By Cielo Vera
ReadOasis Step 2

Gillian Lynne could not sit still. She was eight years old now. And her teachers worried about her performance at school. Perhaps she had a learning disorder. Gillian’s mother worried, too. She took her daughter to see a doctor. At the doctor’s office, Gillian sat on her hands. And she listened to her mother tell the doctor about her problems.

Then the doctor spoke to Gillian. He said, “I need to talk to your mother privately for a moment.” Gillian understood. But as the doctor left the room, he turned on a radio. He then spoke to the mother. “Look at your daughter.” Gillian was on her feet. She was moving to the music on the radio. Then the doctor said, “Your daughter is not sick. She’s a dancer. Take her to dance school.”

Gillian’s mother took her little girl to dance school. When Gillian entered the school, she was surprised. She saw many children, and she thought, “These people are like me. They can’t sit still. They have to move to think.” At dance school, Gillian learned ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance. And she eventually entered the Royal Ballet

After graduating from the Royal Ballet, Gillian started her own dance company. And she later became a famous dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. (A choreographer composes the movements of a dance.) Gillian is associated with the musicals Cats and the Phantom of the Opera. She has entertained millions of people. And she has earned millions of dollars.

In schools today, math and sciences are central. They help us build our modern world. But not everyone can be good at math and science. Educator Sir Ken Robinson says this. If we focus only on math and science, we will fail to discover the talents of artistic children. Instead, we need to learn how to educate the whole person. By educating the whole person, we will not waste the gifts, talents, and creativity of people like Gillian Lynne.

This story is a simple summary of an outstanding TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson.

Quiz – Moving to Think (Step 2)

Click here to read the Step 1 and Step 4 versions of this story.