As an educator, you always try to learn from every source possible. My greatest mentors who teach me many things everyday are my students. I don’t know when and where I saw Albert Einstein’s quote:
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Ever since I read it, I have been an advocate of his belief that everyone is a genius. I always share this with my students especially those who I teach during Fridays. For those of you who have time, I was inspired even more by this short response from Peter Baskerville regarding Einstein’s possible meaning behind this quote. I actually took the cartoon image from his response in:
I think it is a good short read and he even introduced Howard Earl Gardner’s (1943) work in “Frames of Mind. The theory of multiple intelligences.” I have yet to read it but here are things Peter Baskerville summarized nicely for everyone:
Howard Gardner’s initial multiple intelligences:
- Linguistic — sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals.
- Logical-mathematical — the capacity to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues scientifically.
- Musical — involves skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns.
- Bodily-kinesthetic — entails the potential of using one’s whole body or parts of the body to solve problems.
- Spatial — involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide space and more confined areas.
- Interpersonal — is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people.
- Intrapersonal — entails the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one’s feelings, fears and motivations.
Before I was contemplating on Einstein’s quote, I was actually writing my thoughts on how to help my students make better choices. Every Friday I am challenged by students who refuse to learn and only make excuses. I came from a third world country (Philippines) and now I am a substitute teacher for a first world country (USA). I realized there is disparity between students from either ends of the world. A lot of kids in the United States are so spoiled that they take advantage of the system and still refuse to learn. My country could barely afford to update our public schools but these kids come to school with free meals awaiting them. It saddens me that they choose not to learn properly in their nice facilities and instead opt to break and/or steal things from their school and teachers. It saddens me as a teacher that a first world country public school could not produce high literacy rates because students are so challenging. I cannot blame them nor their parents even though I badly want to. It is definitely a struggle to coax and encourage them. I suppose it is a culture difference since my parents and most everyone else I know in the Philippines were likely told to study so you can earn money. I am blessed to have been taught the value of money. I know what it’s like to not have nice and new things because I would get hand me downs from my sister. I know what it’s like to save up my own Christmas money from aunts and uncles so I can buy the toy I want. I know what it’s like to save my lunch money of PHP 5.00 and have my mom use it for something because she needed it. It seems unfair but I was so proud to have helped her then. I also know what it’s like to get corporal punishment for doing the wrong things at school and at home. Now, I can’t even touch them for fear of a misconstrued action. I never anticipated that being a teacher in the United States would be so demanding that it makes me want to learn better classroom management techniques. Despite all my frustrations and complaints, I enjoy teaching and guiding kids to achieve their dream if any. I am very happy to even just have one student say “thank you” or be told that this ‘difficult’ student said he liked you. In that respect, if you have any ideas on (classroom) management techniques, then it would be most helpful. Feel free to comment on my speech to students whenever I come to their school and they are refusing to learn.
My drafted speech which I will likely forget but I find comforting to have at my disposal:
I am back for all the students who managed to stay in school and those who want to learn. I am here for all of you just like all the teachers in this school. Everyday is a fresh start for me and you. Everyday until you graduate from HS or college and become an adult, you have the chance to make the right choices and right your wrongs. Once you are an adult, you no longer have as much freedom as a kid to make the wrong choices. If you keep going down the wrong path, then it’s nobody’s fault but yourself. I have made bad choices in my life and I regret them deeply. However, every mistake is a learning moment. I learned it the hard way so trust me you don’t want to do that. If you don’t start learning now, then you will be left behind by everybody else that had a head start because they were open to learning.
— -> This was written for the school that I will be going back to be a substitute. The next one is for all students who ‘act up.’
You have two choices: (1) Listen and learn now while you can from your teacher so you can be successful in life or (2) you can refuse to listen and remain ignorant. If you choose the 2nd option and you can’t get a good job later to feed yourself and your family then that’s on you and not on me. Help me help yourself be successful. If you don’t care about learning now then I will have to care more about those who do. You should all know better. Life is tough and it’s even tougher to make the right choices sometimes but it will definitely reward you for choosing the right path.
Do you have 10 million dollars? Does your parents have 10 million dollars? Whether or not you have 10 million dollars, money can always be taken away. Do you all know what can’t be taken from you no matter what they do? Talent, skill and most of all, knowledge that comes from learning and experience. Trust me. You don’t want to learn the hard way so you all better be learning the easy way from us now. You can thank us later for helping you make the right choices.
Cheers,
Anna Canto, a student and a teacher who so believes in this:
“An unrestrained imagination leads to unlimited possibilities.” — by Anna Canto
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Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.