Meditations on Creativity and Risk

Last night, I attended the Richmond Symphony performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major.  What a tremendous emotional journey!  I will spare you my pedestrian music review (suffice it to say that I was transported and loved every note), but I would like to share some of my thoughts following the performance. 

When this piece premiered, it received overwhelmingly negative criticism and boos from the audience.  Now, it is one of the most frequently performed symphonies around the world.  In his day, Mahler was seen as a great conductor but a failed composer – and yet in our day, he is celebrated as one of our finest composers.

How did Gustav Mahler continue to compose despite negative criticism and discouragement?  Where does one find the will to create in an unsupportive environment? 

Obviously, creativity and expression require risk and vulnerability.  History is littered with great innovators who were underappreciated, discouraged, or ridiculed by those around them.  Some survived to be recognized for their achievements.  Others died with no acclaim.  

How do we, as educators, encourage students to take these necessary risks, to be open to mistakes and criticism, to learn and grow?  How do we develop a student’s inner strength and confidence – the ability to see past initial failure or to see beyond perceived failure?

A dear friend once gave me some advice as I was preparing for a recital.  I was telling him about my terrible performance anxiety and how I fall apart in front of an audience – hitting the wrong notes, messing up the tempo, etc.  He told me, “Whenever I hit a wrong note, I do it with confidence.  I go with it – maybe even hitting it wrong again on purpose.” 

Now I certainly don’t have his sense of panache, but he helped me see that my fear of failure was more powerful than the actual mistake.  The truth of the moment was not in the wrong note but in my response to the wrong note.  Could I celebrate the mistake and get past it? 

Fear can stop us from moving forward, from learning a skill, mastering a concept, or sharing a talent.  What if nobody likes it?  What if I mess up?  What if I get the answer wrong?  What if someone laughs at me?

Mahler was definitely affected by the negative criticism surrounding him (he completely reworked his first symphony only to have the next version meet the same disappointing reaction), but he chose to honor his inner voice rather than the tastes of his audience.   Mahler’s biographer Henry-Louis de La Grange writes that “the emotions [Mahler] needed to express were so overpowering that he was not much concerned with his future listeners’ reactions.”  I am thankful that Mahler persevered.  

I do not want my students to let their fears block their growth.  I want to encourage determination and inner strength by providing a learning community that is a safe space to risk innovation.  To embrace mistakes with confidence.  To develop an inner voice that can guide through obstacle and opposition.

In life, there will be wrong answers.  There will be mistakes.  There will be times when our hard work and personal expressions are met with boos and negativity.  We cannot let this stop us from sharing our voice and our gifts.

Thank you, Gustav Mahler, for your tenacity and courage.

Fact Checking

“So my friend who goes to that school said that it’s true.  So it’s not an opinion, it’s a fact.”

Ah, the tricky work of sorting fact from opinion.  I recently asked our 8^th graders to research facts about the various high school specialty centers in the Richmond area.  Despite an abundance of accurate information from reliable sources on the Internet, some students wanted to report opinion and gossip from neighbors and friends rather than fact, usually followed by a chorus of “Well, what I heard was …”

In middle school, students are very attuned to what other people think – about themselves and each other.  This is a time for them to cull through the deluge of peer, media, and family beliefs to find what fits and what doesn’t, trying on different attitudes and identities.  This exploration is essential.

However during this time, the distinction between opinion and fact can blur.  Parents and teachers have a responsibility to gently question student assumptions that are based on opinion and prompt them to find reliable sources for information – a critical process when students are dealing with peer relationships, sexuality, drugs, and alcohol. 

Am I saying that we should disregard opinion?  Absolutely not.  Trusted counsel from friends, older siblings, neighbors, or professionals is a valid way to gather information.  However, parents and educators have a responsibility to teach our children to fact check:  Is this person/website/program a reliable source of information?  Where did they get this information?  How can you double check the information?  Parents must send a strong, unequivocal message to “come to me first” about issues relating to drugs, alcohol, and sex in order to mitigate the flow of misinformation.

In my high school transition work with the 8^th graders, I emphasize that the opinion of friends can portray a sense of the culture of a school but that they must recognize opinion for what it is:  the outlook and reflection of one individual.  Additionally, interview admissions directors, research statistics, and talk to a variety of people to get a fuller picture of a school.

As we look forward to October, parents and students will have ample opportunity for gathering opinions and facts about the various high schools in the area.  This is the season for open houses, information sessions, and tours.  A perfect time for fact checking.

Forming

This is forming time in the classroom. 

This is the time for the teacher to establish expectations and a rhythm to the day, to learn the nuances of the students – when to support, when to challenge – and to tinker with how to guide exploration and discovery. 

This is the time for students to consider, “Who am I in this group?  What do I bring to the class?  How am I part of the whole?  Do I fit in here?” 

This is the time for the teacher to provide leadership and guidance with clear boundaries, warmth, and care – providing a safe, comfortable environment for the students so they can take the social risks necessary for joining with others.

Vulnerability.  Guidance.  Authenticity.  Acceptance.  Trust.

This is essential work – primary, grounding. 

Until the beginning of October, I try to avoid interrupting the flow of the classroom.  I may visit a few classes where I have deep, comfortable relationships with students – students who may need a reassuring word, smile, or hug.  But I try to leave the teacher and students to their dance of relationship and group identity.  To form as a group.

