CPS Professor’s
Vincentian Values Reflected
in New Tween Book
“St. John’s Vincentian mission is always on
my mind,” said
Jane Paley, Assistant Professor of Communications with the
College of Professional of Professional Studies (CPS),
whose recently published tween book — Hooper Finds a
Family — reflects her dedication to helping the needy.
Before joining the St. John’s faculty in 2008, Professor Paley had
a successful career in television and documentary film. Among her
many accolades was the receipt of an Emmy as a National Education
Association Award.
Based on the true story of the abandoned puppy she and her family
adopted in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the book is a moving
chronicle of Hooper’s hard-fought struggles to survive and his
eventual healing and recovery.
“I loved writing every word,” said Professor Paley. “In fact, I
felt that Hooper actually dictated parts of the book — his
experiences have become part of my very fabric. I see his struggles
as a metaphor for the challenges all young people face and conquer
on their way to becoming productive adults.”
As Hooper’s bark and spunk were restored, Professor Paley noticed
how well he related to children. “Even after all he had been
through, Hooper was quick to respond to their attentions with eager
affection. I could see he had the qualities necessary to become a
therapy dog.”
She signed Hooper and herself up with the Delta
Society’s Pet Partners ®® Program where they were both trained
to be able to take part in animal-assisted therapy. As a result,
Hooper now participates in tristate area children’s library
Read to a Dog sessions. Hooper’s role is to help reluctant
readers overcome their inhibitions by keeping his eyes steadily on
their faces while they read aloud.
The producers of the CBS News, The Saturday Early Morning
Report found Hooper’s story — especially his success helping
young readers — so compelling that they decided to devote a segment
to showing Hooper in action during a reading session. This was
followed by an interview with Professor Paley.
Hooper has also been featured by the New York Post, Fox News,
USA and USA Today and even was invited to do a star turn at
Yankee Stadium! (Go to http://www.janepaley.com)
While Hooper’s life has clearly been transformed through his
fortuitous rescue by Professor Paley, her life, in turn, has been
altered by knowing Hooper. “One of the most important things
I haveI have learned from him,” she said, “is the importance
of nonjudgmental support.”
In fact, she has modified her teaching style accordingly. “ This
semester, I started employing gentle interventions instead of
criticism,” she said, “to help
introductory liberal studies students make the difficult
transition to college.”
She has also launched a research project aimed at ascertaining the
causes and identifying possible solutions for what she sees as a
severe decline in reading, especially among the young. “I am very
concerned about this issue,” she said. I hate to think how
impoverished my own childhood would have been if I hadn’t
experienced the joys of reading Nancy Drew and other
books.”
In addition, Professor Paley credits Hooper with providing her with
additional motivation to continue to integrate academic service-learning service
learning into all of her classes. “Just as Hooper’s life has been
enhanced by making a difference,” she said, “I want students to
learn to incorporate compassionate service into their lives.”
“I am very lucky that the tapestrythe tapestry of my life and
career have turned out to be woven so tightly with my interests and
values,” Professor Paley said. “One of the reasons I came to St.
John’s was because of its commitment to improve the quality of
student lives and its emphasis on developing well-rounded future
citizens of the world.”
“As Hooper has inspired me to continue writing books to help young
readers navigate difficult and challenging situations,” she said, “
I, too, am trying to prepare my students to overcome adversity and
adapt to changing conditions.”
“I am taking my cue from Hooper.”