Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
by Walter Boomsma
Degrees and Symbols
As many know, the Valley Grange “Words for Thirds” Dictionary Program has become a “rite of passage” in our area–and a bit of a ritual. We had to make significant changes in our approach last year when COVID meant third graders couldn’t visit the Grange Hall and Grangers couldn’t visit them at school.
One of the things I’ve always enjoyed is showing the kids the staves, explaining what farmer’s tool each represents, and how we apply that to “the Grange Way of Life.” I’m also always pleased when the thank you notes we receive include hand-drawn staves. The kids remember them!
So I can’t resist asking you to list the four staves. Bonus points if you know which officer carries which stave! (This is reminiscent of the game “Are you smarter than a third grader?”
While the recently released National Grange Brochure doesn’t cover the staves, it does a nice job of summarizing the Four Degrees: their emblems, seasons, and lessons. You can read the introductory post and download a copy from The Program Books and Information Page. One thing that recommends this brochure is that it removes any mysticism, simplifies the degrees and symbols, and shows how they can apply to our daily lives.
The kids are pretty good at the application when we discuss the staves. I offer a brief explanation, then invite them to consider if they had one in their classroom, what might it remind them of? One of my all-time favorites came from a young fellow who said, “The pruning hook would remind me to pick up papers and trash on the floor of our classroom.” I was less pleased when a student asked if we couldn’t use it to “cut out the math lessons.” But she gets points for thinking. And we get to think about the fact that we don’t always like what’s good for us.
I wonder–do we “modern-day” Grangers consider the Degrees and Symbols as part of our daily lives to the same degree our forebears did? The kids end up thinking about what agriculture and farming tools can teach us. Some think it would be pretty awesome to have staves in their classrooms. (They really like the owl.) We make the point that their dictionaries are tools as well and try to teach the concept of stewardship in a simple form.
Are we smarter than third-graders?
Memorizing the degrees and symbols can be fun, but let’s not miss the meaning. If a Grange is struggling, could we not look at the emblems as a way of thinking through change? What do we need to prune out? Can the hoe help us “destroy error… while promoting the growth of knowledge and wisdom?”
An obvious Lecturer’s Program based on this brochure is to develop a “trivia” contest based on the degrees and symbols. But if we stop there, we fail our purpose as educators.
When is the last time someone other than the master actually looked at the items in the implement case and thought about each? The knowing is good, but let’s not omit the doing. What tools do we have to grow ourselves and our Granges and how are we going to best use them? Who is ready to grab the shepherd’s hook and lead the way?!
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.