Teachable Moments
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Teach Everyone!
Educators can act as "psychics" determining who they believe will be successful in life and who will not be successful.
Some act on this so-called knowledge by spending more time with the "winning" students, allowing them more think time, allowing them to ask more questions, giving them more resources and/or providing after school tutoring.
Be very careful...the kids that we least expect to be successful may, in fact, be the child who excels the most.
I love the book, "Gifted Hands" about Dr.Ben Carson. He was a frustrated young boy with problems in school. In fact, he was called the "class clown". He and his brother lived in a single family home of a mother who could not read, yet he overcame these obstacles to become a world-renowned neurosurgeon and the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. One amazing case was when he separated Siamese twins joined at the head in 22 hours of surgery.
I also love President Barack Obama, who was raised primarily by his maternal grandparents. His mother, who died of cancer was English; and his father, who died in a car accident was Kenyan.
Many teachers would ignore a kid from a "broken home", biracial, "big ears" and living with his grandparents. Alas, wait a second...this bright, talented and intelligent young man went on to achieve a position of great esteem...the President of the United States!
Don't try to predict who will be successful, who will achieve or shows a promising future.
TEACH EVERYONE...you never know...he/she may be the next neurosurgeon, Olympic gold medal winner, researcher finding the cure for aids, billionaire, philanthropist or...even...the President of the United States!
Some act on this so-called knowledge by spending more time with the "winning" students, allowing them more think time, allowing them to ask more questions, giving them more resources and/or providing after school tutoring.
Be very careful...the kids that we least expect to be successful may, in fact, be the child who excels the most.
I love the book, "Gifted Hands" about Dr.Ben Carson. He was a frustrated young boy with problems in school. In fact, he was called the "class clown". He and his brother lived in a single family home of a mother who could not read, yet he overcame these obstacles to become a world-renowned neurosurgeon and the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. One amazing case was when he separated Siamese twins joined at the head in 22 hours of surgery.
I also love President Barack Obama, who was raised primarily by his maternal grandparents. His mother, who died of cancer was English; and his father, who died in a car accident was Kenyan.
Many teachers would ignore a kid from a "broken home", biracial, "big ears" and living with his grandparents. Alas, wait a second...this bright, talented and intelligent young man went on to achieve a position of great esteem...the President of the United States!
Don't try to predict who will be successful, who will achieve or shows a promising future.
TEACH EVERYONE...you never know...he/she may be the next neurosurgeon, Olympic gold medal winner, researcher finding the cure for aids, billionaire, philanthropist or...even...the President of the United States!