class, he beat all the others to the top
of the tree but insisted on using his own
way to get there.
“At the end of the year, an abnormal eel
that could swim exceedingly well and
also run, climb, and fly a little had the
highest average and was valedictorian.”
The important point of this story, to
me, is that even the process of nurture
requires differentiation in instruction
depending on the natural skills and
learning styles students are differently
endowed with, without yet considering
issues of innate talent.
What then about those of you who
believe that talent is a matter of nature
rather than nurture? For you there is
the extra task of being able to spot
talent as early as possible, and of being
able to develop that talent the best way
possible. So you have to start earlier
than the teachers who believe in nurture,
and you have to complete your task to a
higher standard than the teachers who
believe in nurture.
But whether you believe in nature or
nurture, the most important thing you
have to espouse as a teacher is to
recognise that each student is different
and to honour these differences.
Talent needs to be uncovered, developed,
expressed and put to good use. Talent
does not simply manifest itself. It needs
to be discovered as a joint effort between
the teacher and the student.
For the student to discover what is
the best they can be is to get them to
continually knock on the doors of their
minds and their hearts in a continuous
quest to find the talent that lurks within
them.
They should never limit themselves by
excusing themselves from whatever they
won’t do or can’t do today, by simply
saying, “I don’t have the talent for it.”
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And the teacher should never allow
them to get away with this. To grow is to
go beyond being limited by the talents
they already know about.
Growing
beyond
talent
requires
motivation to discover more of
themselves, hard work to cultivate what
they uncover, courage to display their
talent, and a good heart to produce
benefit from it all.
We need to honour the talents and
abilities that we each have by applying
them to good purpose.
And in so
doing, we discover our humanity in
contributing to, and enriching, the lives
of those around us and those whose
paths we cross each day. As it is for us,
so it must be for our students.
develop these qualities.
But there is a second aspect special
to you. The nature of art and music
is that you are dealing with talent and
potential. Talent needs to be uncovered,
developed, expressed and put to good
use.
What is most important for you as
teachers is to recognise that your
students
have
different
talents
and abilities, and to honour these
differences. Do this with a conviction
that it is even more important than the
teaching of skills and techniques, for
you are developing attitudes for life and
work which position your students best
for sustainable success in their years to
come.
May we, each day, be more than we were
the day before, and less than we would be
the day after, because we have decided
to not be satisfied if we were not the best
that we could be, with what is special to
each of us. We must all constantly push
ourselves to grow beyond our talent,
and you, the teachers, need to get your
students there also. The process of doing this produces
life attitudes useful for a VUCA world,
because:
Conclusion
Let me summarise. Success is never certain and the path
is not predefined. If you are simply
following others, you can use their maps
and their tools, but your possibilities
are then limited by what they have done
in circumstances that will never be the
same as yours. And you will always be
behind and late, though hopefully not
too late.
The VUCA world means our students
need the ability to deal with the
uncertain and with continuous change.
In a VUCA world, the best preparation
is not about rules and processes, but
values. In a fast-changing world, there
are no “maps” because no one has gone
that way before; when there are no
“maps”, we need a good “compass”.
The “compass” comprises the values
and beliefs we hold to be important for
our lives. So the best preparation we
can make in the VUCA world is values-
based.
As art and music teachers, you are
actually in a unique situation to help
Talent not uncovered is missed.
Talent not developed is wasted.
Talent not expressed is unused.
Talent not put to good use
squandered.
is
O.T.T.L.L.S.S.
Teach your students to reach out for the
opportunity to do good by following the
steps: Observe, Think, Try, Learn, Lead,
Stand, and Serve.
Everyone can be a leader by following
these steps — everyone, including
children, teenagers, youths, and seniors,
wherever they may be.
The world craves leaders who seek to
serve the good of the many. The world
needs people who think for themselves,
not of themselves. The world awaits
leaders who have their own convictions
of good and bad, right and wrong, and
who are not content to follow the crowd
in the wrong direction.
For your students to survive and thrive
in the world to come, you have to help
them develop: courage to try the new
and the unfamiliar, self-confidence
to be themselves and to deal with the
unknown and the unexpected, humility
to learn and to acknowledge difficulty
and failure, integrity and trustworthiness
to be able to work with and relate to
others, and a capacity for leading and
communication as they make their way
into the future with a spirit of innovation,
creativity and discovery backed up by
tenacity and determination, honour and
purposefulness. As I have described,
as arts educators, you actually already
have a headstart in this.
While we can refer to what has been
done by those who have gone before
us, what we need is a compass of values,
principles, and beliefs of what can
and should be. We also need energy
and stamina to keep going despite
detractors and distractions.
Honouring others is what will give you
the power and energy to stand apart,
stand tall, and stand to serve others
within your family, your school, your
workplace, your society, and your
country.
I wish each of you all the very best as you
seek to honour the talents and abilities
of your many and varied students, and
to continually be focused on what they
need most for a good, satisfying and
successful future.
Thank you.
View keynote address by Mr. Lim Siong Guan
HERE.
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