"Into the West"

Most people have never heard of Radagast the Brown. He's a ver minor character in Tolkien's THE HOBBIT and LORD OF THE RINGS. He's the third of the Istari mentioned after Saruman the White and Gandalf the Grey. He's kind of a nature protector who talks to the animals and is able to gather information very quickly because of his wide ranging sources. He's one of the many minor forces for good that collectively add up to the force of good that ultimately defeats the great evil of Sauron.

So, for me, wizardry has always been a metaphor for teaching. It's not about fireballs, lightning bolts, and being able to fly. The effective "spell" is the lesson that starts a fire in a student's heart, that electrifies a student's mind, or makes someone realize the abilities that can make him/her soar. Words and music are key components of this inspiration. The greatest spells are the very few that last in the memory and go on inspiring long after they have been cast, spinning off in a ripple effect that never ends.

So when students ask what happened to Radagast, I tell them he went into the West and became an English teacher.