The boy who would be a helicopter paperback sep 1 1991 by vivian gussin paley author robert coles foreword 40 out of 5 stars 24 ratings see all 10 formats and editions. Through paleys eyes a boy who would be a helicopter is a metaphor for the confused and veiled attempts to cope through self narration done by the rest of us. The boy who would be a helicopter focuses on the challenge posed by the isolated child to teachers and classmates alike in the unique community of the classroom it is the dramatic story of jason the loner and outsider and of his ultimate triumph and homecoming into the society of his classmates. Jason the boy who pretended or perhaps thought he was a helicopter disrupted paleys classroom of three and four year olds and made her favorite activity storytelling and story acting almost impossible. Reflection on the boy who would be a helicopter by vivian gussin paley in the book the boy who would be a helicopter vivian gussin paley discusses her experiences in her preschool classroom with jason a boy who tends to isolate himself and offers solutions on how other educators can help students become well adjusted and active learners not sure to mention this