Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by
Susan Cain
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
I just finished reading
Quiet by Susan Cain. It has been on my to-read list for six years; I bumped it to the top this month. This book will be an enduring masterpiece of insight into the ways we lead, produce, learn and live out loud in this world. I think it reveals much more than just the under appreciated, misunderstood and squandered resourcefulness and power in the quieter people among us. It brings into focus the many errors in basic presumptions – presumptions most continue to embrace stubbornly, even today.
This book begs answers to a great variety of important questions on how to find happiness in a chaotic, clamorous world. When we ourselves must walk a path which is true to ourselves, how is it possible that we have only one generally accepted (or admired) path?? Many estimate that introverts represent at least 30% of the population, maybe more. The rest – the 70% - seem to be hell bent on converting introverts into extroverts. But, why do we believe this is a good idea, especially when so many great discoveries and inventions come from our introverts?
I tend to see the world through my DIY/Gig Ed tinted glasses, and I did this while reading Quiet. Susan Cain doesn’t bring up home education once in her book. It is never mentioned. Yet, as the author revealed how society undervalues the traits and unique abilities of introverted people and how this leads to
“a colossal waste of talent, energy and happiness”, my mind galloped around the rather conspicuous implications for educational setting.
“The purpose of school should be to prepare kids for the rest of their lives, but too often what kids need to be prepared for is surviving the school day itself.”A central tenet of this book is: one size does not fit all.
The author rails against the one-size-fits-all workplace, the one-size-fits-all mentality, the once-size-fits all environment. She bemoans the American mass educational setting, discussing how difficult it can be for the introverted kids. It was this paragraph about how schools and school work are organized, which really struck me:
“Why do we accept this one-size-fits-all situation as a given when we know perfectly well that adults don’t organize themselves this way? We often marvel at how introverted, geeky kids “blossom” into secure and happy adults. We liken it to a metamorphosis. However, maybe it’s not the children who change but their environments. As adults, they get to select the careers, spouses, and social circles that suit them. They don’t have to live in whatever culture they’re plunked into.”Of course, I instantly found myself asking …What if kids did not have to wait for their K-12 years to be over in order to “become themselves” ? What if they were set free to be themselves from the start?
The author points out that
“Introverts prefer to work independently, and solitude can be a catalyst to innovation.” Doesn’t home education provide both an opportunity to work independently and access to the solitude so necessary to innovation?
“Don't think of introversion as something that needs to be cured...Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to.”If this isn’t one of the most sensible arguments for creating a learning environment in which your child(ren) can thrive…I don’t know what is. New perspectives like the ones in this book help us see how some traditions were ill-conceived from the get-go, and how tradition can turn into mere habit – and maybe not a good habit.
The author also spends time criticizing the American school and American business practices of big group learning or group brainstorming. She points out more than once that science tells us this does not work, for these reasons:
“Psychologists usually offer three explanations for the failure of group brainstorming. The first is social loafing: in a group, some individuals tend to sit back and let others do the work. The second is production blocking: only one person can talk or produce an idea at once, while the other group members are forced to sit passively. And the third is evaluation apprehension, meaning the fear of looking stupid in front of one's peers.”I especially loved the time and consideration Ms. Cain gave to the history – she carefully traces the shift in America from quiet character-driven values … to the now-worshipped, chatty, charisma-driven, hail-fellow-well-met values.
Finally, this:
There is a word for people who are in their own heads too much: THINKERS. And the world needs more of them.
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