To see the gift in every child
Every child has a gift, a gift for something. The right "education: brings this forth", because to educate means to bring forth that which lies within. The story of Gillian Lynne, choreographer of Cats and Phantom of the Opera illustrates this. It is one of the stories that inspired me in the creation of The Art of Education. Finding the right school is the first step in creating an education that fits a child but it is only the first step. Family support shapes the rest of the steps in creating personalized education. Art of Education was created to help families do exactly that so every child might find her/his own dance.
Now onto Gillian's story as told by Sir Ken Robinson in his TED Talk:
Gillian and I had lunch one day, and I said, "How did you get to be a dancer?" She told me that when she was at school, she was really hopeless. She couldn't concentrate; she was always fidgeting. The school wrote to her parents and said, "We think Gillian has a learning disorder." I think now they'd say she had ADHD. But this was the 1930s, and ADHD hadn't been invented at this point. It wasn't an available condition. People weren't aware they could have that.
So Gillian's mother took her to see this specialist. She sat on her hands for 20 minutes while her mother talked to this man about all the problems Gillian was having at school: She was disturbing people, and her homework was always late, and so on. In the end, the doctor sat next to Gillian and said, "Gillian, I've listened to all these things that your mother's told me. I need now to speak to her privately. Wait here — we'll be back. We won't be very long."
As they went out of the room, he turned on the radio sitting on his desk. When they got out of the room, he said to her mother, "Just stand and watch her." The minute they left, she was on her feet, moving to the music. They watched for a few minutes, and he turned to her mother and said, "You know, Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick. She's a dancer. Take her to a dance school."
I asked, "What happened?" and Gillian said, "She did. I can't tell you how wonderful it was. We walked into this room, and it was full of people like me. People who had to move to think." Who had to move to think.
There are three elements about Gillian's story that I particularly appreciate:
First, there's the obvious, of her finding what she is about, what put her in her zone. Gillian's story might seem like an outlier if viewed that way. Another viewpoint is to see each of us as special, unique, each with a burning passion and talent that will come through with just the right environment, support and inspiration.
Next, I wonder if Gillian was just lucky to have found what she loved. She wasn't. She had parents that paid attention to her. They took her to that specialist. Was she lucky to have landed with a specialist who saw right into her soul? I'd like to believe that Gillian's parents would have gone to a different specialist if the first one didn't unravel Gillian for them.
Finally, I love that what seemed like "disruptive behavior" from Gillian was so only in the context of the kind of school she was in. Clearly, her fidgety nature had deeper roots in a passion, a talent that was her very way of being. I think this is true of all children. Misbehavior can be seen as such only in the context of a particular situation. When children seem out-of-place, it is because they truly are. They are searching for their place of comfort that sings to who they really are, in tune with their inner being so they might rise in resonance.
As part of my work in The Art of Education I hope to touch every child like Gillian was; to help find the right school, create just the right space and provide the exact support that will bring forth a child's true passion, the true being. Sucess as the world sees it will naturally follow.
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