Eye of the Beholder

So much of what we see is what we anticipate seeing. As I talked with a former high school principal yesterday, he shared a story of when the school decided to allow students to use their cell phones in the hallways between classes. Initially, in anticipation of the rule change, parents and teachers expressed significant concern that the students would be texting throughout the hallways and no longer socializing with other students. Upon implementation, the adults in the building discovered that actually the students did very little texting in the hallways and when they did it was often with their parents. Why? Simply because their friends were with them at school. The students shared funny videos and memes with each other but the device wasn't the center of their universe but rather their personal social network was. Convincing parents that this was the reality, a harder job than to facilitate the implementation of the rule change.

Often what we look for is what we expect to see. At kindergarten orientation, the teachers asked my son to draw a picture of himself. Rather than trying he replied to the staff that he couldn't do it. Between not drawing the picture and not sitting for the big book story, the staff assumed that he was delayed and expressed their concern to us. When we asked if they investigated his ability to read or do mathematics, they replied that most kindergartners don't read. Their expectations, like many of ours, are impacted by what we expect to see and what we want to see. As is often the case, this limits our perceptions of what can be. Do we see who the child is and what they can be or do we see their present behavior and academic performance?

In Sunday School, our team allows fifth grade students to bring their own devices as part of the learning. Parents worry that it will be a case of the haves and the have nots. Some children operating with tools and others unable to. Some showing off their latest wares and some jealous. I'm sure their are some children jealous of others. They are also jealous of the name brand clothes others wear or the vacations that other families take. It is a situation we need to council children through, not one exacerbated by the presence of digital devices. Other families worry that all the children will do is play games or text their friends. I am sure at points our children do both. However, in addition to that, they collaborate on a great many things. The students read stories from Genesis and Exodus. They have found preferred sources of information. For some it is our text book. For others, aish.com a simpler read. And for some, the Jewish Virtual Library, a more complex reading of the text. Students also make unique products. Students have recorded their own movies and plays. Composed their own songs which they have recorded and built choose your own adventure games using Minecraft. If we create constraints by our own vision of what is their we reduce children's ability to innovate powerful products.

So often what we see is what we expect to see. When we open our eyes up to the possibility of new products, ideas, or innovations, we see a world of potential. It is difficult to acknowledge our assumptions and clear them for new opportunities. However, it is a journey worth doing. We live in an amazing world of insight and experience. It is up to us to open up our eyes and see it.

The Carpenter's Cup