As the Winter Olympics draw to a close, I can't help but reflect on talent development and the broader education system.

I can’t help but ask myself this burning question that seems so obvious to me. If the whole world is watching, they must see value in excellence, correct? They must respect the development of talent, right? Surely, they are enamored with getting the best and brightest to push the bounds of what we know, no?

Then why don’t we do this with education?

The other day I watched an interview with Dr. Ken Atchity that planted a seed in me that’s been growing for a week or so now.

In the interview, Dr. Ken offered insight into the life of an artist by examining the creative process and comparing how different artists have worked…

“When asking a student what they got out of a class, they often say their grade.” Sir Ken Robinson, Creative Schools

This is tragic. The sad reality is that grading kills creativity. Just writing this will result in me losing some followers, I’m sure of it. That’s ok, it has to be said. To be honest, several years ago even I would have disagreed...

Over the past 10 years, I’ve had the distinct privilege of working with twice-exceptional kids in a variety of manners. What I found is that when I was wearing my academic teacher hat, I was often too rigid and focused on standards, rubrics, and grading. Tragically, I would squeeze the fun out of learning because I was so caught up in what I thought school had to look like.

Education is a funny thing, isn’t it?