Way out in the cornfields of Indiana, Boone Grove found itself with a very curious kid named Chance sitting in a Mulberry Tree. He couldn’t understand why everyone complained about plastic but kept using it. He wondered why communities were being ruined for oil. The scientists were so scared about climate change, and yet, everyone continued driving cars. He pondered these things and the Mulberry Tree smiled with tears as he climbed around like a monkey eating the berries.
His high school graduation present was a job at US Steel where the Little Calumet River actually lit on fire due to toxins in the water. Most of his family worked in the steel mill and nobody liked their job. In fact, there was a culture where whoever hated their job the most won the respect of being able to endure the most pain. After jack-hammering bricks out of hoppers in the blast furnace 7 days a week for 12 hours a day, Chance realized this culture had issues. He wanted to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and explore other ways of living. He graduated from Purdue University with a BA in Sociology. Thinking about the how and why of different societies led him to a Masters Degree in Education from Valparaiso University.
Chance became a teacher in order to learn as much as to teach. He saw quickly how grown-ups fall into line, even when the line is walking off cliffs. But children roll in sand, swim in the coldest water, and paint on themselves. They don’t easily fall into line. Children are curious and amazed by the strangest of things, like pickles, weeds growing out of sidewalk cracks, and ants. They are intuitively kind when any creature is suffering and they see ways forward that grown-ups would never think of. In order to better learn how to serve the world, Chance became a teacher.
Teaching 2nd and 5th grade for several years led Chance to teach English in Cusco, Peru and then to becoming a principal in Ilisagvik, Alaska. He lived with the Inupiat and learned a culture where giving to your community was the goal instead of enduring a job you hate. Little by little, Chance moved to the prettiest place he had seen, Vermont. He decided to raise his son while teaching 6th grade in Sharon with hopes of living in harmony with himself, others, and nature. He writes songs, hikes, and swims the lakes and rivers of New England. He knows how short and precious life is and hopes to partner with you all in living better with each other and nature. He’s also on the hunt for mulberry trees. Let him know if you find any. You can reach Mr. Lindsley at clindsley@wrvsu.org.
