Education & Opportunity

In my newspaper column for April 24, 2008, I discuss an embarrassing moment on the salsa dance floor and what it teaches us about how to make smarter, faster, and even intentional mistakes.

What I didn't have space to mention in the column is the importance of MAKING MISTAKES MORE FUN.

Here's why: Educational researchers have demonstrated that most people organize their learning around the social communities to which they belong. The most powerful learning environments, therefore, are those in which the social dynamics of the community supports the learning process and the shared experience of learning together enhances the opportunities for group socializing.

More simply said: Because learning is largely a social exercise, if you are able to develop friendships with those in your classes, you will likely learn much more effectively.

So if you are making mistakes regularly in the name of learning, why not make the process more enjoyable by laughing over your blunders--even celebrating them--with classmates? I know from my beginning salsa class that making mistakes together can be a fun bonding experience.

In my newspaper column for Feb. 1, I discussed how studying math helps students access and develop parts of their brain that would otherwise be underutilized. For all of those folks who have ever said about math, "I'm never going to use this," here's a surprise: You're probably using it all the time without even realizing it. For instance, when a high school senior is writing a history paper, he has to mentally manage a lot of facts, dates, and details.  The study of math actually helps him manage those details better.

So do you go to the gym to get your physical muscles stronger?  Math may help build and tone your mental muscles.

In my newspaper column for Jan.18, I discuss an affliction that virtually every student has had from time to time... good ol' fashioned writer's block. Over the years as a student, author, and columnist, I've spent a lot of time figuring out a good system for getting "un-stuck" when you feel like your creative energy is sapped.

I hope the strategies I mentioned in the article--perform a free write, talk it over, and "zoom in"--can be of some use to you.  One philosophy underlying all of these techniques is that you can, in fact, spur creativity through improvisation. Consider for a moment a great jazz musician: The musician's greatest melodies may not come from deliberate planning, but rather from freeing the mind to create truly in the moment. The same could be said for a great off-the-cuff public speaker. Or even a freestyle rapper.

Think it's too late to turn in that overdue library book?  Learn from the example of Robert Nuranen, who checked out a copy of "The Prince of Egypt" for a ninth-grade homework assignment... back in the year 1960.

Nuranen, now a social studies and english teacher, decided to turn in the book last week along with 47 years' worth of late fees.  The total:  $171.32.

Although Nuranen did end up visiting Egypt as well as 54 other countries, he never did finish the book. 

There was an interesting article in the New York Times this week that raised the question of whether their is a link between education and health. Do those who are better educated live longer?  Some economists believe there is compelling evidence.

Instead of linking health and longevity to wealth--it was assumed that if you had more money you could buy better health care--some health economists propose that education may, in fact, have a stronger connection. Several economics studies report that extra years of schooling as a youngster leads to improved overall health in old age.

I recently received an e-mail from Joe, a reader of my column from Portland, who asked about what to do if your school doesn't offer the type of activity, program, or club that you're really interested in. I thought I'd post my response in case anyone else is in a similar situation.

First, a little about me: Some of the most rewarding experiences I had during my high school and college years were related to opportunities that I created for myself--whether it was my internship with a U.S. senator, a reporting job at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, or starting my own Homework Helpline telephone tutoring service. I also discovered how each opportunity I created for myself kept propelling me forward to even more exciting opportunities—in effect, creating a chain of life-changing events.

My newspaper column for Dec. 28 is one that I've been meaning to write for quite a while now. It describes the day I met a remarkable 60-something woman who happened to work as a housekeeper. The way she approached her job--with a true passion and real purpose--taught me a little bit about the potential all of us have within.

For this "Greatest Housekeeper in the World," cleaning a dirty apartment was actually an incredible opportunity. Even while performing an activity that many view as mundane, there was an underlying potential for greatness.

This woman understood that her actions, even small ones, had the potential for a tremendous "ripple effect." To her, housekeeping wasn't just about picking up some trash and putting things in order: Rather, it was the opportunity to impact a person's life. That person could, in turn, impact other lives, too.

With so many families traveling for the holidays (and more than a few stuck in the Denver airport), I'm reminded of a poem called "The Cookie Thief" that I first heard a few years ago. The poem takes place in an airport and relates a situation that many of us can associate with. It's a fun little poem that I think you'll enjoy:

The Cookie Thief
by Valerie Cox

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

My Dec. 21 newspaper column is one of my personal favorites. It focuses on the inspirational story of Jessica Kirkpatrick, a student who was once told she didn't have the brain power to learn higher-level math. For anyone who has ever been told that they weren't smart enough, talented enough, or good enough by an authority figure (I've experience that first-hand), I think her story really resonates.

Some people wouldn't expect a student with a learning disability--someone who reads at the 18th percentile level--to be among the nation's most promising young scientists. But Jessica discovered how she learns best... adapting her learning strategies to play to her strengths. Now she's getting her Ph.D. from Cal Berkeley.

My Dec. 14 newspaper column was a fun one to think about: It focused on my lackluster grades during my freshman year at Harvard and what it taught me about being an independent learner.

One strategy that I didn't have room to mention in the article involves procuring course overview materials. To do this, obtain unit and final exams from prior terms that the course has been offered--preferably when it was being taught by the same teacher. This way, as you're learning the material, you'll have a good idea about how you'll eventually be tested upon it.

You can obtain old exams from students who have already taken the class or you can request them from your teacher directly. At some schools (such as Harvard), old exams are filed away in student-accessible binders or posted online.