Hinging on Confidence
From the desk of Carol…
“… my father, Mickey Parsons, he encouraged me to be an actor. He never discouraged me to be an actor, and in a career that hinges so much on confidence a lot of the time, that was a really great gift.” ~ Jim Parsons, Emmy Speech 2014
What a tribute Jim Parsons paid to his dad at this year’s Emmy Awards! It was a sweet moment when he thanked his father for his encouragement to pursue his dream of acting. Although I’m not an actor I have no doubt acting is a career “that hinges so much on confidence”.
In the following days I thought more about the role of confidence in achieving a dream. This past year the Carolina Tarheels had a horrible free throw shooting percentage. I kept thinking, “Why don’t they practice this over and over? Good grief.” Then I heard Coach Roy Williams tell a crowd the team did practice free throws ad nauseam. The low shooting percentage was not a matter of skill and practice but rather a lack of confidence combined with a set of nerves. Ah lack of confidence combined with nervousness…that could describe some poor test takers. Their inability to do well certainly hinges in part on their belief in themselves.
As teachers we need to be the ones who instill the confidence in our students that Mickey Parsons did in his son. As a teacher I believe each child can learn…each child can progress from wherever he or she is to a point further down on the learning continuum. It’s important to have faith in every child’s ability to learn in order to instill confidence in our students. Will they all be valedictorians? No. Will they all go to a four year college? No. Do they all have the potential for living successful and productive lives? Yes, if they believe it is possible. Confidence is one of the vital keys.
Years ago a friend of mine was told by her high school guidance counselor she need not apply for college as she was not college material. She was told her IQ was not high enough, and she had to struggle too much in class to learn. This is almost a death sentence! Thank goodness my friend had had numerous teachers who encouraged her, believed in her ability, and felt she would make a great college student. She proved them right by not only earning her BA, but she went on and earned her MA (in counseling) and has had quite a successful career.
There is a commercial for Under Armour running currently which highlights a ballet dancer named Misty Copeland. The ad is aimed at proving dance is a sport. What speaks to me, however, is the narration by Misty Copeland in which she tells the audience she was deemed too old at 13 to start a dance career, and she had legs that were too muscular and feet too big for dance. Again, almost a death sentence to a dancer. BUT Misty Copeland kept on dancing inspired by mentors who guided her and gave her confidence. Today she is a soloist with the American Ballet Theater!
I believe so much of our success in life depends on the encouragement we receive from the mentors around us. Students spend one-fourth to one-third of their days with us. As educators we must inspire achievement at all levels. We must instill confidence. Their success hinges on it!