Are You Feeling Lucky?

     Growing up I came to understand that two numbers ruled the universe, 7 and 13.  My father was a gambler by trade, and he put a great deal of stock in this philosophy of lucky vs. unlucky. Good fortune, according to him, was either "meant to be" or not; "in the stars" or not.  I believed in it, too, but not the same way he did.  Where he saw it as something cosmic and mystical, I looked at it as something concrete and controllable.  I learned to turn 13s into 7s by looking for the good in what was seemingly bad.  I am not one to allow ill fortune to beat me.  I move quickly to take control of a situation that is showing signs of becoming a true 13.

     For example, some folks may have thought it unlucky that my sister and I had to close ourselves up in the room we shared to lock out the wrath of our father.  Actually, it was quite lucky.  It was during these "sessions" that we played school.  My sister assumed the role of "teacher" and taught me what she had learned in school that day.  As a result, I was able to read quite well by the time I entered kindergarten.  The luck continued when I asked Mrs. Abbott if I could read to the other kids, and she agreed. It was in those early days of my life on the planet that I became a teacher in my heart.  Lucky?  Perhaps.  Blessed? I'm certain.  But I did my part.  I worked for that luck and those blessings.  My "pot o' gold" did not come from a leprechaun; it came from a positive attitude toward my aptitude and a movement to action. God blessed me tremendously with a gift, and I spent the rest of my life thanking Him by working hard at perfecting my art.

      Richard Wiseman, author of the The Luck Factor, has identified four principles that characterize lucky people.  Wiseman writes, "Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good."  It is this very kind of "luck" that we need right now to transform our schools into places that will feed the spirit of every kid who graces the doorstep.   

     How do we do this?  It is not as difficult as some might imagine.  First, educational leaders must understand the lives the children are leading and the special gifts of their teachers.  Second, only people who are passionate in their disciplines and gifted at connecting with children should be allowed to teach.  Third, these knowledgeable, devoted educators must be given the freedom to adjust the curriculum to meet the individual needs of the children in their classrooms so that the lessons connect to the real world in which these kids live.  Fourth, all learning must have practical application.  When kids see a reason in their own lives for learning a concept, they are much more motivated to do the work.  Finally, school boards and administrators must create a climate where passionate and creative teachers are empowered to create environments where everyone is inspired to grow creatively.  Even in light of the current budget crisis (a 13), we can make the necessary changes to turn our schools into places that teach students and not tests (a 7).

     So, I ask every educator, administrator, school board trustee, legislator, and taxpayer, "Are you feeling lucky?"