Teaching the Fish to Swim

I remember it like it was yesterday.

A bold, bright, red “F” scrawled hauntingly on top of my test paper.

The shame and horror burned its way through my heart to the bedrock of my being and began to pour a toxic foundation of lies.

“You’re so dumb.”

“You won’t amount to anything!”

“You’re worthless.”

It was my freshman year of college.  I was majoring in biology in a pre-medicine track at the time.  And I was failing. 

Thankfully, I had enough years of successful schooling under my belt to question the lies taking root in my soul. I was also lucky enough to be at a small college where my professors quickly caught on and confirmed that no, my struggles in my pre-med classes were not due to lack of intelligence.  I was simply gifted in other areas.

I see that same look  of shame and horror I had when I received my “F” on the faces of kids every week when they walk in to our after school program - BLAST.   The toxic lies painted across their cheeks and drawing shadows around their eyes.  Some of them have engaged the lies so fully that they even speak it to themselves:

“I’m stupid.”

“I can’t do this.”

And why wouldn’t they believe it?  In most cases, society has written them off completely before they even reach the third grade.  Last year, Education Week published a study linking reading levels in the third grade to the likelihood of a student graduating from high school.  So when an eight-year-old boy walks through our doors with reading scores below grade level, it’s fair for us to assume that likely no one is truly investing in his education. 

Enter said boy.

He shuffled his feet and looked around the room.  I asked him where he would like to start.  “Math” he mumbled. We began to fly through flash cards at impeccable speed. He continued to shuffle and wiggle around – as eight-year-old boys are prone to do – but he answered each card correctly.  

“How about we read now?”  I suggested.

“Nooooooooo!”  The boy wailed, plopping his head down in his notebook with dismay. 

I paused to let the drama settle.

The boy started to doodle monkeys in the margins of his notebook.

I asked if he liked Curious George.  His blank stare was my only reply, but it was enough.

A few minutes later we were halfway through a book about the mischievous little monkey making pancakes.  A light came on.  The boy came alive.

He remembered every detail.  He wrote about it in his notebook.   He drew his own interpretations of George.

…and then we went back to drilling math facts.


 
Einstein once said “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Every day I am more convinced that what our children need is not a better curriculum, a new program or the latest technology.  They need to be guided in a discovery to find out in what way they are geniuses.  They need someone to come alongside them and affirm the God-given gifts and passions already evident in their lives. 

And most of all

they just need a chance to show us what they can do.

By every standard and study, my young friend has been written off.

But when it comes to math and monkeys, he’s on fire.

…someone just needs to help get him out of the tree he’s stuck in.

BLAST (Bible, Learning and Serving Together) is a ministry of Transformation City Church that exists to encourage and equip kids academically and spiritually.  For more information on BLAST, how you can help or how to get your kids involved please contact Megan or Ben Westra.