The Steering Wheel 

Hi Readers,

Yeah, I hear you already.

What on earth is he banging on about today!! And what's it got to do with a steering wheel ??

Come with me on this one and hopefully you'll get my drift, or have a completely different spin on it and that's what I'd hope and love to hear about.

These are only my thoughts, and not for a moment am I saying that they are the right ones or not.

All I do on this blog is put forward some of my own thoughts and ideas and hope that it prompts you to have a think too.  How boring would life be if we all thought the same!!

Just a few days ago I was on the phone to a very close friend ( who also reads my waffle !!) and we were discussing my most recent post.

We both had similar views on the way some people are so quick to grade people with A-D and how much license do we give to our students to pursue other interests, strengths and passions. I know we have to teach what is required, but when students endure extreme difficulty in relating to this, how do we then make provisions for them in other ways so that they can achieve success in different ways?

My friend, who shall remain anonymous, but knows I am writing this post about our discussion, said something very innocuous in our phone call, but it immediately struck a chord with me and I just had to respond to it.

In a nutshell, we were talking about those students who struggle at times with the mainstream learning at school, but have other strengths and talents that they never get the opportunity to use to display their own understandings.

She then said "We just don't hand over the steering wheel".

That's it. Sometimes we can be so much in control that we never let go of that control and hand it over to the students.

Now, for those who aren't in the teaching game like me, please stay with me, because this applies to more than just schools. I can see the value of it in our families, friendship groups, sporting teams and any work situation. I've worked in a number of jobs and I can see how it applies in so many other areas.

So what is the steering wheel ?

Clearly, I'm using it as an analogy, but hopefully I'll be able to get my idea across.

I see the steering wheel as being the one in control over something that we are doing. Being in charge. Giving directions. Guiding. Pointing us in a certain direction. Maintaining control.

It all seems to me to be one dimensional, and when things don't work out, are we then prepared to accept the results or do we put that blame onto others?

Some questions come to mind about 'the wheel'.

Who has it ?

Who controls it ?

Do we let the students have it ? ( or other members of our teams and organisations?)

What steering wheels do we hold onto too much, and why?

From here on Readers, if I use the term "Students', please know that I'm referring to anyone in the groups I mentioned above. I'm not limiting my discussion to just schools.

By giving the wheel to others we are allowing them the chance to pursue or involve themselves more and expose them and others to more of what they can offer. 

An example that will always stay with me occurred at a school a few years ago. There was a boy in Gr 6 who struggled terribly with just about everything in class, and he had developed the most defeatist attitude I'd encountered. As a result he was so disengaged and rarely tried to join in anything as he found most things so hard, even with the supports that were in place to assist him.

Over time though, we discovered that he just loved art, and drawing in particular. It calmed him, he persisted with it and he just loved it.

Then, one day in maths, rather than trying to persist with the intervention work that was being done with him, we just said to him "Could you demonstrate this with drawings?"

His eyes lit up and off he went. 

No, he did not solve the presented problems by using algorithms and the like, but he created a picture story that he could then talk about that presented solutions to the problems, but just in a different way. He was able to become more engaged through his art work.

A case of giving him the steering wheel.

As a result, he was encouraged in other ways to express himself through his art, and his whole outlook towards learning changed, and his problematic behaviour disappeared almost overnight.

This was a case of his teachers being prepared to 'hand over the wheel' and enable him to drive his own learning, so to speak.

Handing over the steering wheel unleashes unlimited potential and opportunity.

Think of any work situation you may be in. I realise as well as you do that there is often a hierarchical structure that we feel we must follow, and gradually climb that ladder as we develop new skills and qualifications.

But should this be an impediment to enabling everyone to contribute on an equitable basis?

I've been teaching for more than 30 years, but last year I went back to the classroom after 11 years out of it in other roles.

I'd been in leadership roles and had clearly a lot to learn about running a classroom again. Rather than being super confident, and adopting a "I've been teaching for 30 years, I know what to do" attitude, I was more than prepared to hand over the wheel to my colleagues in my team to help me find my feet again. They were fantastic, and just as I was really getting the hang of things again I was required to take extended leave due to an illness in my family. It was clearly the only decision I could make, but I fully realised how important it was to swallow my pride and let others with more relevant experience guide me when I needed it.

