Embrace the Mess
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end!” – Robin Sharma
I am living proof that learning is messy. While rushing through my Saturday morning chores, I hurriedly threw the laundry into the machine. There were just a couple more towels than usual – and I didn’t want to waste the water for another load – so I dumped them in and went to my next task. A bit later, I walked into the kitchen and realized that a small river was flowing my way – straight from the laundry room. First, I stood there with my mouth wide open. Then, I decided that I could either sit down in the middle of the flood and cry or start mopping. I chose the latter. I now have a very clean floor and a lesson learned. Do not operate on the premise that you will save water by overloading.
While I was busily mopping, I started thinking about what a messy process learning is. My discovery was not very earth shattering, but many people have made some great discoveries by making some messes along the way. Here are just a few:
Scientist Alexander Fleming was trying to make a special drug that would cure disease. When he gave up and threw his experiment into the trash, he noticed that a mold he had created was dissolving all of the other bacteria in the Petri dish. After a little more work – Voila – penicillin!
Inventor Percy Spencer was working on a special radar related project with a new vacuum tube. As he continued to work on this project he noticed that the candy bar in his pocket was melting. He tried popcorn in the machine and it popped. Thanks to his trial and error we now have microwaves.
Researcher Constantine Fahlberg was working on some substance that I cannot begin to spell or pronounce. When he forgot to wash his hands and picked up his sandwich, he found that the substance made his bread taste very sweet. He quickly patented Saccharin.
Click here for a few more cool things that came from some interesting bits of trial and error.
We tend to think of these scientists, researchers, and inventors as always having perfect lines of thought. They are brilliant and able to reason and problem solve in extraordinary ways, right? Well, yes they are brilliant, but they were also willing to roll up their sleeves, explore, and persevere through problem solving. They didn’t mind getting a little messy.
Brian Crosby has been a teacher for over 30 years and now serves as the facilitator of the STEM education project in Nevada. He knows that learning is a messy task and he is a champion for getting teachers and students to roll up their sleeves, dig deep into the muck, and turn out some beautiful learning opportunities. Crosby took his “at risk” students and immersed them in hands-on activities, explored through numerous field trips, and used technology to open the doors to real-world learning. Brian’s problem solving approach helped his students make connections, build schema, and get excited about the process.
This is what I want my students to experience. Learning can be as simple as cleaning up a mess they have made or as complex as the creation of some life changing invention. It is in the mess that we so often create beautiful things. Let’s embrace the mess.
