Question…who is successful?

While listening to NPR’s TED Radio Hour, I came across an episode titled “Hidden Potential”. I read the synopsis, it sparked interest, so of course, I listened. Little did I know, this series of interviews and various talks on the TED stage would cause me to have so many thoughts about my personal life that of my colleagues, acquaintances and students alike. It sparked a few big questions.

1. Does everyone have the potential to get ahead in life based purely on their upbringing, opportunities and connections? (category 1)

2. OR – do some people have to scrap and scramble, dig deep down and hustle, find true grit in order to be able to reach the same (or similar) level of success? (category 2)

3. How does my role as an educator play a part in all of this? (me)

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Personally, I identified with the group of people who had to dig deep down and find grit, be wiling to break the cycle, rise to the occasion in order to survive my abusive upbringings and truly use it as motivation to have a successful future. The truth is, I’ve taught and have been able to relate to several students over the years who have gone through similar situations. Will these students fall into category 1 or category 2? Unfortunately, we all know the most likely answer to that. Even still, I’m left with the question, as an educator, what can I do to assist and motivate my students to thrive and persevere? The more I listened to this episode, the more the answers to my questions became clear.

During almost every one of the stories shared, one commonality rang true: The influence of an impactful, caring, relentless teacher. Said teachers believed in, encouraged, and “unlocked the hidden potential” of these troubled “at-risk” students so much so, that the troubled students (category 2) were able to make a complete turn around and find success in all types of ways.

This truly made me think on an entirely different level.

How am I impacting my students each and every day? Am I unlocking hidden potential? Or locking and hiding away potential?

Actions, looks, words and overall vibes speak to our students. Believe me, they know how you feel about them. The point being, to take some time each day to reflect on your practice and the way you treat others. Do you believe in them, even if the idea seems crazy like a long shot? Or do you immediately shoot down ideas and replace them with “traditional, realistic” goals? This isn’t only for educators, but it goes for human beings, in general. If we try to “unlock” someone’s potential instead of the opposite, imagine how successful and confident more people would be!!

Now, before I end, I do want to say, children and other individuals who find themselves in category 1 have their own set of issues and problems that deserve attention as well. Whether they be a law student who wants to study music production, or a third grader who wants to harness the energy of the wind, hey, too, have hidden potential and mustn’t be overlooked.

All in all, I leave you with this final thought. It is a quote from Joyce Meyer

“Potential is a priceless treasure, like gold. All of us have gold hidden within, but we have to dig to get it out.”

#success #podcast #npr #successful #potential #tedtalks