At times I definitely felt that I was holding them all back, but to their credit they were just so supportive to me, and still are. Thanks Gr 5 Team !!!!

I also found that when I went back into the classroom, how advanced the kids were with technologies, way ahead of what I expected, and way ahead of me !! In these situations I just fessed up immediately to them and told them I needed to be shown how to do something, and could they show me. Talk about role reversal !!

At first they didn't think that a teacher needed teaching, or that a teacher would be open enough to admit they needed help from the kids. But this teacher knew that by trying to hide it would prolong the inevitable, so by being open and up front was the best approach.

We developed such a rich culture of support in that class in such a short time that these kids would openly check with me to make sure I understood something, or if I was going down the wrong track they'd confidently and politely let me know the error of my ways !!

I'd also openly ask them if someone could show me how to do something on their ipad so that I could then teach it better myself. Or I'd ask them to do the demo and I'd take the role of a student too !!

Handing over the steering wheel.

The benefits from this were huge. It gave the kids a greater voice and more ownership and self direction with their learning.They also became greater risk takers, because the support given to them by handing over the wheel meant they were more prepared to display greater creativity with their work, safe in the knowledge that their teacher had their backs.

As adults this same approach applies.

Who can do without more meetings? I can !

But when meetings are more inclusive rather than one dimensional and dictated at us, the levels of involvement can be so much greater and the benefits so much richer.

I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that meetings go that much more quickly when you are involved, given the opportunity to contribute, and when the meetings aren't dominated by those who like to swallow most of the air time.

Plan a rich meeting by letting go of the wheel a bit more.

Another personal example of being handed the steering wheel occurred with me around 9 months ago. Throughout our marriage my wife and I have just naturally morphed into looking after various tasks.  Some I do all the time, others she does all the time, and most others we just share. 

I know I do the lawn mowing and looking after the mower etc, and even though it wouldn't bother me if Jen wanted to mow the lawns one day, I'm sure there'd be a bit of checking up being done by me just to be sure it was being done 'properly'! See, I can't fully hand over that steering wheel yet !!

The one that Jen has handed over to me has been our family banking, something that I've happily let her look after for more than 30 years. It's not that I'm not interested in it, she just does it better !! And to her credit she has given it to me fully and has not checked up on me at all with it. In that time I've sold her car and also an investment property we had, all with her understanding of course!! For someone who has blissfully been unaware of how much I get paid or when I get paid for so long, the goalposts have now certainly changed !!!

We are not living on the streets yet, so I must be steering things okay.

Handing over the steering wheel.

When we are the ones in control of the wheel, I do realise that at times we hold onto it for grim life because we may see the unfortunate consequences staring us straight in the face. I get that. I've done that.

How do you feel when you have decided to hand over some of the control ?

Has it always worked? 

Did it stop you from doing it again>

Who did you blame if it went pear shaped ?

Are you prepared to accept self blame?

Unfortunately, when people hand over the wheel at times, others can view this the opposite way, and see it as a sign of weakness, lack of control, being unprepared rather than as an opportunity for themselves to step up and contribute more.

If we cant accept taking control at times then perhaps we need to put our hand up and be big enough to admit it. 

Easy to say, harder to do.

Furthermore, sometimes we may need to be proactive and actually ask for the keys to the car and do some steering.  Those in control might not even have any indication of our aspirations, hence the reluctance to hand over the steering wheel. Likewise, if it is handed over too early or too much and we aren't ready, we need to voice this. That doesn't mean the opportunities won't come our way again, but it just might mean that we are more than ever ready to step up and just need that little extra support.

Finally, a quote from a book I'm reading by Ant Middleton, another book that I'm not looking forward to finishing as I'm loving it so much !!

"Sometimes the things that feel safe and reassuring are actually the things that are slowly starving us of the oxygen we need to grow to our potential"

Seeking the steering wheel, as well as being prepared to hand it over can be the best of both worlds, and unless we are prepared to give it a try, things will most likely remain the same.

Well Readers,

I don't expect you to go with me on all of this, but as with all of my posts I just hope that it has generated some level of thinking for you.

I'll leave you with a final graphic that has always resonated with me. I won't say anything about it, I'll leave you to come to your own conclusions.

And to my dear friend who prompted this discussion...You're just the best !!!!! ❤️

Until my next post...

Cheers 😁