📣 Out Loud
Yesterday, I got to teach. It got me thinking of the unique power of the spoken word, and what that means about how we learn and process information.
On Teaching and Listening
I love teaching, especially when it's a group of fired up veterans who have actually done the reading and arrive eager to discuss. It stands in stark contrast to my days as a ninth grade English teacher 😳
I flew out to Boston to lead the session, focused on the foundations of democracy, for the Warrior-Scholar Project cohort at Harvard. What a time and place to teach that topic, eh?
In advance of the class, the students read The Declaration of Independence, some good 'ole fashion Alexis de Tocqueville, and Danielle Allen's Our Declaration.
Building on something I tried last year, we opened the class by reading The Declaration out loud. Paragraph by paragraph, the students took turns reading it. We collectively worked through some of the more challenging prose and language, and some were more confident than others in their reading. They all had the option to "pass," but none did so.
We read the final paragraph together, out loud. There's something chill-inducing hearing a group of veterans read the last sentence as one: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
It gives me hope in challenging times. It gives me resolve when I'm tired. It gives me inspiration to shake me from complacency.
On Cheese
I’ll admit that this is a cheesy approach. I’m a cheesy (and weird) guy! But I’m also sincere in my willingness to try new things, and the students responded exceptionally well. Sometimes ya gotta put yourself out there.
Speaking of putting yourself out there, I experimented last winter with getting hyper active in Reddit's veteran communities, speaking through a non-anonymous account about what it takes to excel in the transition to higher education. It served as a valuable finger on the pulse for what veterans are discussing these days regarding college, and it gave me a chance to plug WSP from time to time.
After class yesterday, one of the Harvard warrior-scholars asked me, "Want to know how I found out about Warrior-Scholar Project? I saw on post on Reddit from a guy who claimed to be the WSP CEO, talking about the value of higher education. Figured I might as well check it out." It's a good thing he found a post where I wasn't locked in a heated debate with other veterans about the for-profit industry…
It was a full circle moment, validating one of those times when I put myself out there. Which I guess means I need to keep doing it.
On Processing Through Spoken Word
Words matter. As fond as I am of writing (longtime readers know my policy: AI never gets to write drafts for me, as the struggle of the blinking cursor makes me better with every keystroke), I'm increasingly realizing how much of an auditory processor I am.
Have you ever been in a conversation and where you've made a point in real time that you had never previously considered? Connecting dots that, when just left in your own head or even on the page, didn't quite make sense until you spoke them aloud?
This happens to me all. the. time. And I'm fortunate to have friends, family, and colleagues who are willing to do that with me. Or at least willing to tolerate my long, contextual takes on things 😬
This is also what I've learned through my inconsistent Instagram vlogging, where I've gained insight just by recording myself say things, and taking the risk of posting to the public.
On the receiving side, have you ever heard words from someone you respect and care for that hit you at your core? Those sentences and fragments that renew your strength, or that provide clarity of some form? Yeah, me too.
Connecting with each other like this helps us build authentic relationships and thriving community. It's worth it sometimes to speak those things we think should be left unspoken, to use our voices even when we're unsure what good it'll do. Our system of government, the bonds within the communities we form, and the relationships that make us who we are, depend upon it.
So speak up, will ya?
-Rye
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