Courtesy: Rosa Say
Rosa Say recently posted An Idea is a Fragile Thing. This simple poem immediately made me think of the classroom where ideas abound. Here’s the poem:
“An idea is a fragile thing.
Turning it off is much easier than keeping it lit.
Ideas shine because somebody had them
and somebody helped them
and nobody turned them off.”
—Tom Peters, A Passion for Excellence
fragile
easily destroyed, vulnerable, delicate.
Ideas and the children who have them are delicate. Regardless of the age, the vulnerability never ceases. Even adults can be vulnerable and hesitant to share ideas. The teacher must create a safe environment where ideas can flourish. Life lessons are best learned when a wise teacher allows students to follow their ideas to the end, even if they fail.
How true and how tragic. Turning off ideas stops learning that is engaging leaving dry, dusty facts. If children are not allowed the freedom to follow their ideas in the classroom, in a safe environment, where will they follow them OR will their ideas and dreams just die? Oh, for teachers who fan into flame the ideas of their students. Oh, for teacher who leave the wonder in the learning!
Ideas shine where there is adequate help and passionate encouragement that keeps ideas lit. Everything exists because of this pattern:
a person
a person has an idea
a person designs a plan
a person builds the plan
It all starts with a person who has an idea! May we never forget that the fragility of an idea is directly related to the fragility of the person. Nurturing ideas in the classroom is nurturing the students who have them.
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