Not my usual topic of choice, but the news of recent proposed changes to compulsory maths education got me thinking about ‘skill sets.’
More specifically, about the absence of acceptance and honesty that tends to exist around the idea of ‘not being good at something.’
Quite coincidentally, I saw an Instagram post by a ‘mumfluencer’ on this very subject earlier today.
She discussed how the instinct when a child is struggling to grasp a new skill or concept, is to ‘cheerlead’ them away from the problem, rather then have them confront the often painful realisation that this, perhaps, might not be where their key strengths lie.
From an adult perspective, what I find interesting about this idea of ‘knowing your limits’…is that there is clearly something molecular in play, as to why some skill-shortfalls seem to act as energy-extinguishers (for me… this was /is maths)…and others seem to ignite something so fierce, that the only thing more uncomfortable than persisting with ‘the thing’…is the prospect of never mastering 'the thing.'
Take art, or music for example.
I’ve written a rather lengthy article on this topic, which I’d be interested to know your thoughts on.