Dent The Egg Because Rules Are Meant To Be Broken

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

Remember Columbus? He "discovered" the Americas while looking for the East Indies and landing on the island of Hispaniola.

Upon coming back to Europe, several Spanish nobles tried to discredit Columbus, by claiming that they could have discovered the New World if they sailed west themselves. As the story goes, the explorer grabbed a few boiled eggs, gave them to the nobles, and asked if they could stand the eggs upright.

Each of the nobles failed miserably of course. 

When his turn came up, Columbus simply dented the egg with a tap on the table and Voila! Upright the egg stood.

The navigator finished the lesson off by asking: If the solution was so simple, why had you not discovered it?

Rules

Societies create rules. Throughout history, those in power have created rules. They've had motives for the rules. They've given reasons for the rules.

Some rules are useful. Some are not. All need to be questioned.

One of the main reasons rules were created was to control large groups, the masses if you will. Pervasive, repeated often enough, rules programmed those who followed. Behaviors they evoked became Habitual. Ingrained. Encoded. Eventually, the rules became Limiting, Narrowing, and Distracting.

And here we are...

Fixed Mindset

The truth is that in this day and age we create many rules ourselves. Often, these rules live only in our minds. They're figments...

The Spanish nobles could not solve Columbus' riddle in the 15th Century. How many of our students would have come up with that solution themselves today? 10%? 1 in 5? Half? Certainly not all.

I'd really like to say with confidence that most would think outside the proverbial box and come up with some way to get that egg to stand. Dent it, use a piece of clay, tape it, bite the bottom off, do something! But am I confident they could? Are you?

Fixed mindset is a result of civilization and I'm not knocking organized living here. After all, it's allowed us to put the clubs down, stop the skull fracturing bashing, and led to survival of not just the fittest.

What I am saying is that once the rules were handed down and internalized we became complacent, comfortable, and confined in the box.

So how do we get out?

And how do we help our students get out?

We help them understand how the human mind works. We don't just tell them to think for themselves. We show them how. We help them see that it's okay to break the rules that confine them and create their own rules. We teach them how to become more creative. We help them realize that they CAN dent the egg, because rules are meant to be broken.

And we explain to them that some rules MUST be broken for progress to take place.

"Crush School: Every Student's Guide To Killing It In The Classroom" is a book that breaks the rules.

First, it was written for Students, Teachers, and Parents is Student language. Take a look:

Second, it helps Students, Teachers, and Parents get out of the box. See here:

The e-book is available on Amazon for Kindle at $9.99. It's a well worth it investment for back to school!

Games, Brain, And Crushing School

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

A little over a year ago, I was sitting on the couch late at night playing online poker. I love Texas Hold’em. I’m good at it. So good in fact, that in a few short months, I won 170,000,000 in fake chips starting at a mere 800.

How did I do it?

I played, learned, and played some more. I played a lot. I collected more and more fake chips; an undeniable proof of my learning and skill. As I learned to play, I also learned to anticipate events by reflecting on how some hands went down. Then, I applied what I learned in the future hands.

In some cases, I knew I was doing it. In many, I had not a clue.

School is the same way. To get good at school, you have to learn, practice, and apply what you learn. You have to do it a lot too. To get really good at it, you must reflect and become aware of how you learn. And to be an absolute learning machine? Understand how your brain works and use it to that end.

My poker addiction did not lead to a fortune. But the game taught me something. I know now that if I learn to use my brain the right way, I can learn anything I want. And so can you. And so can your students. So I stopped playing Hold'em poker and wrote this book instead.

We love playing games. Video, board, sports, and mental, kids LOVE playing games. And, someone a lot smarter than me thought about using games in learning. It became known as "Gamification of Education."

And while my book is not about playing games, writing it helped me understand why gamification works. It has to do with our brain.

Now... That's something I know a lot about! And that's what "Crush School" is all about: LEVERAGING THE BRAIN TO LEARN.

It's a crash course in the neuroscience of learning. Teaching students to do it. Giving teachers a tool to teach it.

The book truly answers the age old question: Why Do I Have to Learn This?

The book helps learners Learn This, whatever This is.

"Crush School" is written in conversational language. It is meant for Middle School, High School, and College Students. It explains the brain science of learning in a humorous, sassy, and easy to understand way. No long tirades or lectures telling students to do something "Because I Said So!" It provides game-changing learning strategies and reasons for WHY THEY WORK without putting anyone to sleep.

In fact, the book is SHORT. All of the information is contained on 60 pages.

And, it has graphics that help USERS make stronger connections to the information.