When we allow this to occur, when we allow a space for students and teacher to join together, something magical happens.  The group becomes dynamic, flexible, and strong – able to work through conflict and strife during the school year, capable of deep growth and progress.

The group transforms from a collection of individuals to an entity. 

The whole becomes more than the sum of its parts.

The Invisible String

This is one of my all-time favorite books to read with children!  Patrice Karst's picture book is simple and helps when we need to feel connected to someone who is not right here, right now in a physical way.  Twins, awakened at night by a thunderstorm, run into see their mom who explains to them that she is always with them, no matter what.  People who love each other are connected by invisible strings of love - such a powerful concept that children, big and small, get in a very deep way.  (I use it with children Pre-K through 5th grade but have given it to older children to read and discuss as well as adults.)

I like to ask kids where their strings go - who are the people connected to them by love?  It's a great way for them to identify their support system.  They often start with family (and pets, of course!) but will also include friends, neighbors, teachers.  We explore questions such as "Can you be connected by love to the earth?" or "What happens when someone tries to cut a string by being mean?"

I have read this with children who miss mom or dad during the school day.  I have also shared this with students who could no longer see a parent or family member due to death or incarceration.  It is such a lovely and reassuring book for us all - who hasn't felt alone and scared at some point?  As Karst writes:

"... they started dreaming of all the Invisible Strings they have, and all the Strings their friends have, and their friends have, and their friends have, until everyone in the world was connected by Invisible Strings.  And from deep inside, they now could clearly see ... no one is ever alone."

More First Day Prep ...

Here is some advice from Diane Peters Mayer (via Tracy Grant's Momspeak) specifically about transitioning to a new school.  And yet with advice like "Don't dismiss the child's worry" and "Believe in your child," her suggestions are great for those of us returning our kids to a familiar school as well!

First Day Prep

I know that it's coming.  There it is on my calendar:  The First Day of School.  Yet I never feel ready.  It always sneaks up on me, hiding behind family trips or last minute pool parties, until ... Gotcha!  I'm scrambling to buy lunch bags and binders, everyone is up way too late, and no one is ready in the morning.

Does this sound familiar?  Here are some tips for easing the transition from summer days to school days.  Many are for all age groups, a few are more geared towards older or younger children.  Please add your own suggestions in the comments!

Before School Starts:

• Resist overdoing the back-to-school shopping.  Children usually have sufficient clothing for the first weeks of school.  Focus on obtaining the necessary school supplies and reviewing dress code policy.  
• Call the school to confirm that you have all the necessary paperwork completed and signed.
• Reset bedtimes and mealtimes so that everyone is on the right schedule by the first day of school.
• Arrange playdates with classmates if possible to easy those first day jitters.
• Turn off the TV especially in the morning to re-establish a morning learning routine - encourage reading, library or museum trips, board games, or family exploratory walks.
• Establish a homework spot for your child.  Pay attention to noise, distractions, and lighting.
• Establish a "launch pad" - a place for kids to place backpacks, sports bags, and lunches in the evening to be ready in the morning on the way out the door.
• Set alarms for the morning wake up!  Third or fourth graders and older can have their own alarm clock.  Practice!
• If tardiness is an issue, give your child a stop watch and have him time a trial run.  Analyze the data and plan accordingly (make sure you are running your trial at the right time of day since traffic varies).  How long does breakfast usually take?  How much time should you allot for actually getting out of the door?  How early should you wake up for this all to work?  Kids love this! 
• Review your after school routine - especially with children who are home alone after school or children who have carpool/childcare/dual household schedules that vary from day to day.  You and your child can create a graphic/visual schedule - electronically for the older children, pictorially for the younger.  This can be laminated and pinned inside a backpack with emergency numbers.

The First Week:

• Make lunches ahead in the evening, especially if mornings are rushed.  Children third grade and older can usually handle this task on their own with guidelines.  Review those guidelines before school begins.  Conduct a trial run.
• For the first few weeks, allow for extra time in the mornings.  If you are early, great!
• Since you will want to spend extra time sharing with your child about the first few days of school, plan for simple, healthy meals or make them ahead of time and freeze them.

If Your Child Seems Anxious:

• Try not to over-react.  Listen to your child's concerns and worries with a caring, sympathetic ear.  Share any experiences that you have had starting a new school year or beginning a new job.  Name both your feelings and the physical symptoms that often accompany them:  "I felt nervous with butterflies in my stomach and a shaky voice when I had to introduce myself to the class."  Emphasize how you calmed yourself and that it got better over time.
• Reinforce your child's ability to cope.  Reflect back to him that he is capable and can deal with this challenge.
• Leave a note or two in her lunch box or backpack.
• Plan some get-togethers with classmates to encourage friendships and habits of play.
• Create a "talisman" - a heart-shaped bead, a special temporary tattoo, a small, meaningful object - that you can pack with your child to remind him that you are thinking of him and sending him love and strength.  Discuss this with the teacher in case your child needs to carry it during class or check on it during the day.
• Email or talk to the classroom teacher or the counselor if your child's nervousness doesn't improve after a few days.

This is my favorite time of year - full of expectation, possibility, and community.  It's a time to meditate on how your child is growing and changing.  A time to fully, deeply appreciate the person they are now while pondering how this person will develop in the coming year.  A time to trust your child's abilities and sovereignty.

Welcome back!  It's going to be a magical year!

Haven't We All Been Here?