Working with middle schoolers has taught me a lot about the process of learning and growth.

I’ve observed that some students struggle more than others to get their work done independently. The desire, knowledge, and skill necessary to complete an assignment may be present, but the student is missing a key ingredient: stamina.

Without stamina, the work is a grueling uphill climb. Everything is harder than it needs to be. There’s no ease, no coasting, no respite from the intensity. Accordingly, the student burns out quickly and is unmotivated to return to the work after a rest.

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When I’m wandering the lonely supermarket, there’s always a song playing that doesn’t fit the mood at all. “Endless Love” while you’re choosing avocados. “I’m Still Standing” while you’re grabbing some chicken from the meat case. “Hey Ya” while you’re standing in the checkout line.

If you know the song that’s playing, you can’t help but sing along, even if you’ve never chosen to listen to it and never would. But whether I know a song or not, there’s another level that my brain engages without my conscious thought: figuring out the chords.

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A generation of kids, used to marching from one highly structured activity to another, is learning the magic of being bored.

With virtually every after school activity canceled, they have so much free time that they have gotten their fill of Netflix and video games. They’re looking for something else.

Ray is building computers, piece by piece. Chloe is baking obsessively. Emma is gardening. Kate is learning audio recording techniques. Anna is coding. Rose is drawing for hours on end. Sam is building weird robots out of recycled components, and Daniel built a table out of wood and epoxy.

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When I was in tenth grade, I suddenly developed a passion for the guitar.

My dad played, so he lent me a guitar and showed me my first chords. Late at night, I would sit on the edge of my bed and work out songs.

One afternoon, I spent about three hours going through a book of Beatles songs, painstakingly reading the tiny chord grids above the piano part.

The intense effort paid off. I started in March, and by May of that year I was jamming regularly with other musicians, performing onstage, and writing my own songs.

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Starting a new hobby or learning a new skill can bring on a sort of infatuation phase: You think about it all the time, even when you’re supposed to be doing other things. When you can’t actually be engaging in your new pastime, you’re watching YouTube videos or listening to podcasts about it. You can’t get enough.

And you may start to feel a little self-conscious about it. If you have big goals, however, ignore that feeling and do your thing.

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