Here's a little preview:

I said USERS for a reason. "Crush School" isn't a book in the traditional sense. IT'S A GUIDE TO LEARNING ANYTHING. As such, it is designed not to be merely read, but to be used. Chapter 1 describes how. Check it out:

The book is NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon Kindle for $9.99. USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Remember That You Have The Power. Use It Often.

Universal Truth: We Create Our Own Reality

This is the third post in the Universal Truth Series. Please check out Universal Truth: Everyone Has At Least One Superpower and Universal Truth: We All Have The Power To Change The World if you enjoy reflections on simple but powerful existential truths.

Reality is what we make it...

Whether you're a teacher, administrator, student, CEO or a working stiff you can level up and become a superhero at what you do. One crucial step you must take to achieve this is that you must realize and accept that our reactions, all of our reactions, are a result of how our mind processes the information it receives.

We all act on thoughts rather than on things that are actually happening. For example, if someone insults you by saying less than admirable things about you you might get angry about it.

But what are you actually angry about? Are you angry about the fact that someone insulted you?

I think not. In fact, if you examine the situation on a deeper level, you will notice that it is simply because your mind considers these words to be hurtful, while in reality they have no power over your emotions. You just must realize this and choose not to be affected. This understanding and application of it in your daily life leads to total control of your emotions. It takes a lot of practice and the conscious realization that all people do indeed possess this power.

Once you internalize this universal truth, you become unshakable, No one or nothing can prevent you from becoming your ultimate self and reaching your superhero potential. It will become your new superpower.

We create our own reality...

You can wake up and say: "Today's going to be a great day!" Then you can go and make it a great day. John Wooden once said: "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." Our perception creates our reality. Yet so few know it...  So, rather than hope for a great day, expect each and every day to be great. Be conscious about building greatness into your day. And to create greatness in your life, all you have to do is think it.

As educators, we need to empower our students and staff to do the same. As adults, we often forget this truth. Words have power yes, but we can decide how much power they have over us. We are beings who act on emotions. But if we can slow our reactions down, search the inside of our mind, and realize that our reactions do indeed result from our thoughts on others' actions toward us and perceptions of us, we take the power back.

And, while we can't make anyone view the world through this lens of deeper understanding, we can tell them where it can be found and encourage them to look through it.

Same holds true with students. How other students or adults interact with them makes or wrecks their day. Actions, words, and thoughts others have can have long lasting impacts. As educators we are tasked with helping our students navigate the social emotional world too, as social emotional well being is crucial to learning.

The concept of "making their own reality" is pretty abstract to students. It's because such regulation and metacognition are conscious processes they rarely if ever engage in. Such mind searching has to be first introduced. Then it must be practiced. Only then can it be internalized. And the fact is that many students come to us unequipped. When feeling powerless, they are left powerless. We need to tell our students they have the power, believe in their ability, and teach them to use it.

Building personal reflection into the curriculum is key. Students can reflect on learning and they can reflect on feelings associated with being in school. There will be heavy situations that will challenge you. Once, a student in my colleague's class wrote that she is worried about her dad's drinking. That is a heartbreaking and a delicate situation no teacher can deal with alone.

How do you tell such a student that "she has the power?" You don't. Not then. You can provide support and, if you have built a relationship with her, you can help her focus on controlling things she can. You must do it with a lot of compassion. Tread carefully. And maybe the student will realize that she can control HER reality.

It is also important to be compassionate with ourselves and other adults as well. We are more skilled at self regulation than kids, but it can be difficult at times. We realize that "life is what we make it," but it's difficult to take this approach 24/7/365. We have feelings.

"Where The Mind Goes, Energy Flows." - Ernest Holmes

Jon Harper, an Assistant Principal at Sandy Hill Elementary School in Cambridge, Maryland, and someone I consider a dear friend, wrote an article titled "I Slipped, But I'm Back Up" describing his reactions to being passed over for a promotion on a few of occasions. After "slipping up" and feeling pity for himself, Jon was able to draw inspiration from people and events in his life that meant much more than the new job. He "got back up." He made the choice to refocus. I conceive that Jon will get the job of his dreams, because of his attitude toward failure.

The point is that there will always be tough feelings to contend with. I am currently finishing writing my first book and I am scared that no one will read it. Or even care what I have to say. Or that it will prove inadequate somehow. Our mind can go into dark places if we let it. And then it creates dark realities. So it's important to make the choice to flip the switch. Let there be light.

I choose to believe that

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” - Napoleon Hill

I choose to believe that I am always just one thought away from any moment being great.

And you?

Thank you so much for reading! Sign up for my NEWSLETTER if this post spoke to you. And remember: While it's difficult to always see the bright side, we all can work toward making our students' and our lives brighter. We can choose our thoughts. We can act with intention. WE HAVE THE POWER. LET'S USE IT OFTEN.