Breaking From the Inevitable: Getting Back to the Why

“Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of dedicated individuals.”

Martin Luther King Jr.
-Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution

It seems only fitting to quote the great orator, scholar, father and pastor on this day, dedicated to honoring his inspirational leadership, philosophy and mission for nonviolent social change.

As I trace the powerful words of his quote, my thoughts go to its application in my own field-- educational change. His words are a call to stand against complacency, with its desire to wrap weighty fingers around us that impede progress. So, will we be bystanders who wait for the inevitable change and progress MLK speaks of? Or will we be the ones who get off the couch, stand up and decide how we can be a part of changing the status quo and making an impact?

Simon Senek speaks on inspirational leadership citing MLK as an example in his TED talk and book surrounding the importance of the question “Why?”¹. He reveals the pattern of great inspirational leaders as he explains how they all think, act and communicate in a distinct way, one that is exactly opposite for most of us. They start with the why before the how and the what of whatever it is that they do and it is from this why and through this why and about this why that they do everything else.

In general, I think we are pretty good at explaining the how and the what of the scene in our schools, but we have a less vivid and constant mental picture of the why. And this very why could impact everything else.

Everyone knows students are supposed to be prepared for a standardized test and there are skills and objectives they are supposed to master by the time they pass through a grade level. They start with a certain amount of knowledge and educators are supposed to have them understand a certain amount more than where they began, right? We even have strategies for helping students understand these standards and strategies for taking these tests and there is nothing inherently wrong with any of this.

The problem comes when this how and what become so overpowering that we lose sight of the why.

Senek extols his readers to remember, “people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”² I think students are the same as the consumers Senek refers to and they buy into why we do it, why we teach them, why we care about them. Let’s bring the why into each lesson, each faculty meeting, each professional development, each field trip, each homeroom time. I believe that the wheels of the inevitable, if we choose to wait for them, will only bring us more mediocre results in our schools. I believe that if we start with the why, the how and the what will fall into place. Because in twenty years I wonder if our students will remember their scores on the standardized tests they took or if they will remember the teacher, administrator, leader or mentor who inspired them to love learning, think for themselves and challenge mediocrity.

Need a place to start?

Bring a “why lesson” to life today and let students research and develop their own speech on a cause they believe in. Students can research those who have possibly championed this same cause in the past and discover the impact they have made.

•  Why: Create life-long learners who are comfortable expressing their beliefs and passions in front of their peers. Give real life, relevant examples of when they may use this “skill” in the workplace, home life, with friends, etc.
•  How: Students can bring in media clips, make an Animoto, pull in website links, and other supporting files as they give their speech through the playlist format within SAFARI Montage CreationStation or through Digital Curriculum Presenter. Teachers or students can record the speech with a digital camera or other recording device and post to Local Motion (with the proper student and teacher permissions) or give student/parent access through Managed Home Access. The how is pretty much how you want, based on what technology you have access to and how you want to integrate it into the lesson.
• What: Common Core 4th Grade Standards (as an example, could be applied to any grade level and a variety of standards)
  •  SL.4.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. 
  • SL.4.5. Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.³
  • Or for my Texas folks-from the 4th Grade ELA TEKS
    (26) Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to draw conclusions through a brief written explanation and create a works-cited page from notes, including the author, title, publisher, and publication year for each source used.
    (28) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to express an opinion supported by accurate information, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, and enunciation, and the conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.⁴

Please post your ideas for “why lessons” using technology and inspiring students!

1. Senek, Simon, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, © Copyright 2011, Simon Sinek Inc.

2. Senek, Simon, Start With Why:How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, © Copyright 2011, Simon Sinek Inc.

3. Common Core Standards, English Language Arts Speaking & Listening, Grade 4 © 2011 Common Core Standards Initiative. Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standar....

4. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, English Language Arts and Reading, 4th Grade, © 2009 Texas Education Agency. Retrieved from: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/ch110a.html

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