[EXPOSED Day 1 – #exposeyourtruth]
My most memorable childhood teacher is a curious Aussie, Steve Stewart and to him I am forever grateful. But first, my thoughts on schools.
Our antiquated public-school systems – designed over 100 years ago to produce great employees and military personnel – are letting our future down. We ordinarily think of how kids are being let down at the bottom end of the academic pool – being pushed through a system, whether they pass or fail – but the truth is, everyone is hurting.
Some people graduate and still cannot read or write appropriately – while their other areas of genius remain untapped and unrecognized. Some are held back, their talents and intellect going to waste with lack of challenge, innovation and resources. And the mass in the middle struggles for the time and attention they also need.
Post-secondary education leaves the student in debt for decades to come – the information often becoming outdated before the loans are even paid off.
Our schools are outdated. Our talent is going to waste! There is more focus on what kids do WRONG than what they do RIGHT and it leave people afraid to try – and possibly fail.
Change is required – kids are so much more capable than our system allows – there has to be a better way.
The good news! – coaching and online learning is poised to be a $325 BILLION dollar industry in 2020!
This industry is attempting to fill in the gaps that are missing from our systems and our homes. Everything from basic budgeting, handling taxes, how to get a mortgage or loan – to soft skills in communications, leadership, team building – and business skills like accounting and marketing. You can even learn bee-keeping online! How cool is that?
The thing is – you need to know where your interests and gifts lie – so you even know what to look for. There are even coaches who can help you find your passions! I love this! It starts with recognizing what we are good at and what we LOVE – rather than focusing on our mistakes, what we do wrong, and where we lack.
One of the biggest troubles I see with my coaching clients – and friends, and family, and myself – is that we have been so ingrained in focusing on what is WRONG, we sap our personal power to do what is RIGHT – and this mental process holds us back from greatness and meeting our goals. Worrying more about failure and what others think – than just going and doing the thing.
So now, about my Grade 7 teacher, Steve Stewart. He was so much different than the others, I see now, due to our shared values. He saw everything through the eyes of care for the individual, and also through humour. He could take the most boring of subjects and jazz them up with some laughter or get us through really dry content with just plain having fun!
It’s cool how you learn faster and retain more when you’re having fun!
He acknowledged different intelligences in people – academic, athletic, artistic, musical, emotional – and he seemed to have a sixth sense in dealing with we preadolescents – age 12-13, awkward and changing – and he could help us understand what we were going through when even our own parents wouldn’t discuss.
It was the last year before high school and it made all the difference in how I viewed myself and my self-worth. With him, I never felt it was focused on what I did wrong, but acknowledgment for what I did right. Lord knows where I’d have been, if not for this teacher.
So that’s it. Day 1 done!
If you have not yet, find your values and your zone of genius and focus on those – not in all the areas you feel you fall short. You’ll be a much happier and successful person because of it!
Much love, Tracy
#exposeyourtruth
