Pixie Dust with a Purpose

Disney stories are more than entertainment. they’re lessons in courage, empathy, and transformation. As a school counselor with a lifelong love of Disney, I’ve found lessons from the Disney portfolio that translate beautifully into education and counseling work.

The biggest issue I’ve run into, though, is the naysayers. The people who either don’t like Disney (and that’s fine) or the ones who say, “Disney isn’t educational.” When I first began taking my middle school students to Disney (more on that in an upcoming post), I was surprised when a few parents said, “I want my kids to go somewhere educational, not Disney.” Obviously those parents had never been to Disney and were only familiar with the very non-educational commercials. But I also know they’re not the only ones who believe there’s no educational value there.

The truth is, from grief to perseverance, culture to leadership, there are hundreds of lessons to be found within the Disney treasure trove of movies, documentaries, books, and of course the parks. There really isn’t an educational area where you couldn’t find a connection to Disney. There’s art, music, science, writing, math, history, culinary arts and I could keep going.

Disney also gives us the opportunity to see how far we’ve come as a society. Not every part of Disney’s history is positive. Some movies probably deserve to stay in the vault. But even in those mistakes, there are lessons to be learned.

So here’s a little homework to get your creative juices flowing.

Write down the subject you teach. If you’re like me and you’re a school counselor, write down an area of focus. Then really think about all the ways you could incorporate Disney into that subject.

If you’re a parent (or a proud Disney adult), write down an area of interest for you or your child and try the same exercise.

Of course we can’t teach everything through Disney but how fun would it be to sprinkle a little pixie dust into our lessons?

My resource page is currently “Magic in the Making,” but check back soon or join the email list for updates.

Sometimes learning looks like a classroom. Sometimes it looks like a castle. The lessons are there either way, you just have to know where to look. And I’m excited to help you find them.

My daughter, Madi, at Disneyland.