We're all stupid and we're all smart

To build upon the previous post, teachers can always point out the so-called smart students in their classes as well as those who struggle. Whether formally or informally, assessing the state and progress of our students is an integral part of being a good teacher.

What's important to keep in mind is that there is no such thing as a stupid student. We are all smart in some ways and stupid in others. This is what makes life interesting: the fact that we are all different and unique. Not everyone needs to be a doctor or an engineer. Society needs artists and musicians too.

I believe that students who have trouble academically are uninspired and unmotivated. However, the problem does not lie with them, but with an educational system that devalues the parts of them that they hold meaningful. By devaluing the things that students think are important about themselves, we are telling them that they are not important. Is it any wonder then that they become uninspired and unmotivated by our educational system? Education should be about fostering differences of ideas and perspectives. Instead, it is about creating standardized students through the use of standards, testing, and accountability.

When we, as an educational system, start valuing the diversity of our students and all the ways in which they are smart, we will start creating student who love to learn.

Here's a video related to this topic of valuing the diverse ways in which people are smart. It is a few years old, but well worth it. I have re-watched countless times.