A needle in a haystack!
In 2014, Sven Sachsalber, a performance artist, spent 2 days looking for a needle in a haystack at a gallery in Paris.
When I read the story, I spent an hour griping to my then 6-year-old daughter: wasn’t it absurd? What was the point? What was the gallery thinking? How could this even be considered art?
As with many things we don’t understand, it helps to actively look for the value. In searching for value we bypass our default reactions and can arrive at some insight. Pritchett puts the point well, if when we look at a situation we only see problems we short-circuit our ability to see its possibilities: “too much attention on problems kills our faith in possibilities”
Back to Sven: What possibilities for learning lay here? What perspective did the gallery see that I was missing? Reflecting on these questions, I began to see that Sven's performance art – bonkers as it may first appear - contains many valuable lessons in character education.
Character Education & the needle in the haystack
There are five valuable lessons to learn about character education from the process of finding a needle in a haystack. These lessons can help you to shape your character education curriculum by pointing out areas of key focus.
1.The unlikely is still possible: The phase “finding a needle in a haystack” is usually used as a way of excusing ourselves from the pursuit of something that is possible but unlikely. Most people will hear the phrase and assume defeat. But in reality, it’s a phrase that blows cold and hot. It says, don’t bother it’s too hard on the one hand, and it’s possible on the other. Sven chased the possibility. Sven bothered. Whether it was the best use of his time is irrelevant. It’s symbolic. From the perspective of character education, possibility trumps difficulty and does so every time. And as it turns out, many dream goals have this characteristic of being unlikely but possible, so rather than giving in to inaction and defeat by default; character education teaches students to chase possibilities. Character education topics: setting audacious goals, self-efficacy, perspective shifting
2. What is valuable is unique and is wrapped up in the stories we tell: In this story, the needle is valuable. The hay is not. This is odd, true, but that’s the set up. What makes the needle valuable is that it is rare – there’s a mountain of hay but only one needle. Sven is searching for something valuable, something unique, and something rare. The qualities that make the needle valuable carry over to character education, particularly in lessons on identity. In character education classes we teach that each child should find strength in their difference, in the unique stories that make them who they are. It is in these stories, the sum total of their experiences, perspectives, history and culture, that gives them and incalculable value. It makes them incomprehensibly rare. In each child we are seeking to resurface their unique talents and capacities, and to help them to tell better stories that bring out their intrinsic value. Character education topics: identity, self-reflection, self-belief, self-determination
3. A clear objective allows us to sort through the fluff: Sven’s objective is to find something unique and of value. For Sven, that’s a needle. With his clear goal in mind, he disregards each consecutive blade of dried grass in pursuit of his clear objective. Lo! Another lesson for character education. We teach goal setting in character education precisely to give the clarity required to sift through the fluff in the pursuit of a valuable goal. The selection of the goal at the outset gives us a clear mandate to disregard extraneous detail. It allows us to be focused, and gives us a perspective through which we can make better decisions and choose between competing options. Character education topics: goal setting, decision-making, concentration & focus, mindfulness
4. Persistence and discipline are key: I can only imagine how tedious and boring finding a needle in a haystack is. However, the process of extended effort for something that is of value is sometimes difficult and sometimes boring. Sven didn’t let up because he was bored. Another character education lesson is contained here. The pursuit of our goals is not always fun. We cannot let up because there are elements to the process that we don’t enjoy. Patience and discipline is required and through the process we grow persistence and stickability Character education topics: persistence, discipline, motivation, resilience & grit
5. The power of belief: The main lesson to learn from Sven however, for me, is the power of belief. Sven believes that there was a needle in the haystack to be found. It was this belief that ultimately spurred him on. And this is the most important lesson for character education there is. If you do not believe that there is anything valuable for you, why on earth would you seek? Why would you exercise patience and persistence? Knowing that the needle is there is exactly what drives Sven to continue. This is extremely important. The belief in a future possibility, and in their power to seek it out via their own agency, is the first and foundational thing that all character education programmes should instill in children. This is not the belief that you are the best, but the belief that you have the potential to learn, to develop and to improve. That with effort, and support, you can find the valuable, illusive needle. Character education topics: self-belief, self-love, self-worth
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Live Your Dream CIC is a social enterprise, working to bring some magic into classrooms across the UK.
We write and deliver educational programmes designed to empower young leaders who are marginalised or excluded. We recognise these dreamers have a wealth of untapped Potential and so we design and deliver programmes to equip them with the psychological tools they require to become the visionary leaders they are.
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