Violet, You're Turning Violet, Violet!

Violet is the color at the end of the visible spectrum, between blue and invisible ultraviolet. It reminds me of always being present and aligned, mindful and visible while also being a gentle wave of positive energy. Violet is a true color with its own set of wavelengths and throughout history it has been associated with majesty and royalty. Like purple, a color not only invoking power and strength but also gentleness and calm. It reminds me of lavender, a scent and color both known to lull us into a sense of relaxation. To me it is also brings to mind an idea of dynamic brightness without the intensity. Beautiful yet understated. In Chinese art it represents the harmony of the universe because yin, blue and yang, red combine to make its hue. If there is a color that better describes my way of teaching, I do not know of one. A bit crazy and loud but also focused and calming. The yin and yang of colors.

In Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Violet Beauregard was quite the opposite. Yes, loud and dynamic but she lacked every calming sense of the color and wavelength. Her personality was challenging and independent and this is what got her into trouble. Adults around her didn't teach her humility, patience or the ability to heed warnings. This of course spawned the infamous line "Violet!, you're turning violet, Violet!" Chewing gum, her biggest vice led her down the wrong path and despite the cautionary words of the adults around her, she literally turned into a blue-berry. Students do this in the classroom all the time: refuse to read directions, follow instructions and pay attention to the rules. This leads to some small minor errors but also some more prominent circumstances. What can teachers do to prevent Violets from turning into blue-berries? Mike TVs from shrinking to pocket size? Veruca's from taking a long tumble down a trash chute? All the while giving students independence to be both a dynamic and challenging violet color and focused and calm violet hue?

Simply put, we have to find our center. Our lull of peace and patience that a lavender violet tone will bring us. We have to be okay with students making a mess and failing and getting frustrated because either of two things are going to happen when the Violet Beauregard's and Veruca Salt's run havoc in the classroom. One, they are going to invent a new way of doing things, design a new innovation or two, they will keep trying until eventually they get it right. Either way they have learned something. It may have appeared to be off task or down right obstinate but if we truly want our classrooms to be a safe haven where growth is the focus then we need to allow students to discover new ways of doing things. Obviously safety first, but if they are going to mess up a lab or waste a little bit of supplies to actually get to the goal in a unique way, then I am all for it. But, unlike many of Roald Dahl's characters, my students will hear and heed my words about safety, respect and ingenuity first before they are set free to discover and explore.

Violet, its okay if you are turning violet because you are embarrassed or joyful or even a little awe struck because that means you are exploring and interacting and taking risks. If we embody the idea of being present and powerful, eager and dominant in order to reach our goals we can impart this on our students. They will see that a unique wavelength and roaring personality is both influential and empowering. But also, with the din of individuality must come the quiet, restrained voice of reason and mindfulness. When all the attributes of the color violet are cohesive and coalesced the true beauty of ourselves is revealed. The whole of our internal determination and our exterior drive. The balance of energy and spirit. The marriage of hue, tone, shade, pigment and bloom that make us who we are. I embrace my violet because whether I am boisterous and playful or meditative and introspective violet is the independent, open-mindedness that embodies me.