Going For Gold

A few summers ago, on a trip to the Adirondacks, I witnessed something inspiring. My wife and I had taken the kids for the day up to the Olympic village in Lake Placid. We visited the arena where the 1980 Miracle on Ice happened, with its inspiring messages of working hard, being team players, overcoming odds, and believing in yourself. We walked down the Olympic bobsled track. And to finish out the day, we went to the very top of the mountain from where the Ski Jumpers launch and witnessed an athlete in training zoom past us on skis and fly into the air off a mountain! It was unlike anything I have ever seen before. He went so fast and flew so far! I don’t know whether I would ever have the courage to do something like that.

So, what has to be true for a young person to want to compete at the highest level, to be willing to put in thousands of hours of training, and to sacrifice so much else in pursuit of this singular goal? Obviously, they have to love it. Maybe they love the thrill of flying through the air, the rush of adrenaline, and the awe of the crowds. Maybe they thrive off competition, always trying to prove themselves, or at least improve themselves. Maybe it’s just having a clear mission and purpose (making the Olympics) that fuels them.

Can you imagine being so dedicated to something that you eat, sleep, and breathe it 24/7? That you dream about it and work towards it your whole life? And that you are blessed with parents and coaches who support you in your pursuit?

I’d venture to say that most of our students will not become Olympic athletes (though you never know). But what if we could help them find whatever it is they ARE passionate about, that DOES fuel them? What if we helped them see possibilities they didn’t even realize were possible and discover strengths they didn’t even know they had? What if they were so motivated to work towards their goal that all we had to do was give them the resources, guidance, and encouragement to help them on their journey?

I know. We have a curriculum to teach. And this curriculum consists of the basic skills kids need to become successful adults. We are giving them a broad enough foundation that they will be able to build whatever they want when they grow up. But I wonder: could we give them this strong foundation of the skills, values, and beliefs that we want for all our children while still seeing each individual child for who they are? Could we encourage each student to try out different activities to see what ignites their passion? Could we differentiate not only in how we teach each student, but sometimes even in what they learn as well?

In a world where information is available with a click, maybe our job as educators, more than ever, is less about downloading our knowledge and more about uploading each child’s unique Signature Strengths. That child looking out the window in class may be dreaming of launching off a mountain on skis. Or they may be dreaming of a million other things. I just hope that whatever it is, they never lose the courage to jump.