Tests

A classroom conversation about tests and heroes.

Luke Skywalker, hero of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

"Ok, by show of hands, who loves tests?"

Silence.

"Since I see no hands raised, let me ask the question a different way. Who likes contests--especially the kind where the winner gets a prize?"

Most hands go up. One student who has yet to raise her hand asks, "What kind of prize?"

"Oh, money. Exotic trips. New technological toys"

"Like a new i-Pad?"

"Sure. Maybe a new car too."

The student's hand goes up. All hands are up.

"So what's the difference between a test and a contest? Notice, contest has the word test in it."

A young man in the front row speaks up. "Contests are fun. Tests are a pain."

"Why are tests a pain?"

"You have to study for them, and then you hope the teacher gives you a good grade.  It's stressful."

"Don't you feel good when you do well on a test? Do you feel stressed then?"

"Not when I do well. I actually feel proud that I did well."

"And when you don't do well . . . ?"

"That's when I feel stressed. That, and when I'm studying. I'd rather be doing something fun."

"Such as . . . ?"

"Playing basketball."

"Watching TV!" pipes up another student.

"And what do you watch on TV?"

"American Idol. Survivor. Sci-Fi movies."

"All contests," I note.

"Sci-Fi movies aren't contests!"

"Sure they are. Most of them anyway. You have someone or some group challenged by an alien or a bad guy or a problem of some sort that could result in death, maybe even annihilation of the whole universe. The struggle between the good guys and the bad guys or the bad situation is as true a contest as you can get. It tests the strength, training, courage, wisdom, and creativity of the protagonists. The fun comes in seeing how the hero or heroes come out on top."

A student, normally reluctant to speak up, raises her hand. "So if contests are fun, why aren't tests?"

"They can be. It's all in how you look at them."

"So how do you make taking a test fun?"

"First, accept the fact that all of life is a series of tests. We may not know it, but as soon as we're born, we start testing ourselves to see how much we can learn. First, we struggle to walk, then to talk. We play games with others and with ourselves, most of which are contests of some sort or another. The results of the tests let us measure our progress. School simply puts some structure to the contests. If school isn't fun, we've either got a poor teacher or a bad attitude. With the right attitude, we can even compensate for a poor teacher."

Skepticism is visible on most of the faces in the class.

"Ok. Let me introduce you to the power of myth. As articulated by philosopher Joseph Campbell and psychologist Carl Jung, the word myth refers not to falsehoods but to spiritual patterns that transcend and give structure and meaning to everyday life. Jung referred to these patterns as archetypes. Campbell preferred the term monomyth to distinguish it from the usual understanding of myth.

"One of the most fundamental archetypes, or monomyths, is called the Hero's Journey. Sometimes, it's called the Night Sea Journey. In this archetype, a hero is called to leave the life he or she knows and enter a different world. There, the hero encounters trials and receives help from companions encountered along the way. Sometimes he or she obtains special weapons or skills along the way that helps overcome the challenges. If the hero succeeds in facing the trials, the hero obtains some kind of boon that, when taken back to normal life, makes his or her life and the world better.

"The variation called the Night Sea Journey identifies the journey as being from a world above to a world below filled with monsters that must be defeated to obtain some precious item or strength that will free the world above of the evil represented by the monster.

"Perhaps the most famous example of this monomyth is the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Descending from heaven to battle death and hell, the Savior defeated both and made it possible for all of us to be free of death in the Resurrection. His victory also outlined the journey we all can take to be free forever from the captivity of hell and return to live with our Father in Heaven eternally.

"You can see the pattern repeated over and over again in literature and movies. For example, George Lucas consciously used the Hero's Journey as the structure for his Star Wars movies."

One of the more vocal students in the class cuts in. "So what does all that have to do with taking school tests?"

"Look at them as a hero's journey. You're on a quest to slay the monster of ignorance and obtain the precious gift of knowledge. The only way you can obtain that gift is to go on the journey, face your tests--with help from friends, family, and teachers--and come off conqueror. As you do, you follow a pattern all heroes have followed since the dawn of time. Perhaps even before that.

"As you follow the archetypal pattern, you obtain power from the myth. You become smarter, stronger, more like the heroes in the myths themselves. These new powers become a boon to you and to those you love. At the very least, they enable you to earn more money, travel to exotic places, and buy technological toys. At best, they enable you to serve others in Christlike ways.

"Stop seeing tests as experiences to be endured, but as opportunities to be your own hero."

Class time is over. The students leave to live their normal lives. The teacher hopes that some, perhaps, will begin to see the power of the monomyth in all the tests they face.