Who Can Change a Situation

The ending quote from Dorothy Cotton in the movie Move When the Spirit Says Move is this:

“Think of yourself as someone who can change a situation.”

Ding ding ding! That’s the takeaway. That’s the prize.

When I used to teach industrial design, my students at the start of the semester would say things like, “Designers do this and designers do that.” I’d have to interrupt them and say, “No no no. YOU do this and YOU do that.” It startled me how they didn’t think of themselves as designers.

It comes down to agency. We need to teach our kiddos agency—for what matters, for things that might at first appear immovable.

It starts by asking them questions, then asking them to ask questions, then practicing skills in brainstorming solutions, decision making, testing, and iterating.

Let’s go!