WEBVTT - A Student Complained About a 92. The Real Problem Was Something Else.

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<v Speaker 1>And we continue here on our American stories, and up

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<v Speaker 1>next we bring you a story from one of our

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<v Speaker 1>listeners from the Twin Cities, and that's Minneapolis St.

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<v Speaker 2>Paul.

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<v Speaker 1>You've already heard Paul Kotts on this show, and he's

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<v Speaker 1>back with more stories from his new book, Profiles and Kindness.

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<v Speaker 1>Paul is a professor at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.

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<v Speaker 1>Today he'll talk about the importance of importance and how

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<v Speaker 1>the why of what we do matter. Here's Paul.

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<v Speaker 3>Many of us know what we do and how we

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<v Speaker 3>do it very well, but when asked why we do it,

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<v Speaker 3>we often pause and see that this is a question

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<v Speaker 3>we might need to explore further. We've heard of people

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<v Speaker 3>like Simon Sinek, Mike Veck, and Maya Angelo, three current

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<v Speaker 3>individuals who bring these ideas to our attention. They make

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<v Speaker 3>the case that it isn't just about the money so

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<v Speaker 3>much as loving what you do and how you make

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<v Speaker 3>people feel well. I admit that I love what I do,

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<v Speaker 3>and recently I had a student who was so adamant

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<v Speaker 3>that their grade should be changed on a critique assignment.

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<v Speaker 3>The person is an intelligent, hard worker with drive and

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<v Speaker 3>determination at the moment, I did not love what I do.

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<v Speaker 3>What confounded me was that they actually had a ninety

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<v Speaker 3>two percent on the assignment and were irritated that I

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<v Speaker 3>docked them for not fully synthesizing two articles to a

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<v Speaker 3>coherent conclusion that was not in the rubric. I was

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<v Speaker 3>told in an email my credibility was being question and

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<v Speaker 3>for a fleeting moment, I went back to the notion

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<v Speaker 3>of pursuing a career in carpentry, which I also enjoy,

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<v Speaker 3>but my why brought me back to the discussion with

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<v Speaker 3>a revitalized impetus. Explicitly, they were right. I was trying

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<v Speaker 3>to make this talented individual even better. Knowing integrating ideas

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<v Speaker 3>and interweaving them together is vital to this degree and

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<v Speaker 3>to life. I was also cognizant that I too have

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<v Speaker 3>my limitations as their professor and a greator, so I called.

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<v Speaker 2>Them Yes by phone zoom has already been a staple

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<v Speaker 2>of my days, and I call people off because hearing

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<v Speaker 2>a person's voice and the nuances of.

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<v Speaker 3>Feeling are kind of the senses that we could tap

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<v Speaker 3>into and off, and we neglect them. It can also

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<v Speaker 3>be tiring, so I try to use it with a

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<v Speaker 3>little discretion. Sometimes people are startled because from an educator,

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<v Speaker 3>a call means they are in trouble or there could

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<v Speaker 3>be something wrong.

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<v Speaker 2>Well.

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<v Speaker 3>In talking with the person, I emphasized that they were

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<v Speaker 3>doing very well and there was plenty to say. I

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<v Speaker 3>asked them, how are you doing? Not on the upcoming assignments,

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<v Speaker 3>but as a person. There was a pause. Conversation led

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<v Speaker 3>to understanding, which led to the revelation that this course

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<v Speaker 3>was the only thing good happening in this person's life

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<v Speaker 3>right now, the only good. This saddened me for a moment.

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<v Speaker 3>The feeling was palpable. Their job was eating up weekends.

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<v Speaker 3>Family issues this class I offered the stress of the pandemic,

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<v Speaker 3>trying to be part time principle at home with their kids,

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<v Speaker 3>and that fear of the unknown they were all weighing

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<v Speaker 3>heavily on this individual. I shared how I used to

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<v Speaker 3>bring my two daughters to the University of Minnesota with me,

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<v Speaker 3>trying to finish my degree while still working in business.

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<v Speaker 3>I would carry my books over my shoulder, holding the

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<v Speaker 3>hand of one of my abouliant daughters, and initially carrying

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<v Speaker 3>my other bundle of joy in my left arm, alternating

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<v Speaker 3>when needed. I was at hand to my kids, but

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<v Speaker 3>not consciously fully present. Care was evident, and it taught

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<v Speaker 3>me to balance what I could, and I kept my

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<v Speaker 3>kids fed and happy well generally, it seemed to resonate

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<v Speaker 3>with this person. We connected and I understood empathizing what

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<v Speaker 3>they were going through. I didn't realize that listening and

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<v Speaker 3>through storytelling, that breaking through the shell of a grade

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<v Speaker 3>being lower than expected was just scratching the surface of

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<v Speaker 3>what was truly within their soul. I sensed that the

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<v Speaker 3>wanted to know they have value and what they were

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<v Speaker 3>doing was all worth it, and they were not getting

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<v Speaker 3>the affirmations from their immediate surroundings. The individual acknowledged within

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<v Speaker 3>our discussion that in the long run, the grade was

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<v Speaker 3>not as important as knowing that what they do and

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<v Speaker 3>how they do it has to compliment why they are

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<v Speaker 3>even pursuing this degree in the first place. When I

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<v Speaker 3>showed how what they did in the rest of the

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<v Speaker 3>course demonstrated their mastery, the person laughed in some relief

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<v Speaker 3>and realized that they were actually doing phenomenal work already

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<v Speaker 3>and should not worry as much about this assignment grade.

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<v Speaker 3>Instead what their future could be and how bright it

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<v Speaker 3>looks could be. A horizon worth looking toward. The why

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<v Speaker 3>of what we do is often what keeps us going

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<v Speaker 3>forward and sustains our heart and mind beating in a sympatico,

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<v Speaker 3>especially when we doubt ourselves or wonder about our true purpose.

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<v Speaker 3>I question my purpose. Sometimes I encounter some very difficult situations,

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<v Speaker 3>and often I put my head in my hands and

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<v Speaker 3>ask for guidance from others and above. Yet when I

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<v Speaker 3>see a baby laugh, for instance my grandson, and see

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<v Speaker 3>new life emerging before my very eyes, I see a

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<v Speaker 3>student change in confidence, or see for themselves the realization

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<v Speaker 3>that they are valuable and they grasp that they can

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<v Speaker 3>give what they have to someone else.

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<v Speaker 1>And a special thanks to Robbie for his work on

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<v Speaker 1>the piece, and thanks to Paul Cotts, whose book Profiles

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<v Speaker 1>and Kindness is available on Amazon. In all the usual suspects,

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<v Speaker 1>and think about what he did. He was not having

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<v Speaker 1>a particularly good day, no day for a teachers good

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<v Speaker 1>when the student calls to complain about a ninety two,

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<v Speaker 1>And he did what well good teachers do. He made

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<v Speaker 1>the call, He called the student. And that's the why

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<v Speaker 1>in the end, and why do we even teach? I

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<v Speaker 1>know why my dad taught. He wanted to prove young

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<v Speaker 1>people's lives make them better people. Paul cots the why

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<v Speaker 1>behind a phone call with a student here on Our

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<v Speaker 1>American Story Lee Habib here and I'd like to encourage

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