How "The Element" Pushed My Thinking

I have been wanting to get my hands on The Element by Sir Ken Robinson for about six months now, and I finally had a chance to read the book this week. I had heard some detail about the contents of the book through word of mouth and online postings, specifically this blog post by Will Richardson, but I was left with many unanswered questions that I hoped would be addressed in the book.

I understood that the definition of The Element is "the point at which natural talent meets personal passion" and I tried to connect this definition to my own experiences, but I realized that it was difficult to truly understand the power of being in The Element without digging deep and discovering what factors contribute to, or inhibit this achievement. As an educator, I was also curious about how we as teachers can encourage our students to discover and pursue their passions.

Some parts of the book clicked with me right away because of my own personal connections as well as my knowledge of the success stories of others as portayed in the media. For example, there are no shortage of stories about athletes who report the power of being "in the zone" and visualizing what success looks like as they pursue their passions. However, as I read the book I was particularly drawn to other points that Sir Ken makes such as the importance of "Finding Your Tribe" (pg. 103) and overcoming the barriers or obstacles that may detract from us finding our Element. In chapter 6 he summarizes this important point as follows:

I think of the barriers to finding the Element as three concentric "circles of
constraint." These circles are personal, social, and cultural (pg. 132).

This was one of those concepts that really pushed my thinking and challenged me to consider this through the lens of a teacher and a parent. Sir Ken tells the story of Arianna Stassinopoulos (Huffington) and how she overcame many social objections, including those of her father, on the road to finding her Element. The support that Arianna received from her mother helped her pursue her passions and realize her dreams, and I can't help but look at my own life closely and ask myself "Am I doing everything I can to encourage my children and my students to connect to their passions?" Or am I subconsciously throwing up roadblocks (I certainly don't think I'd do this intentionally)?

The biggest "wow" moment for me came in Sir Ken's hard-hitting chapter on education transformation. He argues that the hierarchy of subjects taught in the standard curriculum need to change to reflect a more balanced and diversified approach to education. He sums up this point with the following statement:

Too many students pass through education and have their natural talents
marginalized or ignored. The arts, sciences, humanities, physical education,
languages, and math all have equal and central contributions to make to a
student's education. (pg. 247)

Now, I"m not sure that I can convincingly make the case that all of these subject areas should receive an equal focus in our curriculum, but Sir Ken's point is well taken. I don't think that there is any doubt that we have students in our care who have a natural aptitude or passion(s) that isn't being nurtured at home or at school. My own teaching practice reflects this. I can think of a number of students I've taught in the past couple of years who have demonstrated a natural talent and obvious passion for the arts (music, visual, drama), and again I ask myself the question: Am I doing what I can to acknowledge this passion, encourage it, and help push it to the next level? Hmmm...this is an area I need to take a good hard look at.

I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts on what it is that we can do, or are doing, in education to help our students, and each other, reach our Element.

My Biggest Struggle

I've had an issue nagging at me for a couple of years now, an issue that up until now I've been reluctant to address head-on. Two years ago I was one of a very fortunate "few" who were hired as full-time teachers in my district. Without a doubt I was extremely excited and proud to have a chance to pursue my dream of being an educator, and I took this responsibility seriously. I am now entering my third year as a full-time teacher and I can say with confidence that I have given 100% effort and passion to my job.

Here is the issue that I am struggling with, and I know that I'm not the only one facing this. You see, not only am I an educator but I'm also a husband, a parent, and a son. It goes without saying that my family is extremely important to me, and they are definitely at the top of my priority list in life. The problem is that I have really struggled with maintaining that critical balance between career and family. If I am completely honest with myself, I would have to admit that I haven't given the same effort to my family life that I have to my career, not even close. It hurts to admit this, but I think that it's an important acknowledgement to make. My wife takes on more than she should have to, I don't see my parents enough (and they're only 5 minutes away), and my kids are too often forced to wait for me to put my laptop away.

A wake-up call happened not too long ago when I was working at home and my 10 year old daughter asked me to watch a movie with her. The conversation went like this:

Me: "I'll be right there. I just have to finish this."
Daughter: "What are you doing?"
Me: "I'm looking at some neat teaching ideas that I might use in class some day."
Daughter: "Dad, what will happen if you don't do that right now?"
Me: Silence....(her point was made)

I am fortunate to have the support of my wife and kids, but I can't help but think that over time they may become less patient and perhaps even jaded or bitter towards my professional life. I certainly don't want this to happen, but I also realize that I need to take steps to "put first things first" as Stephen Covey explains in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. My challenge will be to give my family AND my students the best that I have to offer. I have no doubt that I can do this, but I need to take it a step further and actually make it happen.

It would be wonderful to hear how others have handled this issue. Is there a simple solution to this? I think I already know the answer to that question, but either way I'll let you know how the journey is going.