As I watch the X Games Munich with Cub2. I am awed by the bravery these guys display. I used to believe that these guys were fearless. So wrong! Most are clearly, visibly fearful of the big jump/mega ramp/big air. They pray, they take deep breaths, and they drop over the edge in spite of their fears. John Wayne, famous American movie star, said "Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."
Educators need to lead their students in taking deep breaths and big leaps. Annie Dililard, American author wrote, " You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down. " As educators, we need to just take the plunge and deal with the fallout later. We can accept that we look silly, or that we might fail, but we must take the plunge each and every day. While I appreciate the encouragement and instruction by @DaveBurgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate. I believe that Bob Burnquist, X Games Munich 2o13 Big Air Gold Medal winner, shows kids that they can take the plunge and take enormous risks not only surviving, but thriving.
If a student is able to show mastery of a standard we should allow them the priviledge of dropping over the edge of a new standard. We should not force them or school them into completing the same assignments that the rest of the class must complete to learn mastery. Rather than simply offering genius hour once a week, let's truly differentiate and encourage all the kids to take the plunge in learning.
