The True Story of Eric Inigo, Quantum Educator

Eric sat in his chair and thought about walking out on his job for good. His students sat in their chairs and took their test. The same test they took at the same time last year and the year before that. Actually, it was the same material he taught to the same age children at the same time every year for the past few years. Every year, his principal expected him to teach and his students expected to learn. He was sick and tired of the whole thing. He wanted a change.
Expectation was the anchor sinking Eric’s life. Expectations bombarded him at every turn. His job expected certain things. His wife expected certain things. His parents expected certain things. Everyone expected something different.

No one ever told him they expected him to do or be anything. That was the problem. They didn’t expect him to be anything at all. Eric had put all of these expectations on himself. After a while, everything in his life could be turned into something he wasn’t doing. If his wife did a better job leaving work at the office, he turned it into an expectation that he needed to spend more time at home. If his parents said they liked talking to him after a call, he made it mean that he needed to call more. He needed to be a better son. On top of these, Eric would put dozens of self-imposed expectations. Slowly, he was collapsing under the weight of all these expectations.
During one of his usual teaching years, Eric’s wife came home with an idea. She worked with a teacher that worked with a program called SuperCamp in her spare time. The teacher wanted Eric and his wife to become program facilitators. They applied and got lucky. SuperCamp had two spots open.

Two things happened almost immediately that altered the rest of Eric’s life. Before they began their new summer job, SuperCamp put Eric and his wife through a training seminar. As part of the training, they had to write their greatest fear or limitation on a board and then break it. Eric trembled as he wrote the phrase, “Living up to expectations,” on the board. He shook as he pulled his arm back and lined up the board. When he smashed through it, Eric broke into long, deep sobs. The weight had been lifted off. He was free and the feeling made him cry like he had never cried before.

After he broke the board, Eric realized that the expectations had kept him from reaching out to people. New people would have meant the possibility of new expectations. With that problem out of the way, he could meet anyone he wanted. He met facilitators. He met children. He met team leaders. He met parents.

Then the truth hit him. He didn’t hate teaching, he hated feeling like he had to teach a certain way. At SuperCamp, he could teach the way he wanted. He could address children and empower them to learn. He didn’t have to lecture and quiz, he could interact.

Eric’s classes came alive after his experience at SuperCamp. He uses music in class and has students sing some of their favorite songs. He takes time to acknowledge the students that raise their hands in class and take other risks. They share in groups instead of individual answers. He even began eating lunch with students in the cafeteria.

Then the relationships improved. He talks to his wife and parents about his feelings more without feeling like he is complaining. His relationships are his responsibility and he says what he needs to say to make them what he wants.

The word expectation died for Eric. What replaced it is: possibility.

Click here to learn more about SuperCamp
http://www.iqln.com/SuperCamp/QLN_SuperCamp_10.asp

Click here to learn more about Quantum Learning
http://www.iqln.com/Education/QLN_Education_03.asp