A Minute With Mindy: I’m a Right Brainer… and Proud of it!

Posted by Susan Epstein on March 15th, 2010 at 08:15pm

This month I will turn 56 and I just learned something new about myself, I’m a right brainer. I learned this from reading the book “A Whole New Mind” Moving from the Informational Age to the Conceptual Age (2005) by Daniel Pink. According to Pink’s research right brainers don’t march in the single file formation of A-B-C-D-E. Right brainer’s special talent is the ability to interpret things simultaneously. This side of our brain is “specialized in seeing many things at once or in seeing all the elements of a situation and understanding what they mean.”
Left brainers tend to be sequential, rational, analytical, objective, and looks at parts rather than the whole picture. Pink describes the six senses that differentiate right brainers from left brainers:
1. DESIGN: it’s not just function but also something that is beautiful or emotionally engaging.
2. STORY: it’s not just information and data that forms an effective argument, but the ability to tell a compelling story.
3. SYMPHONY: it’s not the analysis of data and information but the synthesis- seeing the big picture, crossing boundaries.
4. EMPATHY: it’s not just logic but the ability to understand people, to develop relationships, and to care for others.
5. PLAY: not just seriousness but to understand the great health benefits both personally and professionally to laugh, have fun, play games, and a sense of humor.
6. MEANING: not just accumulation of material things and material comfort but to pursue our purpose and spiritual fulfillment.
Mr. Pink’s words spoke to me and described who I was in a way I never understood before and it explained so much. During my tenure (12 years) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health AIDS Bureau I was expected to and did accomplish building coalitions and consortia throughout the entire state. Not only was there incredible geographic diversity, but there was also diversity in class, race, sexual orientation, education level, and people at different stages of their sobriety.
Although I was successful in this endeavor my skills were not valued and I was actually told that I worked too collaboratively and there was no longer a place for me in the AIDS Bureau (they needed left brainers only). Seeing the handwriting on the wall I was able to move on with my reputation intact. Unfortunately I did encounter similar difficulties in my next two positions.
Now take my experience and multiply it ten- fold…. that is if you are a student with ADHD. Today’s experts believe that children with ADHD are all right brain learners. I don’t have ADHD but I have found it difficult living in a left brain world. Most of the expectations in our schools are those that are on the left side of the brain. Students are judged by their left brain abilities. If the student is a right brainer, then the schools will often judge the student to be failing.
I want to point out that many of the important achievements in history have all been done through the right side of the brain. To name a few: Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Mozart, and the Great Pyramids. Even these amazing architectural creations required expert technical and math skills but first required the vision of the creation. Yet, right brainers are still not valued.
Right brain dominant children suffer every day at school. These bright children are forced to sit at their desks listening to the teacher give a lecture about something that doesn’t hold their attention. And rather than uncovering their strengths they are constantly admonished for not paying attention, not trying hard enough or being lazy.
Could be that the Da Vinci of the 21st century is being stifled and feeling that they are stupid and unable to succeed in school.

Tags: Learning disabilities, learning right brain kids, right brain kids

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