Pursue Your Glee

 (Originally posted on my Algebra Class Blog, but I thought I would share it here as well.)

There was an interesting article in today's Denver Post about Melissa Benoist, a 2007 AHS graduate. I don't know how many of you have seen Glee (I'll admit that I sometimes watch it), but Melissa stars as Marley, the new girl on Glee. I especially liked this part of the accompanying interview:

John: I want to end this by reading you a quote that you gave me when you were 16, and then I want to know how you think 16-year-old Melissa Benoist would feel about the way 23-year-old Melissa has turned out. You told me of your future plans: "I have known for a long time that acting is what I want to do, so I haven't really tried anything else. It's pretty much all I'm really good at that I have discovered yet. It's so scary to think that, wow, I could go straight into being a starving actor less than a year from now. But I feel an obligation to go to college and get a degree. I just do." ... So you were true to that. You went to college, and now the rewards are really starting to play out. What do you think?

Melissa: I am definitely very proud. A lot of it still doesn't feel real, and not just "Glee." Everything that I have accomplished since 2006. Not to say that it's been easy. If I had any advice for my 16-year-old self, it would just be to stay strong, because acting is not an easy lifestyle, especially when you are starting out. That being said, it definitely makes it all worth it when it does happen.

What I like about this is that Melissa chose to pursue her passion, acting, yet still felt that it was important to pursue her education as well, and be knowledgeable about the world around her. That doesn't mean that college is for everyone, there are lots of ways to be curious and learn about the world around you, and many of them don't include a formal degree program. But I think it's important to be intentional about that, to make a conscious effort to be curious and to learn.

That's what I'm attempting to do in our Algebra class. I realize that not all of you are interested in becoming mathematicians, scientists, or engineers, and that learning Algebra may not be at the top of your priority list. But by trying to share relevant examples from the world around us, whether that's the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Missy Franklin's speed in the backstroke, or how far a car travels in three seconds when going the speed limit outside of AHS, I try to show you how Algebra - and algebraic thinking - can help you make sense of the world around you. So be curious about what you're learning in Algebra - and in all your classes - even if they aren't your passion.

So even if you aren't planning on creating the next iPad (lots of mathematics involved in making that magic happen), working to alleviate issues caused by global climate change (at it's heart, that issue is mathematically based), or working for the National Security Agency (most of modern cryptography - as well as eCommerce - is based on factoring large numbers), I'm hopeful that you'll be curious enough, and caring enough, to engage with the issues and the people around you - and that demands some mathematical thinking.

I believe that pursuing your passion is key, and I encourage you to do so (as Melissa says, "stay strong.") But I also think it's incredibly important to be aware of the wider issues in the world, and to continue to learn and be well-informed even about those areas that are not your passion. Because in order for our society to work, we all have to be knowledgeable, engaged and informed citizens.

What Would You Attempt To Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?

(I just posted this on my Algebra Class Blog and sent an email to the parents of my incoming students suggesting they read the post and watch the video with their student. Thought I'd share it here as well.)

While this is not an "assignment," I really encourage you to take the time to watch this TED Talk by Regina Dugan (about 19 minutes, with another 5 of Q & A afterward). At the time she gave this talk, Dugan was the director of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. I was lucky enough to see this talk when she gave it, and I think it's well worth your time. Please watch the embedded video, then I'll share just a few thoughts below it.

The title of this blog post echoes the really important - and empowering - question she asks, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail." I think it's important to note that she doesn't say you won't fail at some things, in fact she acknowledges that failure is a huge part of any ultimate success. She argues that it's not failure that's the problem, but our fear of failure that prevents us from attempting "great things."

As you begin this class and, for most of you, your high school careers, I want you to try great things, and not let fear hold you back. As Regina Dugan says,

So who are these scientists and engineers at a magical place called DARPA? They are nerds, and they are heroes among us. They challenge existing perspectives at the edges of science and under the most demanding of conditions. They remind us that we can change the world if we defy the impossible and we refuse to fear failure. They remind us that we all have nerd power. Sometimes we just forget.

You see, there was a time when you weren't afraid of failure, when you were a great artist or a great dancer and you could sing, you were good at math, you could build things, you were an astronaut, an adventurer, Jacques Cousteau, you could jump higher, run faster, kick harder than anyone. You believed in impossible things and you were fearless. You were totally and completely in touch with your inner superhero. Scientists and engineers can indeed change the world. So can you. You were born to. So go ahead, ask yourself, what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

I want you to defy the impossible and refuse to fear failure. I want you to get in touch with your inner superhero and change the world. You were born to.

Don't Fear Failure

(Posted this to my class blog, but thought I'd share it here as well.)

One of the problems I think we have in schools is that we train students to fear failure, to avoid it at all costs. Now, to be clear, I'm not suggesting you go out and fail all your classes. But I am suggesting that you should take some risks in your learning. That instead of avoiding things that are hard (because you might fail), you challenge yourself to step up and take on things that are difficult.

I think sometimes students would rather not try (and fail) than try and fail. In the first option it's easy to say, "Oh, I just didn't try." But in the second option it's much harder, because you have to admit that you did try and still weren't successful. But here's the key - almost anyone who has done anything worthwhile has failed. Not just once, but multiple times. We often learn more from trying something and not succeeding than we do from trying something and succeeding, especially if we limit ourselves to only trying "easy" things that we know we'll be successful at.

Here are a couple of videos that illustrate this point that I think are worth your time. The first is from the TED Conference I attended, which speaker Brene Brown (who also has an excellent TED Talk) described this way:

You know what the big secret about TED is? . . . This is like the failure conference. No, it is. You know why this place is amazing? Because very few people here are afraid to fail. And no one who gets on stage, so far that I've seen, has not failed. I've failed miserably, many times.

The key is still to try hard things, even knowing that you might fail, but then learning from it. So the first video is from TED Fellow Myshkin Ingawale. It's a little over 6 minutes, so please take the time to watch it. The important point to realize is that he built this device - and it failed. So then he built it 32 more times until it worked. After watching this video, think how important his invention is and how many times he had to "fail" to get a working version.

The second video is designed to be motivational, but I still think it has a good message about "failure."

So, what are you willing to try (and perhaps fail) at?

Update 3-22-12: From @kaherbert comes this relevant post from Neil Gaiman

What If It Was Possible?

(cross-posted on my class blog - thought some of you here might be interested.)

Teachers get this fairly often.

That's impossible Mr. Fisch. I can't do that.

Is it really impossible? Or does it just take a whole lot of work?

Watch.




So next time you feel yourself getting ready to say,

That's impossible.

remember this video and ask yourself,

Is it really impossible? Or do I just have to work at it?

What kind of box have you put yourself in?

(via A Year of Reading)