Numbers are NUMBers
When numbers do more harm than good
Ok readers! Mini test … what is the one thing the following items have in common: data, grades, dates, salaries, height, time, weight, age, and distance? Numbers! Each one is comprised of numbers. Numbers are another form of language that is shared by people all across the world with no translation necessary. Numbers are used on a daily basis in all areas of our life. They allow us to be at meetings and jobs on time. They allow us to know how much money we owe for our electric bill. They allow us to celebrate how many trips we’ve had around the sun. It has even been seen in studies that animals have a very primitive use of numbers.
Numbers have a very vital and important role within our brains and our society. Our brains like organization. And what better way to organize all the millions of pieces of incoming information than with numbers. Calendars help us to organize all the important meetings, appointments, and events we need to get to. Clocks help us know what time we need to leave to get somewhere on time, how many more minutes we have to finish something, and when to take cookies out of the oven. Counting helps us make sure we have enough plates set for the family dinner, how many more miles we can get on the almost empty tank of gas, and the number of reps we did at the gym.
As for society many things run on numbers as well. We are able to look at numerical data and come to conclusions that can change the trajectory of a company. We exchange money for goods and services. We rate and rank products to purchase the one that has the best value. Numbers are of vital importance in science and medicine. Doctors use it to keep an eye on blood count levels, heart rate and blood pressure monitoring, as well as in the operating room. The list goes on and on…however at what point do numbers do more harm than good? When do numbers go past helping and instead begin hurting? And how do we recognize this?
From my own personal experience, I become obsessed with numbers. I counted things that did not need to be counted. Constantly. Day in and day out for a good many years. It seemed normal to me. For some reason in doing so it gave a sense of control and quieted the chaos of the world around.
Essentially counting “numbed” me out. It “numbed” me to my feelings. It “numbed” me to my emotions. It “numbed” me to my spirit. It “numbed” me to the world. And when life got tough, counting was my outlet. However, what I didn’t realize was it was ruining my life … it was removing me from reality and sending me down a rabbit hole I couldn’t get out of. With time, I was able to seek support that helped me feel again, to thaw from the icy “numbed” life numbers had given me. I melted through journaling and mindfulness … and I was able to develop my own theory of sorts called … “Numbers are NUMBers.”
Let me explain this theory with a few examples to help explain how numbers numb the majority of us without our knowing. The emotional side of us, our gut instinct or spirit some may say, does not operate using numbers. It operates on what feels good, what resonates with our soul, what brings us peace and calm and a sense of well-being. The language of our spirit is felt, not calculated. However, numbers pop in and kind of hijack our connection to our spirit, self, and cloud our true desires. Here are some examples.
- Lunch. Most of us, especially in the education field, have a designated lunch time. So, when that time of day comes, we take advantage of it, get some nutrition in (as it might be the only chance we get) and carry on with the day. But if you were to mindfully check in with your body, you might not be hungry at all! You have “numbed” your body’s cues due to a number telling you “This is the time to eat.”
- Radio stations. Many of us preset our car radio (if you still use it) to the numbered stations we like. We know what numbered stations play the best songs and we pick from those without thinking. But if you were to press scan and just stop when you hear a song you like, you may be surprised to see you landed on a number you would have never dreamed of listening to (Give it a try!).
- Salaries. Money is a tough one. Many people, I think aside from educators, go into a profession for the money. They may love their job in the beginning and going to work is something they look forward to. And with time, their income keeps rising, and the brain says more numbers, more numbers, more numbers. However, the love for the job is dwindling. The hours they are working are more and more. They are willing to overlook their misery, or go numb to it, by focusing on those lovely numbers coming in every week on their paycheck.
There are countless more examples of how “Numbers are NUMBers” in our day to day life as I have tried my hardest to disprove this theory and would be happy to share more examples if you are interested. But the one of interest to me in this current educational arena are grades and data. I can recall in college studying so hard for an exam and bombing it!!! Smallest number I had ever seen in red on a test of mine in my life. I was devastated. I thought ‘how is this possible? I know the material inside and out!’ and yet that number on my exam paper ate away at me, gnawing at my confidence, doubting myself and chosen path in college. It crushed me. A number, made of lines and shapes, had power over me so intense that it felt like I had just been punched in the stomach. It minimized me to the size of it. And then in that moment I had an “AHA” moment … I realized I am more than a grade on a paper. I am Kate and no number can define me.
I see this day in and day out in my school. Our students have become numb to who they really are and what they love to do simply to achieve the highest number on their paper. And it’s truly no fault of theirs. Our society has come to value numbers over people, numbers over feelings, numbers over passion. The current climate is so hyper-focused on grades that we forget there are real life spirits under there that have more to offer the world than a numerical grade. Does that grade tell you anything about the essence of that learner? NO! None whatsoever! And sadly, that learner has come to see that their essence is not important, the number grade is. I will ask my 5th graders what do you like to do for fun and they more often than not say ‘I don’t know’. They have become numb to who they are as beings. (And do note as stated in the beginning numbers do have a positive place in this world. In education the performance on a test can help to reevaluate students needs and drive educators’ instruction.)
This can apply to data as well. As I said, it’s great at giving us an overall view and point of reference. However instead of sitting there and continuing to analyze and over-analyze it, getting caught up in the numbing power of the numbers, we need to view it through eyes of our humanness. How can this data help me? What can I do to better help someone knowing this now? If this data is accurate, how is it affecting me? When we get too caught up in the data, especially policy makers, we lose sight of the fact that we, our students, life, is much more than numbers.
So, if it doesn’t feel right in your heart and soul, listen! Don’t numb out the small quiet voices inside. It’s our job as educators to help keep the essence of our students alive. Remind your students they are more than a number. In doing so you will help develop learners that know who they are, know what they like, know how they want to change the world. For the current moment grades and data aren’t going anywhere. But being aware of their impact and how to prevent them from numbing our learners and ourselves is a must. Pay attention to how numbers impact your decisions and choices in life. Don’t allow them to numb you to your true self either and remember “Numbers are NUMBers.”
