Finding Our Big Potential
Originally Published June 2019
Potential: something that can develop or become actual (Merriam Webster).
So much of education is about developing students to reach their potential. To realize what they are capable of becoming. We recently celebrated with our 2019 graduates; we celebrated what they had become and now look forward to their next season of growth.
Potential. It’s a belief. It is hope that with the right nurturing, learning, and supporting, a person can become ____. Fill in the blank. As educators, we strive daily to ensure that each child develops the knowledge, skills, and mindsets that will help them to be successful both in school and in life. But what will success in life look like?
A colleague recommended a book to me recently. Big Potential by Shawn Achor. The full title is Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being. Achor writes about the difference between small potential, that which we can accomplish individually and Big Potential, that which we accomplish collaboratively. Achor cites examples and research that shows when we work together, surround ourselves with positive influences, and support the development of others, we can do immeasurably more than we could alone. And we are happier and more satisfied as a result.
For our students, achieving their Big Potential is about more than academic success, it’s about connecting their knowledge with their skills and passions and putting them into practice. An example of this is students at one Central Ohio middle school who, each year, apply their knowledge and skills to bring awareness about South Sudan and use their creativity to develop fundraisers in order to support relief in a war-torn country. Together and with their community, they raise thousands of dollars and achieve more than they could on their own.
As I think about the future of our students, I am filled with hope and belief that we are positioned to achieve Big Potential. Because when communities are dedicated to providing each student a high-quality education, they support one another and “we work to become better together” (Achor, 2018, p. 45). This is life success. Working, learning, and growing together.
