According to the Oxford Dictionary, psychology is “the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.” And I love it. It is the thing in this world that has received the very most of my attention, time, brain power, and resources. It is something I have loved though two degrees, countless courses, extra certifications, and more books and articles than I could count. And it is a love that began in my junior year of high school when I randomly took a psychology class with Mr. Ficks.
Mr. Ficks was as different from me as you could ever imagine. I was a straight-laced, narrow, conservative, literal thinking sixteen-year-old who was fairly unacquainted with the ways of the world. He was a middle-aged, wild-haired, liberal, expansive thinking high school teacher who was also a public radio host in his down time.
I can SO vividly remember the day he did the “Alligator River” exercise with us in class – an exercise I later stole from him and did as a group activity many, many times back in the olden days. That complicated exercise was mind blowing to me. Not because of the content, necessarily. (Kind of because of the content….) But mostly because of the way Mr. Ficks facilitated the discussion.
“Why do you say this person is ‘bad’?”
“What makes this person’s behavior ‘good’?”
“Who kept their word?”
“How do you know?”
“What does that mean?”
“What might this person have been thinking?”
“Why did they behave ‘best’ in your eyes?”
“What does ‘best’ mean?”
“Who looks out for others?”
“Who did you change your mind about as the story went on?”
“What do you think about action versus inaction?”
“What actions or inactions do you give value to?”
And on and on and on.
He had a way of helping us think and re-think, question and quiz, be curious and contrary. He helped open up my very black and white answers to all different shades of questions.
He valued being in a position to help us revise our ideas.
He embraced the fact that we might even evolve our evaluations.
Adam M. Grant says “When students confront complex problems, they often feel confused. A teacher’s natural impulse is to rescue them as quickly as possible so they don’t feel lost or incompetent. Yet psychologists find that one of the hallmarks of an open mind is responding to confusion with curiosity and interest. Confusion can be a cue that there’s new territory to be explored or a fresh puzzle to be solved.”
It was very uncomfortable – confusing, even – for me to think outside of my box.
And it changed my life, forever.
I enrolled in Mr. Ficks’ Sociology class, I took his Psychology 2 class, and if they’d offered AP Psychology at that time, I would have been first in line. I was a teacher’s aid for him so I could listen to him encourage those psychology questions and discussions. I even came back right before my student teaching year to observe his classroom before having a classroom of my own – where yes, I facilitated my own “Alligator River” exercises.
If you’re currently confused about something in your life, try on the idea that there is new territory to be explored or a fresh puzzle to be solved!
New territory to be explored.
A fresh puzzle to be solved.
I can’t wait to hear about it. And if you need some help looking at it differently, Mr. Ficks has long since retired. But I learned from him, one of the very best teachers – and I’d love to help you through it.
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PS If you’re curious about the (definitely not very politically correct) ‘Alligator River’ exercise, message me with your email address and I’ll send you a PDF of the version that Mr. Ficks used in all its 1980s glory. I have no idea who originated it so I don’t know whom to give credit to. But it’s an oldie and a goodie.
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