If you
want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t
assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless
immensity of the sea.
- Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry
That’s how I see my job as an
educator. To somehow spark in my students that inner drive to reach for their
potential. To, first of all, master the content of the course material; but
then to grab hold to the joy of learning and in the process long for their
goals and dreams.
On the last Friday of October,
I had the pleasure of teaching the CPR course to a group of grade ten PE
students in Calgary. Typically, at the beginning of the course, I ask the
students to introduce themselves. As part of that introduction, I also ask them
to either say something interesting about themselves or tell us what their
dream for the future is. With this particular group of students, their future
ambitions ranged from wanting to be a cardiologist, to a history professor, to
a mechanic.
As I got into the course
content I attempted to infuse some humor into an otherwise serious topic –
learning the skills to one day maybe save someone’s life. At one point in our
discussion, we were talking about various risk factors that might predispose someone
to having a heart attack or stroke. One of those risk factors is stress. On
that topic, we brainstormed ways we can deal with excessive amounts of stress.
Recently, I was doing a little
research on the effects of stress. One source made the claim that 43% of all
adults suffer adverse effects from stress. The same source also asserted that
75-90% of all doctor’s office visits are from stress related ailments and
complaints. Wow! That’s a staggering figure. Of course, a certain degree of
stress is healthy and is just our body’s normal reaction to events occurring
around us.
One strategy for stress
mitigation that I proposed to my students would come under the umbrella of life
perspective, or attitude. In that regard, I mentioned a book I had just
finished reading. It’s called The
Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday. The book’s subtitle is “The Timeless
Art of Turning Trials into Triumphs.” In this very interesting book, the author
uses case studies of famous people throughout history (as well as the teachings
of the philosophy of Stoicism) to make a point. That is, the potentially stress
causing challenges of life can be better managed by leaning into the trial or
obstacle in our way.
By dealing proactively with
our challenges, the author suggests that we can build up our armor, or “Inner
Citadel,” as the Stoics called it. Mr. Holiday defines this Inner Citadel as
“that fortress inside of us that no external adversity can ever break down.” In
this regard, the book also contains a quote by the Roman emperor, Marcus
Aurelius: “Choose not to be harmed, and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel
harmed, and you haven’t been.”
To make the point more salient
for my students, I referenced the rigor of a grade ten Math or English course.
My suggestion there was for the students (if they’re feeling challenged in that
subject area) to lean into the course content. In other words, make a decision
to become really interested in the course; spend more time on skill
development; and ask the teacher as many questions as needed to master the
content.
Our discussion also segued
into the philosophy of Stoicism. All but one of the students were unfamiliar
with this ancient school of thought. After I had provided some background
information, one of the students was keen to ask if I could tell her the
essence of Stoic thought. What a great question.
I was glad to respond
by saying that the Stoics were all about achieving a balance in life – to not
be buffeted by the inevitable ups and downs of our existence. Their modus
operandi was to remain calm and use life’s obstacles as fodder for the forge,
if you will, to lead them to a higher level of character refinement.
