Learn to Love to Learn
Learn to Love to Learn. Such a simple phrase, but when you’re keynoting to 400 people it can be a mouthful. Recently I keynoted at a student technology conference. The auditorium was filled with students, teachers, administrators and state level educators. I pounded away on how the world is flat. How students need to prepare for a world economy. Career education isn't just about vocational education, but is really about preparing one's self for global competition. The US needs students to learn to be creators and innovators. It’s also imperative that we attract more girls into technology and the sciences.
Now to set this up a bit; some of you know that I spent about 4 years or so as a professional improv comedian at a club called Comedy City in Kansas City. I have spoken to large groups before, so being in front of a bunch of people is not a big deal for me. In all those years, I have hit a few experiences that I struggled with, but you have to just let it go and move on.
No - not this time. I came to the point when I wanted to give everyone a big key phrase to success in the future. Behind me, the power-point changed and I was poised to deliver the big phase. So, I started to say “learn to love to learn.”
What came out was a jumbled mess of nonsense. So there I was on stage, struggling to say this phase while being overshadowed by a 15-foot high power-point behind me. I keep stammering through a plethora of versions like “love to learn to learn”, “learning to love”, and “loving learning and learning to love …” It was essentially a verbal train wreck but I was committed to say it even if it killed half the audience.
By this point in time, the whole first row is mouthing the phrase to me. I see the person who asked me to give the keynote sitting painfully still and pretending to be in her happy place. As the train is jumping the keynote tracks, I turn to the president of the association who is sitting next to the podium and say in Groucho Marx style, “You can jump in here anytime and help!” Priceless is truly the only description of her face as she realized that the stammering idiot is now asking her for help.
If the idiot would just turn around and read it from the giant screen this all could be over. But instead I tried to pull her onto the train in front of 400 people - many of whom will be voting or not voting to continue her presidential tenure the next day. With a deer in the headlights look she simply blinks and stares back. I turn back to the crowd and slowly muster up what was the last attempt and say, “Learn to Love to Learn.”
The crowd erupted in cheers as the three minutes of terror came to an end. They cheered as if collectively they just found out that the multiple root canals planned for them had been called off. I practice that phase often now. The moral of the story is to simply turn around and read.
The rumor is – a video of this debacle will soon find it’s way to a hidden place on our website. If you discover it’s hiding place, and can stop laughing, please let me know because a handsome reward awaits you.
Now to set this up a bit; some of you know that I spent about 4 years or so as a professional improv comedian at a club called Comedy City in Kansas City. I have spoken to large groups before, so being in front of a bunch of people is not a big deal for me. In all those years, I have hit a few experiences that I struggled with, but you have to just let it go and move on.
No - not this time. I came to the point when I wanted to give everyone a big key phrase to success in the future. Behind me, the power-point changed and I was poised to deliver the big phase. So, I started to say “learn to love to learn.”
What came out was a jumbled mess of nonsense. So there I was on stage, struggling to say this phase while being overshadowed by a 15-foot high power-point behind me. I keep stammering through a plethora of versions like “love to learn to learn”, “learning to love”, and “loving learning and learning to love …” It was essentially a verbal train wreck but I was committed to say it even if it killed half the audience.
By this point in time, the whole first row is mouthing the phrase to me. I see the person who asked me to give the keynote sitting painfully still and pretending to be in her happy place. As the train is jumping the keynote tracks, I turn to the president of the association who is sitting next to the podium and say in Groucho Marx style, “You can jump in here anytime and help!” Priceless is truly the only description of her face as she realized that the stammering idiot is now asking her for help.
If the idiot would just turn around and read it from the giant screen this all could be over. But instead I tried to pull her onto the train in front of 400 people - many of whom will be voting or not voting to continue her presidential tenure the next day. With a deer in the headlights look she simply blinks and stares back. I turn back to the crowd and slowly muster up what was the last attempt and say, “Learn to Love to Learn.”
The crowd erupted in cheers as the three minutes of terror came to an end. They cheered as if collectively they just found out that the multiple root canals planned for them had been called off. I practice that phase often now. The moral of the story is to simply turn around and read.
The rumor is – a video of this debacle will soon find it’s way to a hidden place on our website. If you discover it’s hiding place, and can stop laughing, please let me know because a handsome reward awaits you.
posted by Steve Waddell at 2:21 PM
2 Comments:
At least it was memorable! How much time have you spent thinking up ways to make a presentation something the audience will remember? Personally I would rather the speaker make a mistake and laugh their way through it than make me struggle to find ways to cover up the fact that I'm yawning and thinking about my grocery list! (If you end up on Youtube it will be free advertising!)
"Learn to Love to Learn"
"The Courage to Teach" Parker J. Palmer (excellent book!)
On the surface, both philosophies have merit but I believe they unintentionally shift focus away from the primary stakeholder in education..."The Children"
Check out the archived post
"The teacher who couldn't Read" at:
http://shifted21.blogspot.com/
Which outlines the courage it takes to learn when you are not a "Good Student"
I would like to find a book entitled "The Courage to Learn"
Or read Csikszentmihalyi's book "Flow~The pyschology of optimal experience"
Also Ken Bain's book "What the best college professors do"
Both discuss the inherent pleasure derived by pre-schoolers to learn.
Another post at
http://shifted21.blogspot.com/
"Who killed Curiosity" describes this phenomenon.
Perhaps if we
"Learn to Love to Teach"
public school would not extinguish children's natural desire to learn.
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