I love stories, and have dedicated myself to learning the nuances of their structure and arc. When I was a classroom teacher, I noticed a talent in one young woman in particular, and gave her extra encouragement. During her junior year, I saw a special opportunity. I was the newspaper advisor, and a captivating story idea passed across my desk. I told her, “Instead of writing one little story for every issue of the school newspaper, I want you to work on writing one story for the entire semester. And I want you to make it spectacular.”
She dedicated herself to the project, and five months later had written an extraordinary 6,000-word feature. It ended up winning the National Story of the Year competition among high school newspapers, which included a $1,000 prize. Later, she sold it to the Seattle Weekly, which ran it as a cover story.
In her freshman year of college, she made a case to a special committee that she should be able to create her own major: narrative studies. This summer, she won a grant that is financing a bicycle tour around the country while she collects stories from war veterans about their experiences in battle.
Earlier this month, I spent some time re-connecting with her and she paid me a wonderful compliment. She said I played a very important role in helping set her on a path that has led her to her life’s passion. As a teacher, it doesn’t get any better than that.
* * *
I will, on occasion, run into a student who will offer a similar compliment. It’s always wonderful to hear those words. But for every instance like this, there are thousands of other kids who just never connected with a mentor in high school.
Maybe the thing they’re passionate about isn’t valued as part of the traditional high school curriculum. Maybe there is a teacher at school who is just as passionate about their thing as they are, but everyone is so busy just getting through the day that the two don’t find each other. There are countless reasons why kids in traditional schools might not find the mentor who will help them find their life’s passion.
And that, of course, is the problem. Everyone, students and teachers alike, show up at traditional schools ready for factory work. First period is 55 minutes, then the bell rings. On to second period. Keep moving. What does this teacher want me to do? How many points is this assignment worth? What’s my grade? How will this affect my college application?
Keep moving. Keep following directions.
Traditional schools don’t leave any time for silence. They don’t build in time for reflection. They don’t encourage kids to try things, even if they might fail. They don’t have anything built into the structure of the day to help you discover your life’s calling.
And if you happen to discover something that makes your heart sing and a teacher who brings out the best in you, well, you’re one of the lucky few. And usually, it happened in spite of your schooling rather than as a result of it.
(Join the discussion at www.facebook.com/reeducate. Get updates at www.twitter.com/reeducate.)
