Fire Starter and Fanner of Flames- Will Gourley's P3

Education is Will Gourley’s 5th career. It’s been a lifelong love of learning that has led him to and through many “incredible experiences” such as real estate, radio, entrepreneurship and more. Since 2009, Will has been an active member of several learning communities at the school and board level that have “pushed the boundaries of education beyond the textbook and traditional approaches”. He has been a host teacher to teacher candidates, a mentor for the New Teacher Induction Program(NTIP), a Global Math Project Ambassador, and he is presently a SERT and Junior/Intermediate teacher at Adrienne Clarkson PS, in York Region.

In 2013, after a trip teaching English in the DPRK (North Korea), Will was chosen to lead one of the first TED Ed Clubs in the world. Since then, he has worked to empower students to share their ideas worth spreading and to encourage educators to thread narrative into their instruction. As 1 of only 90 TED Ed Innovative Educators in the world, Will walks the talk as a TED coach and speaker. You can view one of his talks below titled: No Child in Grade 1 Dreams of Living on the Streets from TEDX KitchenerEd.

Later in the conversation, we were speaking about the draw of TED Ed and TED Ed Clubs, and Will made the point that, “It’s really just a pleasure to be in the presence of students when we get to actually help them discover what they are passionate about...share their ideas...and synchronize the minds in a room. That whole jam of Ted Ed has just been an absolute rush to watch students come alive...and then turn into these of encouragement and kindness...TED has given me a platform and space to do that.” Will encourages other teachers to bring the Ted Ed Club experience to their schools and is able to provide assistance to others through the support of the York Region District School Board.

Will got right into his nostalgic song choice. “Being a former radio broadcaster, DJ, community radio fellow and audiophile, I’ve grown up in a home that was filled with music.” From mentioning Ed Sullivan to a live performance anywhere at any age, Will selected a song that his father introduced to him, but he also got to see on stage at the Montreal Jazz Festival where the artist performed it with his sons. He liked the idea of introducing it to a new generation, but Will also selected this song for its different time signature. He said, “They performed it in 5/4 time which, to somebody who’s in to music, it means a lot apparently. But, to someone like me, who kind of stands on the outside of things and tries to do things is an offbeat way, this song kind of mirrors my own existence in a lot of ways.” This song was something Will liked to drum to; it's a hobby he afforded himself through his earnings at his part time job. He was able to keep time to this track while enjoying many other tunes from bands like Rush, Rough Trade or the Police. Still, Will kept coming back to this jazz song. Recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in July 1, 1959, two years later, this song became biggest-selling jazz single ever. You may have heard it on television or through a movie soundtrack. Here is Take Five:

For Will, the identity song was a breeze. He found it the easiest one to select calling it a “slam dunk”. The reason he chose this song is because it represents everything that he wants to do with his life. Alluding to the lyrics of the song Will said,”To change the world, it starts with one step. However small, the first step is the hardest of all. Will added, “If we are going to make a difference in this world, we have to take that first step towards change, and that’s what I kind of want to embody in my classroom.” Mr Gourley makes the point that you can’t just sit back if you want to make a difference. “We can affect change in a way that’s meaningful and powerful. Change is not just splashing your hand in a bucket of water...because that doesn't affect the volume.” The interconnection between giving and getting is not lost on Will even if, as the song is titled, “you might die trying”. Here’s Dave Matthews Band:

Will had been working with junior high students through his church for 20 years doing mentorship and ministry. He actually became a teacher based on positive reinforcement and parent feedback from his work with children there. At one point, Will was sitting in a youth conference and heard this song that made him think of an African proverb to which he often refers that says, "If we don't allow our youth access to the fire, they will burn down the village to feel its warmth." His pick-me-up song reflects the generation of children who are trying, in their own ways, to to be recognized, to be seen and valued and have their voices encouraged. This song really lights him up and connects him with his role as an educator. “It reminds me that what I'm doing is not for me...bringing it back to whom I’m serving in this job.” Although he called it his his “morning song”, Will professed to playing it multiple times in a day.

Starfield adopted their band name from Bruce Cockburn's 1976 song named Lord of the Starfields. They were formed by brothers Tim and Jon Neufeld from Winnipeg. Tim, the group’s primary lyricist, was quoted saying, "At the end of the day we felt like Beauty in the Broken was an incomplete worship record without songs...that fess up to the pain, condemnation, and doubt that often get in the way of true intimacy with Jesus." There are many ways to take that statement to note that connection is key in helping students build a sense of well being. Whether that is a connection to a higher power, a cause of to the self, it makes a difference. Will is interested in using his skills and abilities to do something good for this world and for one another. He likes the fact that his pick-me-up choice is an accessible song whether you’re a “church type of not.” Here is Starfield’s My Generation:

Will said that, “One person is all it takes to spread the fire a little further.” While he was referring to someone else, he is that person for so many. Will wants to share the idea that kids need to have their voices heard and be empowered to share them. He wants to make education something that needs to be real for students on a daily basis and help them to reveal their talents. Will is working on something for TED Ed to share with educators around the world as well as a TED Ed and TEDX Talk about anxiety and failure in education. While he is honoured to help students share their voices, Will says that, “It’s a blessing to be able to share my own and, hopefully, to be able to empower teachers to get involved in education on the level that so many of us... are already pursuing.”

Will got to share a lot through this conversation, but when asked what was missing, he asserted that it could have been a P3000 instead of the P3 . Will mentioned seeing the Grateful Dead over 25 times, but none of their songs made it to the playlist. Will thought about what was in his mind and heart related to the job of teaching, so he chose 3 meaningful tracks that felt right. So much of what he said throughout our conversation reminded me of a quote from Jerry Garcia, the group’s singer-guitarist-songwriter: We need magic and bliss, and power and myth, and celebration and religion in our lives, and music is a good way to encapsulate a lot of it.” Will brings so much of that to the classroom and to learning.