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Getting
Kids into Flow
by Steven Rudolph
June 20, 2009
When I was 15-years old, I had the privilege of spending
four weeks in the Caribbean at a summer sailing camp for
teens. It was 1982, and windsurfing was slowly emerging from
obscurity—from a few avant garde aquatic circles in
California and Sweden, to the mainstream culture of water
sports. (It became an official Olympic event in 1984.)
Standing on the pristine beach of St. Barts, I gazed out
across the bay, witnessing for the first time people on
surfboards with sails attached, zipping along the ocean
surface at breakneck speeds. I imagined what a thrill it
must be to harness the wind and move at such a velocity, and
decided right then and there that I was going to learn how
to windsurf.
I must admit that my initial attempts were anything but a
success. In fact, I would hardly manage to stand up and
balance myself on the board before I’d tumble back into the
water, scraping my elbows and knees on the way down (with
the salt water adding insult to injury). However, everything
changed when I met Peter Hart, a professional athlete in his
early 20’s—one of few people in the world who at the time
could call himself a world champion of the sport. Much to my
great fortune, Pete happened to have been “hanging around”
the Leeward Islands preparing for an upcoming competition.
And because I showed so much enthusiasm (and probably
because there were so few others who shared his interest in
this virtually unknown sport), he generously offered to
teach me how to windsurf.
Joining Pete in the water, I expected him to demo some of
the basics that I would later try to emulate. However, I was
surprised when he got on his windsurfer and signaled for me
to swim out and get on his board with him. I eagerly paddled
out to where he was floating, climbed aboard and found a
place toward the front where I could sit cross-legged and
out of his way. Pete then stood up behind me and started
shuffling around, gaining his balance and positioning the
board in the direction he wanted. He lifted the mast of the
water and got a firm grip on the boom (the handle that
controls the sail). Within a few seconds, he caught the wind
in the sail and we began streaming forward. We continued to
gain momentum until we reached a hefty clip—a speed that
seemed almost impossible without a motor. As water and wind
thrashed about, I could feel Pete shifting his weight and
the tilt of the mast to maneuver around waves, yachts and
other surfers. He was very much in control. And I can recall
feeling as if I intuitively knew what he was doing—as if I
too knew how to windsurf.
It was a priceless moment, a rare lesson of my life: being
taught how to windsurf directly on the board of Pete Hart,
world windsurfing champion. That experience alone might have
been enough. However, Pete was just getting started. “Now
it’s your turn to drive,” he said as he directed me to get
up and stand between him and the sail. Perplexed (though
excited) by the invitation, I wobbled to my feet, and
cautiously grabbed onto the boom, with Pete right behind me
much like father holding onto the back of his son’s bicycle
as he learns how to ride. But despite being directed by such
an able guru, my profound lack of balance caused us to
capsize, dumping both of us in the water. Not once, but
twice. I felt like a complete idiot. Here is this world
champion, ready to reveal the secrets of windsurfing to me,
and all I can do is dump him in the water. Luckily, though,
Pete was a saint, and didn’t express even a hint of
impatience, encouraging me to get back up on the horse and
try again.
On my third attempt, however, something happened. As I
gripped the boom tightly the sail began to billow and the
board started to quiver. I clenched my fists and forearms
and taking a clue from Pete, bent my knee and leaned back
deeply countering the pull of the wind. The board instantly
surged forward and we were flying again. But this time I
was in control (or mostly in control!). All I can
remember was this marvelous sensation of being connected—my
body, the board, the wind, the water…it was as if everything
in life was in sync.
