Flame Keepers

"We need to encourage our flame keepers, not snuff their spark out. A hummingbird moth I encountered in Palolo is part of that fire."  Olin Lagon

I love all of Olin Lagon's recent Civil Beat commentaries, but “This Moth Fired Up My Curiosity” intrigued me. It reminded me of the times when my sons and my students were young, curious, observant, and eager to explore and discover this wonderful world we live in.  As a young mom and a fledgling educator, I knew that curiosity was an important component of learning. Back then, our kids were observant and curious, and we relied  primarily on encyclopedias, books, and other reading material to look up answers to their questions or wonderings. The world around us piqued their natural curiosity. 

I loved reading about how Olin’s third grade teacher encouraged his excitement. His teacher didn’t dismiss him; she took him to the library and showed him how to research to find answers to his questions. They pored over card catalogs, searched for informational books, and the process taught him that answers could be found if one searched and didn't give up. He and his teacher discovered he hadn't seen a hummingbird because they did not live in Hawai`i. Olin had probably spotted a hummingbird moth. Fourteen years ago, Olin saw another hummingbird moth, and this time, he had his camera to document that amazing insect. I imagine Olin was excited and validated as he recalled that incident from so many years earlier.

We live in a world where AI and technology give us instant access to information. I typed a question in the search button on Google: I think I saw a hummingbird today, but I know they don't live in Hawaii. What might I have seen? And I got an answer immediately with photos and information about a Hummingbird Moth and a Hawkmoth/Sphinx Moth with photos and basic information. It was so easy, but I wonder if AI will minimize our curiosity to delve deeper and to really learn more about something we are interested in. Instant answers can satisfy a question before curiosity has had a chance to grow. But it can also fuel curiosity if we learn to keep asking questions like “What else can I discover/“ or “Is there another explanation?” 

Curiosity is an important component of learning. Olin was excited and curious. Instead of dismissing him, his teacher took him to the library and showed him the process of discovering information, a process that could help the 8-year-old to research answers on his own. Unfortunately, in today’s classrooms, there may be limited opportunities for students to ask questions and to discover answers for themselves.  Schools should be encouraging curiosity in students and teachers, but curriculum standards, inflexible schedules, and a focus on standardized test scores can be barriers to implementation. And it doesn’t help that many schools have eliminated the librarian position in an effort to balance the budget. Librarians can be among our most important flame keepers, helping children turn a question into a journey of discovery. 

In this fast-paced and fast-changing world, let’s take a step back and encourage curiosity in our children. Parents and teachers need to commit to creating a safe environment that encourages curiosity and wondering. We may need to adjust our schedules to provide the time for kids to be “unscheduled,”  time to explore, discover, create, and share, not just at home but at school as well. In this fast-paced ever-changing world, our young people will be the problem-finders and problem-solvers who will address the challenges in our world. 

Olin calls them “flame keepers,” His mom and his teacher were his flame keepers; they saw something in him and nurtured that curiosity, the flame that burned within that young boy. Today, Olin is a flame keeper, lifting up others and exploring solutions that will have positive impacts on our lives as we look to the future. And Olin is proof that anyone can be a flame keeper, even someone who grew up in challenging circumstances, 

Perhaps that is the challenge for all of us - parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and anyone who touches the lives of young people. We can all be flame keepers. When a child wonders, “What is that?” Or “Why?’ or “What if . . .?” , we need to decide. Do we give them a quick answer and move on, or do we keep that flame of curiosity burning? 

Our world is changing rapidly, and our children will inherit the problems we cannot yet imagine. They will need more than answers. They will need the curiosity to ask questions that don’t exist yet and the persistence to keep searching when the answers are challenging. 

We need more flame keepers.