In their book, Creative Confidence, Tom and David Kelley recount a story told by Sir Ken Robinson of two students who attended the Liverpool Institute High School in England. The two students were enrolled in music classes and had not done particularly well. Their music teacher had not encouraged their musical endeavors and had not given them good grades. The teacher did not necessarily see potential in either of the students.
Rather than become discouraged, the two students began playing in a band with a couple of other friends named John and Ringo. As you may have guessed, those two students were Paul McCartney and George Harrison, and they went on to form the one of the most influential musical acts of all time.
Imagine for a moment that you were that teacher.
How would you feel knowing that you had not supported your students?
How would you feel knowing you had not encouraged your students?
How would you feel after seeing a lack of potential in your students’ abilities?
Luckily, Paul and George were blessed with determination and we were blessed with the musical abilities of the Beatles.
The next time that you are considering criticizing or discouraging one of your student’s passions or talents, please remember this story told by Sir Ken Robinson. Remember that you should always encourage your students and support them in anything that they want to take on. Give them the opportunity to indulge their dreams, and help support them in order to make their dreams come true! Most importantly, believe in your students, their creativity, and the possibility of their dreams.
By @RACzyz
References:
Tom Kelley and David Kelley. Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All. 2013.
How did you know that this was exactly what I needed to read this morning? Thank you for this positive post affirming what lies at the heart of all we: a belief in our students.