About learning

I recently read "Stop Stealing Dreams (what is school for?)" by Seth Godin. Thank you to Stephanie Ward of Firefly Coaching who recommended it! 

Before this, I was only familiar with his written work on marketing and business. While I don't have a background in education, I've become more knowledgable from having three children and serving on a school board. Godin's book is about how the education system is based on an old model that no longer serves us or society. There are of course schools in the U.S. and around the world that have changed how they teach and how students learn, which aligns with a lot of what he writes. But many have stuck with the old ways of doing things. 

In Godin's words, "what we do need is someone to persuade us that we want to learn those things, and someone to push us or encourage us or create a space where we want to learn to do them better." I could say the same is true for our careers. We benefit from someone who encourages us to learn to do things better. 

"School, then, needs not to deliver information so much as to sell kids on wanting to find it." I love this, because it means that teachers can be teaching students to be passionate and inquisitive. He argues that giving kids the foundation to dream will lead to them to learn the facts, including things like grammar and history. He says teachers need to be coaches. I'm also looking at you, bosses! 

"When a teacher sells the journey and offers support, the student will figure it out. That’s how we’re wired." Isn't that how it works in the workspace as well? When your staff understands why they're doing what they do and you provide them with support, they accomplish more. 

As Godin says, "the only way out is going to be mapped by those able to dream." Are you a dreamer - whether a teacher, parent, and/or a boss? 

Photo credit: Tim Mossholder