Lundquist, T., 1990,
in Readings in Teacher Development by K. Head and P. Taylor, CUP, 1997

Adapted by: Ana Maria Hurtado

The Wizzard of Oz
Remember Dorothy’s odyssey to the land of
Oz, encountering
 curious local characters,
 unlikely companions,
 fierce opposition and
 magical aid
as she followed the yellow brick road to find
her way back home?

My New Interpretation of Oz
My new interpretation of the movie has been
like a guide, showing me…
 new ways of understanding myself
 reinforcing principles of empowerment
 strategies that are empowering

The Scarecrow’s Lament
“If I only had a brain”,
represents my own nagging doubt about my
intellectual abilities.

The Tinman “I want to find a heart”



I sometimes wear a stiff protective layer
I long to be more open, vulnerable, tender, gentle
and sentimental…

The Cowardly Lion Pleas for Courage: a
metaphor of:





my lack of confidence
my fear of people not
liking me
my hesitancy to take
risks
my false bravado in
the face of the
unknown

The Wicked Witch
The Wicked Witch of the
West
is
my
controlling, judging,
self-denying,
nasty
self…
It keeps me from
realising my own
goals, my potential,
my dreams.

In Glinda, the Good Witch...
I am reminded that I have a
higher
self,
which
enables me to believe,
trust, succeed…
I also noticed that Glinda
stays out of the way of
the learning, providing
just enough supportive
presence
to
enable
Dorothy and friends to
experience their own
process.

The Wizzard, an illusion...
He is an exaggerated image,
a role, a “humbug”, a
dazzling
audio-visual
display of empty power,
a puff of smoke and a
flash of light ...
Just what I often find myself
creating in my desire to
impress: a well-meaning
pretense of perfection
and control.

Dorothy: my seeking self
In her I recognise:

my seeking self,

the me that wants to find out
what is over the rainbow,

to tap my full potential and
resourcefulness;

to discover the new people,
places and experiences out
there.

Like her, I am willing to share
the road and defend their
rights to reach their goals too.
(…)

Who am I?
I know that I need to develop an accepting,
active relationship with each part of who I
am.
I am an integrated whole, not just of my parts
at any given time.

Like Dorothy and her
companions...
I am finding that I already have what I am
looking for; it has been with me all along.
 My mind is intuitive and capable,
 my spirit is brave and adventuresome,
 my heart is both open and full,
 my home and truth wherever I am.

It is all within myself!
It is not the Wizard of Oz nor the magic of
the witches that will give me my power.
It is my own “readiness” to engage the power
within myself and within my community of
fellow seekers.

First “Oz Principle”
The support of
COMMUNITY as a
source of support,
strength, joy and talents
for the journey.
The true spirit of community
can tap the best in us,
spark our creativity,
multiply our experiences,
expand our world vision
and our self awareness.
(…)

No One Wins Unless Everyone
Wins
The power of the group
 for individual growth
 the realisation of
personal goals,
 develops team spirit,
cooperation, and fun.

Second “Oz Principle”
The complete
ACCEPTANCE OF THE
WHOLE PERSON as an
INDIVIDUAL
We are
 knowers and
 learners, with rich life
experiences and cultural
identities to draw from.
(...)

How do these two principles help
me as an ESL teacher?








I

can make more efforts to see
the true heart, mind and spirit
of each student.
I can look beyond appearances
and poor self images to what is
true, real, innocent, wise,
whole and capable in each
person.
I can accept the physical
energies and realities and
cultural/ linguistic uniqueness.
I can focus on the abundance
of knowledge, love, courage,
support, truth and willingness
to take risks.

A Sense of Community






I can assist the students in
forming a sense of community:
of
fellow
journeyers…
pioneers in crossing boundary
between the known and the
unknown.
It is not what is similar or
different in all of us, but what
we do together to create a
texture, a harmony, a dance, a
rainbow.
It is our commitment to each
other and to the goal that gives
us a readiness to stretch and
find our true strength.

I Can Remember the Learner’s
World
They are a part of the larger community of
the learner, the full design of his or her
identity.

I Can Provide Challenge &
Direction...





Ruby slippers
Occasional assistance
Medals, diplomas
Encouraging words

I Can Trust My Intuition


Support other teachers to trust theirs, so that our








use of texts,
lesson plans,
materials,
human resources
and the physical and social environment

can be effective, spontaneous and sparked by
joy.

I Can Stay Out of the Way...
The path of learning is full of
obstacles and tests of
courage, distractors and
mistakes.
I can’t shorten the path or
eliminate the steps for
anyone else.
All I can do is offer support
and firm belief that the
learner will learn best
from experience and
from peers.

The Learner is Fully Capable
Each learner has “always had the power”
needed.
The power is tapped from within and from the
resources of the community.

My goals



These are my goals for empowering my
students.
These are the messages I am teaching the
many selves within ME that are uniting to
be empowered.

What can we learn from this?






Do you identify yourself with any of the
characters? In what way?
What can you learn from this?
What particularly touches you?
What are your fears?
What are your strengths?

THE END

Adapted by: Ana Maria Hurtado

The Wizard of Oz as an Empowering Metaphor

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