Page 37 Spring 1995
By Don Weinhouse
Following
is a free association of thoughts, reflections and future projections
based on my recent experience mentoring a young juggler in his early
stages of development.
Having spent the past 25 years in education, as a teacher, school administrator, and now professor of education, I have a pretty solid understanding of the various factors involved in the teaching / learning process. This understanding, combined with more than 20 years of juggling experience, the last five of which have included many dozens of professional engagements at school assemblies and corporate parties, make me something of an expert - even if just in my own mind - in the area of talent development.
It is based on this background that I share my observations relating to:
1) mentoring a very talented young juggler; 2) the magical and beautiful process of motor learning, and 3)
considerations when setting goals and objectives for one's juggling,
performing, and life.
It
was less than a year ago that I met Luke. At the time he was 13 years
old and had been juggling for about a year. Seeing him performing
before a handful of young children at a local fair, with his suitcase
full of homemade props and his wild, excited, creative mix of raw
skills, intrigued me. There I stood, a seasoned, successful,
professional juggler and entertainer, watching a much younger, much
less skilled juggler entertain. "This kid is really raw, but he
sure has guts and potential," went through my mind, as I decided
to introduce myself.
When
his act ended I stepped forward and
"Dr. Don The Juggling Minstrel."
As
I might have expected, his eyes lit up,
Well,
he did call, and, over the past few months we've juggled together on a
number of occasions. I've shared articles and videos with him; told
him stories of conventions, performances and encounters with famous
jugglers; given him some of my old equipment; and taught him a number
of tricks and advised him on technique and style. I guess you might
say I've "mentored" him.
Having
spent my entire adult life as a teacher, of both children and adults,
my role as a "mentor" seemed quite natural. Natural, but
very different from all the other teaching experiences I have been
involved with over the years. Different, because this was and is the
first time in my life I have been aware of having one of my students
surpass me (I'm sure it has happened before, but this is the first
time I've been aware of it.)
Yes.
I, the 20 year, $100+ per hour performer in front of hundreds of
people, successful, mature, "master," have been surpassed in
juggling skills by a kid. Not only have I been surpassed, but, despite
the fact that I practice/play every bit as hard and often as my young
"mentee" - about 3-4 hours a week - he is learning new
skills about 1,000,000 times faster than me.
Very
fortunately, my 47 years of life experiences have brought me to a
rather comfortable and confident point; a point were I am able to
appreciate my abilities and feel optimistic about my future as a
juggler, despite occasional and probably unavoidable comparisons my
mind makes between young Luke's skills and my own:
·
I juggled 3 and 4 objects for over 10 years
When
I met Luke he was just experimenting with 4 balls and 4 clubs, and
now, a few months later,
·
I've been spinning and rolling balls for over
.
For the past 3 years I've been working diligently with my fancy,
expensive, silicone balls, trying to learn to transition back and
forth from a cascade bounce to a force bounce
to juggling in the air. It's been coming along slowly, very slowly,
but I'm a patient person, and have been satisfied with the
What
does it all mean? I'm not sure, but following is my interpretation.
First
of all, I think its real important, both as a juggler and as a human
being, to focus comparisons on myself, "How am I doing compared
Secondly,
I'm reminded of the importance of encouraging potential in individuals
(including ourselves!) as early in their lives as possible. Seeing how
fast Luke picks up new skills and how slowly I learn the same skills
reminds me that the human neuro-muscular system, while able to
function for 100+ years, learns much more quickly and efficiently in
the first quarter-century than in the second; more quickly in the
second quarter century than the third; and so on. If we want to learn
something new, or help someone else learn something new, the sooner we
or they get started at it the easier it will be.
Finally,
I've reminded myself of something I already knew, but often need
reminding of. As a juggler and as a person I can always learn new
things, but I need to realize that if I choose to venture into new,
personally uncharted realms (e.g. buy and learn new props, master new
tricks, study another language...), my growth and development may be
slower now than it was a few years ago.
Forty-seven
years old is by no means too late in life to start the diabolo, learn
a new three ball trick, or learn to speak Japanese. I can do any one
or all of these things, but I need to remember that I probably won't
be able to learn these things nearly as quickly and easily as I
learned the devil sticks and a variety of three ball tricks 20 years
ago, or developed my vocabulary in the German language over 30 years
ago. Time and energy - how much do you have and where do you want to
focus it?
In
summary, I present the following, easy for me to say but hard for you
and me to do recommendations:
·
compare yourself only to yourself ·
keep working, trying, learning, and improving, but, in the meantime,
be happy with who you are and what you have .become
a mentor - share your skill and knowledge .
learn lots of new tricks and skills when you're younger (remembering
that each of us is "younger" now than we will be in the
future - duhh!), and then, as you get older, focus on improving /
mastering the many areas you've begun ·
ignore whichever of the above recommendations don't fit you
Good luck! |
![]() Don Weinhouse learns from Luke, his young protegee. |