My guest today is doing great things in the field of education. I’ve come across his work in the gifted and twice exceptional circles, and I knew he would be a valuable guest on the show. I’m happy to have connected with him around his work in teaching critical thinking skills.

Colin Seale was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where struggles in his upbringing gave birth to his passion for educational equity. Tracked early into talented and gifted programs, Colin was afforded opportunities his neighborhood peers were not. Colin uses lessons from his experience as a math teacher, later as an attorney, and now a keynote speaker, along with his work as a contributor to Forbes, The 74, and Education Post. He’s the author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking Skills to All Students. Colin founded thinkLaw, a multi-award-winning organization to help educators leverage inquiry-based educational instruction and strategies to close the critical thinking gap and ensure that they teach and reach all students, regardless of race, zip code, or what side of the poverty line they are born into. When he’s not serving as the world’s most fervent critical thinking advocate, Colin proudly serves as the world’s greatest entertainer to his two young children, and as a loving husband to his wife, Carrie.

Show Highlights:

• Why Colin is intensely passionate about wanting to fix things for people and help them find solutions
• Colin’s personal brand of intensity revolves around his strategy about “how we get there” regarding critical thinking
• In his growing up years, Colin heard many “he’s gifted, but” statements, but not many “he’s gifted, and” statements
• How Colin was labeled for his intense behaviors instead of being supported
• How we’ve created a culture where conformity is the expectation, but many kids don’t fit these standards
• Cultural factors around Colin’s intensity include his family heritage of Caribbean immigrants from Barbados and their British tendencies, which teach passivity and non-confrontation
• The urge and commitment to end generational poverty through education
• How Colin had to tone down and tune himself out in third grade when he was labeled as “extra”
• How Colin dealt with setbacks and disappointments by overcompensating
• Why Colin is committed to galvanizing educators to run on “high” and equipping them with the “how” of helping kids unlock their critical thinking potential
• Colin’s book is available for pre-order now on Amazon; it comes out on April 30
• How Colin helps harness the power of his intensity by learning to be authentic within himself
• The importance of giving people permission and courage to be who they are
• The need to be intentional in helping kids learn entrepreneurship and innovation
• Colin’s professional and personal habits in using his fire for good include weekly one-hour innovation meetings with his team and taking a moment to press “pause” for times of creativity and innovation
• How Colin helps others stop focusing on what they want to do, but on how they want their professional lives to look, feel, and be managed
• Parting words from Colin: “We shouldn’t talk about an ADHD diagnosis or being intense or extra as a defect. If we could transition in education from thinking about what’s best for ALL kids to thinking about what’s best for EACH kid, then we can help each child achieve excellence, however that is defined for them.”

Resources:

Think Law

The latest Embracing Intensity workbook on Balancing Your Time and Energy is available in the Embracing Intensity Community. Our live group call on this topic is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, at 10:00 am Pacific.

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Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students by Colin Seale