“If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give an account of myself. All this, however, was too late. The first step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell.”
- Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845)
As I have noted in many recent articles (here, here, here, and here), the educational landscape today continues to broaden as more parents and students demand options outside of traditional systems, and more entrepreneurs supply these opportunities in various forms. Unfortunately, this parade of options also leads to a reductive search for the “best” way to educate and to learn, which ironically ignores the individualistic push for such options in the first place. Instead of searching for this chimera, however, I suggest in this article considering the shared elements of learning and motivation that are necessary regardless of one’s preferences, learning styles, or age—and that are found even in the most restrictive environments imaginable.
From motivational speakers, self-help books, and daily affirmations to TED talks, we humans are on an inexhaustible journey in search of the keys to motivation, productivity, and life enhancement. Indeed, in their landmark study on motivation, Ryan and Deci (2000) stated, “Perhaps no single phenomenon reflects the positive potential of human nature as much as intrinsic motivation, the inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one’s capacities, to explore, and to learn.”
This research led these authors to posit the self-determination theory (SDT) that centers on the notion that people have an inborn motivation to grow, which social contexts can foster or hinder, thus underscoring the crucial interplay between internal and external forces for motivation. This motivation is founded on three constitutive needs: autonomy, belongingness (or relatedness), and competence—the ABCs of motivation. In essence, the more these three requisites are met, the higher is our motivation.
It was with these three common elements in mind that I revisited a favorite text of mine, the chapter “Learning to Read and Write” from Frederick Douglass’s 1845 autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass’s story is not only inspirational but also instructive for understanding the power of those ABCs not to deceptively suggest one best way to learn but to illuminate the key role of motivation in transcending boundaries and igniting true, deep learning in all its forms.
Autonomy
Perhaps the cornerstone of motivation is autonomy, or the sense of control over our actions and decisions. When we have autonomy, we have a greater say in what, when, and how we do things, and we involve ourselves out of desire, not force. Such an idea might seem incompatible with or impossible within the context of slavery, but Douglass reminds us that we often have more autonomy than we believe.
Although Douglass’s mistress initially taught him the alphabet, her husband dissuaded her from continuing and encouraged her to keep Douglass away from any reading materials. However, Douglass’s interest had already been kindled, as he states, “Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell.”
Thus, he set about exploiting the autonomy he did have to pursue his desired goal of reading. Whenever he would be sent out of the house on errands, he would surreptitiously take a book with him so that when he finished his errands, he would enlist some of the poor white children in the neighborhood as his teachers. Douglass even carried some bread with him to pay these other children for “that more valuable bread of knowledge.”
Douglass likewise utilized the autonomy available to him to learn to write. He observed that the carpenters in the shipyard labeled the pieces of wood based on their final positions on the ship: LA (larboard aft), LF (larboard forward), SF (starboard forward), and SA (starboard aft). By copying them, Douglass learned to write these four letters. He would then challenge other boys in the area to writing contests by claiming he could write as well as another boy. Then, he would write the four letters he knew and challenge the other boy to do better. He was thus able to learn the entire alphabet.
Subsequently, Douglass procured the old copy-books of his master’s son and copied that boy’s writing each Monday afternoon when his mistress left the house:
By this time, my little Master Thomas had gone to school, and learned how to write, and had written over a number of copy-books. These had been brought home, and shown to some of our near neighbors, and then laid aside. My mistress used to go to class meeting at the Wilk Street meetinghouse every Monday afternoon, and leave me to take care of the house. When left thus, I used to spend the time in writing in the spaces left in Master Thomas’s copy-book, copying what he had written. I continued to do this until I could write a hand very similar to that of Master Thomas. Thus, after a long, tedious effort for years, I finally succeeded in learning how to write.
So, Douglass’s motivation was firmly grounded in the autonomy he felt each time he left the house, each time he traded bread for reading lessons, each time he observed and copied the carpenter’s writing, each time he opted to challenge a neighborhood boy, and each time he was left alone with the copy-books, despite the numerous obstacles he faced.
Belongingness
The second key to motivation is belongingness, or relatedness, which describes the degree to which we feel connected to others or to a greater purpose than ourselves. This factor also suggests that intrinsic motivation is “more likely to flourish in contexts characterized by a sense of security and relatedness.”
Certainly, we see how Douglass’s interactions with the neighborhood boys and the carpenters fostered this sense of belonging and thus increased his motivation—which speaks well to the importance of mentors and guides throughout one’s life. Several other instances demonstrate this factor, as well, and its significance for Douglass’s motivation.
At one point, Douglass traveled to the wharf and met two Irishmen, whom he helped unload a ship. After learning Douglass was a slave for life, the Irishmen encouraged him to flee his bondage. Initially, Douglass was wary of their advice and worried it might be a ruse to collect a reward, but over time, he began to consider their guidance and the role knowing how to write might play in that greater purpose:
I looked forward to a time at which it would be safe for me to escape. I was too young to think of doing so immediately; besides, I wished to learn how to write, as I might have occasion to write my own pass. I consoled myself with the hope that I should one day find a good chance.
Douglass also found this belongingness in his reading of The Columbian Orator from which he learned of “the power of truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder …, a bold denunciation of slavery, and a powerful vindication of human rights.”
This knowledge also brought him incredible anguish at his circumstances and anger towards his captors, but his hope for freedom motivated him to persevere and to continue his learning:
But for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed. While in this state of mind, I was eager to hear any one speak of slavery. I was a ready listener. Every little while, I could hear something about the abolitionists. It was some time before I found what the word meant.
Thus, belongingness served as another cornerstone of his motivation to read and write not only to be a part of the social world but to achieve the greater end of freedom one day.
Competence
Finally, motivation rests on competence, or the orientation of our goals with our abilities. We feel competent if we have the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve the goal and if the goal is not too effortless. We will be at our highest motivation if the goal just pushes the limits of our competence. Note, also, that competence and autonomy seem to be highly linked in that motivation is highest when people experience competence at the same time they see “their behavior as self-determined.”
In Douglass’s case, he knew that learning to read and write were within his ability because of his previous experience learning portions of the alphabet from his mistress. Further, as he progressed in his studies, he could see tangible evidence of his competence via the writing challenges with the neighborhood boys and his facility in copying the handwriting in his master’s son’s copy-books.
The process of learning, though, was never too facile for him because each new letter or reading lesson pushed the bounds of his previous knowledge and capabilities—which is often true of organic learning rather than that in a classroom. Finally, he experienced that competence in various situations of his own determination, thus reinforcing that connection between his competence and his autonomy.
Conclusion
Frederick Douglass’s story has always exemplified for me the power of motivation and perseverance no matter the impediments. I therefore think it is important to recognize these universal elements of motivation in his account so that we can understand that learning stems from motivation and that motivation and its constituent parts are possible in any circumstances. In fact, they do not require more tax dollars or laptops or monstrous school buildings—they simply require environments that foster autonomy, belongingness, and competence to set learning free.
In a future article, I will delve into how these ABCs are nurtured (or hampered) in various types of schools based on my own experiences and my interviews on Learning Liberty. For now, though, I encourage you to think about your own learning and that of your children to see if Douglass’s story might inspire you to consider motivation in a different way based on these foundational ABCs.