Pete was not only a true master of his craft. He was a
consummate teacher. He did not just instruct me how to
windsurf. Rather, he brought me into the flow of windsurfing
by positioning me on the point of equilibrium, giving me a
view into another dimension. He enabled me to sense what
windsurfing felt like—to experience the exhilaration
of being situated on the edge where challenge and ability
meet. Once I had a taste of that flow state, you can be sure
that I was out there practicing every day trying to get back
into “the zone” on my own. By the end of the four weeks, I
was an accomplished windsurfer—perhaps not ready to compete,
but capable enough to push my skills to the limit and truly
enjoy the sport. Had I never met Pete, I don’t know how long
it would have taken for me to be able to windsurf, or even
if I would have managed to learn to do it at all.
Catching on the Academic Flow
Years later as an educator, I find myself reflecting on my
windsurfing experience. I do so as I see children struggling
in their studies, helplessly drifting in open waters with
little direction, unable to surf sine waves or catch the
wind of William Shakespeare. Parents, in their confusion and
inability to provide sufficient help, try all sorts of
strategies to get their kids into academic flow. Some dangle
rewards in front of them to bribe them into doing better, or
frighten them with dire consequences if they fail. Others
send their kids to tuition classes with the belief that
additional evening sessions will enable the information to
register in their brains. The superstitious turn to
astrologers, who charge a healthy sum to provide gemstones
or suggestions on the right times of day to study that are
‘guaranteed’ to enhance retention. And when all else fails,
there is the ultimate threat of sending them to boarding
school.
I believe that what most parents fail to recognise is that
every domain has a flow—whether it is academic subjects like
chemistry, maths or language or an extra-curricular area
such as art, music, dance or acting. And that the concepts
can easily be unlocked by those who are masters of their
field. You might recall such teachers you encountered in
your own life—the ones with a real passion for their
subject. The ones who were so immersed in their areas that
they painted 3-dimensional animated pictures with their
words and body language, and who could enthuse even the most
indifferent learners.
What kids need is for parents to get them a taste of that
pleasurable feeling in the different domains they are
studying—where they become immersed in the current of the
experience, where there is a merging of action and
awareness, where they get into the flow of reading, writing,
solving problems, dancing or acting. And I believe that one
of the best ways to lead them to that experience is by
exposing them to individuals who are experts in those
areas—who know what it means to be in flow.
Unfortunately, many teachers I have met qualify as teachers
by title only. They are not masters of their subjects, nor
do they show much genuine interest in their field. They
might have selected the teaching line because it was an easy
job with lots of free time and holidays. And I would venture
a guess that most have never actually entered into a state
of flow in their domain. That being so, how can parents
expect such teachers will lead their children to achieve
their potential?
Find a Master
A majority of the time, people owe it to their kismet
when they encounter an enlightened mentor who dramatically
shapes their lives—be it a gifted professor, a knowledgeable
neighbour or a windsurfing wizard they run into on a
Caribbean island. But listen closely, because here is your
opportunity to cheat fate and to help your children get a
leg up in life. My simple advice to parents is this: Do not
wait for chance to randomly bring experts across your
children’s paths. Make deliberate attempts to find champions
and expose your kids to them. They need not be 'champions’ in the literal, competition-winning sense, but
need only be people who have mastery on their subjects. So
for instance, you can find out who the best teachers are in
your kids’ school and then work like mad to get them into
their classes. Or you can identify friends and relatives who
can spin a yarn with words or who have a fascination for
physics, and request them to spare some time to share their
wisdom and passion with your kids. It doesn’t matter
where you find them—just find them and get them
in front of your kids!
So the next time your children display signs of apathy
toward their studies, remember that even a single session
with a genuine guru can open doors much wider and much
faster than the promise of a new video game, the warning of
suspending pocket money or holing them up after school every
day in a cram class that bores them to tears. For once they
have savoured the taste of flow, they will hanker to sample
that flavour again and again. There is no need to tempt them
with chocolate to improve their maths or English scores when
the sweetness is already there within the numbers and
letters themselves. All they require is someone who can
tickle their brain buds and turn on their natural appetite
for learning.
Here’s the
link to know more about Peter Hart, the master surfer, to
whom I remain ever indebted.
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