As students, we were given homework, writing assignments, and tests - almost every academic activity in school is done solo.  Everything must be done by memory without the help from a book, notes or our peers. How is the focus on this isolated individual going to match up with what actually happens in a moment of trouble or confusion? No capable doctor will say, “I don’t know what to do, I think I will figure it out myself!” We need to teach our children that it’s okay to work together and that when we get out of our sheltered school environment we will come to find that learning to work with other people is a very important skill. As adults, we work with people on a daily basis. We can get so caught up in the small actions or the  events of others. Some of these events make us feel terrible or that there is no way to move on with the rest of the day. Most of the time we feel this way because we simply haven’t been taught to understand one another or to ask the right questions. Today, kids are taught a formula that doesn’t work but are told that, somehow, it does. They are taught that there is only one way to solve a problem and one way to connect the dots. As we age, we think that if we don’t see something one way there is something wrong with us or we aren’t quite as “smart” as the others. Let’s teach with more understanding. We are all diverse with different passions and contrasting points of views. We are all puzzle pieces that are unique and differently shaped -- yet our extraordinary, uneven edges all fit perfectly with one another.  

References: 

Godin, S. (2018 November 28). Stop stealing dreams. Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin.             Podcast retrieved from https://overcast.fm/+L0YXhi_dc.

Originally published January 4th, 2019