I am an Ellery Queen fan. Solving cases with Mr. Queen felt like teamwork. Sherlock Holmes had interesting cases and his attention to detail was surpassed by no one. Though I found he kept secrets, making it impossible for the reader to solve the case alongside him. Columbo was only amusing to watch. Knowing who the culprit was from the opening scene left nothing for anyone else to do but watch him drop cigar ashes and forget questions.
I imagine my office as having an Ellery Queen flavor with a dash of ‘Guy Noir - Private Investigator’. When my phone rings, I take the call knowing that somewhere, something isn’t right.
“Hello,” I say.
“Hello, I am hoping you can help me,” is the usual reply. The troubled voice on the other end of the line introduces themselves as a parent and begins to relay their concerns, which have grown into a problem. I listen as they introduce me to their child’s struggle with math or reading, or school grades, or a behavior that has been interpreted by someone as a lack of caring. After gathering details on the challenges they are facing, I ask one of the most important questions I know:
“What does your child do well?”
“What do you mean?” they typically respond.
“What does he like to do? How does he spend his free time or what hobbies does he have?” I continue knowing that the person on the other end of the line isn’t stumped, they just need a moment to find the answers that, like the calendar on my desk, have been buried under a pile of less useful information.
After we have listed hobbies, talents, and behaviors that show up before they are invited, I explain my methods. Together we will search and discover the clues that will lead us to how we can set a path to our goal. In this regards, I see myself like the 90’s TV character MacGyver. MacGyver has this uncanny ability to use what is around him to reach his goals. By using a stick of gum, a sweat sock and a battery , MacGyver could create a device that would save himself, and his guest star, from bombs, run-a-way trains, and burning buildings.
For those of you who have yet to see an episode of MacGyver, let’s try this: pretend it’s Wednesday evening and you and I need to make dinner. As we chat about the menu, I search the kitchen for ideas.
“Well, we don’t have any tomatoes, eggs, zucchini, or cream of mushroom soup and it looks like we’re out of ranch dressing too.” I state. “ What would you like to make?”
“That’s no help.” You’d politely reply. “Can you tell me what we do have?”
The easiest way to make a meal is by knowing what ingredients you have work with. Similarly, the best place to start to rediscover genius is with what naturally wants to happen.
In my years of detective work, I have found Genius to be a performer. A diva who, if asked to remain quiet for too long, will read others lines from the script and make a stage entrance uninvited. When this happens, she receives bad reviews and her audience is distracted from her true talents. I work to revive Genius’s career by finding the roles that highlight her attributes and remind her audience how she naturally shines.
Whether it’s getting a high school gymnast to see how “x” walks the balance beam “=” (equal sign) to the other side, or the teenage scientist to associate his foggy thinking during a test with dropping a bowling ball into a tub of flour, giving Genius a spotlight will change the show.
That was quite a walk through famous tv detectives. Thanks for the reminder that we need to see the promise in kids rather than their deficits. It seemed so easy to adapt to their passions when they were younger, a bit harder now that they are nearly grown. He already spends 15 hours a week on basketball. Do I incoporate that into his schooling too?
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! You are a genius, Michelle. And a great writer. Have you ever thought about writing a book?? ;0
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