"Talented"

Sir Ken Robinson speaks to the idea of talent and talented individuals in his talk at Tedx Liverpool but one major point resonated with me. The idea that teachers do not have all the answers and need to learn the power of "I don't know". Often educators feel a need to have an answer for every question that is asked to them, however, when you sit back and learn with your students you can build a relationship with them that is remarkable and possibly even draw out some of their talents in the process. The story of the music teacher who had two of the Beatles in his class remarkable because the teacher thought both of them to be untalented, this teacher believed that they had all of the answers when in fact they didn't, and as a consequence, missed a possibility to be a mentor and a coach to some of the most influential musicians who ever lived. I've been working as a paraprofessional and use wrestling coach for three years now and the lessons I've learned from this job has been invaluable. I've learned that I don't have all the answers and I've learned that each student I come across can teach me something new. Whether it's how to properly do a two-step equation, or a little tweak for a wrestling move that I never thought of. Putting my ego aside and letting myself learn with my students is something that I will do for the rest of my career.

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  1. Kara McElwrathJanuary 29, 2025 at 8:53 PM

    Sir Ken is a favorite of mine. We'll watch more of his talks this week, in fact. In this talk, I was particularly intrigued by his story about the Dalai Lama. Who'd have thought "I don't know" could be so powerful, right?!? Normally, when we hear people say that, we think they are lazy or unwilling to even try to answer. But here is the Dalai Lama - who certainly can't be considered lazy or unmotivated - using that same phrase. The difference? He tried. He thought it through and determined that he didn't have the answer. There's nothing lazy about that. Humbling perhaps, but not lazy. That's the effort I want to encourage from students. To think things through, and when the answer isn't there, to seek it out.

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