The Teacher. The Test. A Wedding and a Funeral.
by Bob Wiele
President, OneSmartWorld
Here is a story about how sometimes things connect in our lives, in our work, in our relationships, and in death in ways that astonish and humble us.
The teacher’s name was Stacey . She taught in the Simcoe County District School Board’s adult education program. This is where 18- to 25-year-old former dropouts go to get a new start ,after struggling to cope with adversity and life’s challenges. These students want to get on with their lives and complete their grade 12, so they can find a job, qualify for training or for post-secondary education. Stacey was a passion-ate advocate for her students. She knew how to draw out the hidden potential in every one of them. She helped her students realize that they were smart and with some , focus and a renewed sense of confidence, they could succeed. The experience of being in Sta-cey’s classroom changed many lives. She was a good friend and a remarkable human being. Stacey fell seriously ill with cancer eight years ago and could no longer teach. She passed away in early spring of 2023.
The test was the online 4D-i®/ 4Dimensions Inventory, that my OneSmartWorld team and I, first developed in 2000-2001. It’s a powerful, online thinking preference instrument that’s part of our Smart Skills® toolkit. The 4D-i® is the first research-based psychometric tool in the world to map out thinking and emotional strategies to empower each person to understand how they like to think. It also has online coaching tips to help people learn to be more adapt-able, by learning different mindsets and strategies, needed to succeed in life and work. Hanne Nielsen, as the head of Adult and Continuing Education, chose the 4D-i® as the go-to tool for all her teachers to use. Stacey embraced the 4D-i® as a powerful launch pad to help her students grow. Over 6,000 students in six different communities in Simcoe County, used the 4D-i®test on their pathway to success.
The wedding was held beside the Silver Creek, in our backyard, in the summer of 2022. Tayler was the bride. When Tayler and her fiancé Jeff were looking on the internet for an officiant in this area to perform their marriage ceremony. Mandy is my wife and when not officiating at weddings, she leads training and certification programs in the 4D-i® at our company, OneSmartWorld. When Mandy heard Tayler needed a venue for their wedding, she offered the couple the opportunity to have the ceremony in our backyard. It was a lovely day. It was a beautiful ceremony. I pitched in with the setup, welcomed the guests, and helped in the cleanup afterwards.
The funeral happened three weeks after Stacey passed away. The celebration of her life was held in her hometown of Barrie, Ontario. Mandy and I were part of a huge throng of more than 500 people who lined up to pay their respects to Stacey’s family, on the loss of this remarkable, fierce, and warm-hearted human being. Driving home from the funeral, Mandy received two texts from Tayler. The first text was to inquire if it was Mandy that Tayler thought she’d seen at the event. Here is the second text.
“Over the last month since Stacey passed, there’s been a whole lot of weird stuff lining up around her and that we didn’t realize and then this connection. Seeing you and Bob at the celebration of life for Stacey today just kind of blew my mind. I needed to know this connection, and it just feels like a gift from her. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen the 4D-i. I graduated in 2013. So, I’d absolutely love a refresher if it doesn’t bother you guys any. This honestly is so cool.
That test literally changed my entire view of teachers and educators. Because after an en-tire school career of teachers treating me like a criminal because I couldn’t learn their way or couldn’t pay attention or whatever. Just so much judgment and no setting me up for success at all.
Then I walked into Stacy’s classroom and was met with her absolute magic way of being just a great human. But this test showed me that not only did Stacy care, but there was also another special human being out there, educating people and caring about how their students learned and literally changing lives. I’ve told so many people about that 4D-I test over the years, about how every student should take it, every few years. It should be mandatory.
So, realizing this connection today, is just crazy to me after all this time. It’s come full circle. It’s like Stacey’s still showing me that her lessons don’t end there. And that the guy who created the test that changed my life, is married to the woman who I chose to marry us, and that our wedding day happened on Stacy’s birthday. Which none of us knew at the time. I’m very grateful.”
There was one more surprise. Tayler attached a photo of a page she found in her 2013 class notebook. It had the word Mandy on the top of the page. It was from the day that Stacey had invited Mandy in to give a presentation to the class on the 4D-i® instrument. Tayler was in that class that day. And all the pieces fell into place.
Tayler’s spirit renewed my commitment to do whatever I can, in the time I have left, to help as many peo-ple as I can, to use our tools to succeed. Real change involves many people, at different times, making the right decision, to help others. Hanne, as the leader, defied convention when she chose a different test. Stacey as the teacher, ignited her student’s self -confidence. Hundreds of them turned up to pay their respects for what she had done for them. Tayler put it all together. To complete this story of connections, Mandy had seen the Stacey’s special gift as a teacher, so she produced two videos of Stacey leading a class on our work. Now Stacey’s legacy lives on so she can continue to inspire others.
Bob Wiele - is the inventor of the OneSmartWorld 4D-i® Toolkit and President of OneSmartWorld. His mission is to help leaders, teams and people everywhere adapt and succeed, by learning how to use different mindsets, strategies, and process-es to collaborate better, solve problems faster and work smarter together.