At TED's annual staff retreats, everyone has to get up and talk about something -- either about work, or about something interesting from their own lives. In fall of 2012, TED's Lisa Bu prepared a talk about her love of reading. The quiet, funny and efficient Content Distribution Manager brought down the house, with a story that was too good not to share. Lisa is the first TED staffer ever to be invited to speak on the mainstage at the TED Conference.
As a young girl of growing up in Hunan, China in the 1970's, Lisa had dreams of becoming a Chinese opera singer, but received little encouragement or support from the adults in her life to pursue her dream. Chinese Opera students start their acrobatic training from a very early age, and at the age of 15, Lisa knew that she had missed her window of opportunity.
Lisa talks about comparative reading, gaining insight by reading books in pairs, a standard academic practice that she used in her job as a researcher. She began thinking about her reading in a new way.
As a young girl of growing up in Hunan, China in the 1970's, Lisa had dreams of becoming a Chinese opera singer, but received little encouragement or support from the adults in her life to pursue her dream. Chinese Opera students start their acrobatic training from a very early age, and at the age of 15, Lisa knew that she had missed her window of opportunity.
My dream would never come true. I was afraid that for the rest of my life some second-class happiness would be the best I could hope for.She was determined to find another dream. With no one around to teach her, Lisa realized that books could help her to discover who and what she wanted to be.
Lisa talks about comparative reading, gaining insight by reading books in pairs, a standard academic practice that she used in her job as a researcher. She began thinking about her reading in a new way.
“Compare and contrast gives scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. So I thought, well, if comparative reading works for research, why not do it in daily life too?”She thoughtfully pairs the books that she reads using a kaleidoscope of criteria. She reads books about different people involved in the same event or she might read the same stories in different genres. She reads similar stories from different cultures, and she even reads in different languages.
“Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again. Having a dream shattered really is nothing compared to what many others have suffered. I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from.”
The Common Core Reading Standards for Literature K-5, “Integration of Knowledge and Ideas” invites students to “compare and contrast” while reading.
Will the grown ups remember that books and reading are a way for kids to discover dreams, passion and happiness?
Be sure to watch for the signs...
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