“Balance”, says Sir Ken Robinson

Another unique opportunity presented itself during my visit down to the Bay Area this month. This post has more to do with my excitement and experience of this opportunity and a little to do with one pearl of wisdom I picked up along the way.

Sir Ken Robinson gave a public talk in Palo Alto. Needless to say, I went but it was no ordinary feat getting to hear the man to speak. I find my work in education energized and fueled by my work as the parent of a young child. My greatest energy comes from speaking to parents of young children — wide-eyed parents like myself who are hopeful, dying to do everything they can, open and tentative still in their explorations, curious and willing to learn. I choraled together two of my close friends (shown in the picture), both parents of young children to go to the talk. We had been talking about education, school choice and more during my visit with them. I wanted the company of my friends, my tribe as I went for what I knew would be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

We showed up fifteen minutes late, to an overflowing auditorium. People were being turned away. I proclaimed, "I came here all the way from Seattle. I cannot miss this talk." We were let in, only to stop in our tracks just as we stepped in. Just then, a woman came along, proceeding to the stage, to turn up the volume so that people at the doors of the auditorium could hear Sir Ken. I followed her like I belonged in her technical operation. I stopped thirty feet from the stage, posed with a clear view of the man. Yes! I had arrived!

In the next two hours, Sir Ken touched on many of the same themes he has often spoken about — how schools should foster creativity, how solving the world's problems has much to do with people pursuing what they love and so on. It is impossible to capture his talk. You need to go listen to him, watch his videos or read his books to get it all. I did pick up one pearl that I want to share.

As the talk ended, I marched to the open microphone to ask my question. I asked, "As an educator I focus on creating a space in which learners can learn about themselves, how they learn and what they love to do. I find though that when someone finds what they love to do, the rest of the world falls by the way side. They forget not only the people around them but also many other arenas of life. But life is not about just one thing, is it? It is as much about doing what you love and doing it in connection with the world around you. It is about being responsive isn't it?"

Sir Ken responded in agreement. He emphasized the significance of striking a balance. It is indeed important to expose children and all learners to many arenas, to invite them to work with many modalities, to engage many topics, to work with different people. When they find something they love, to support it, to recognize it as a true expression of their innermost being and to enhance it by reflecting back the many ways in which it is connected to the world around them.

This reminds me of a nugget he shared in his book, The Element when he said that creativity is not about just wild, out-of-the-box ideas but that creative ideas are also valuable, meaningful and responsive to the world's needs.