This reminded me of a story about my mother. When I was in 5th Grade during a parent/teacher conference the teacher was saying how great it was to have me in the class because she could use me to help with the other kids. My mother asked where my paycheck was.
I think that story manages to summarize my agreement with this as well as sum up my mom.
You make a valid point. I was thinking about this--no one would want a surgeon who wasn't smart, or a lawyer, or a civil engineer, etc. And yet, as a nation we reject the idea that intelligence is something to be nurtured. People have different talents. Some are good at running with footballs, others at figuring out how to treat a person's disease. Myriad talents all requiring support.
Sep 1, 2022·edited Sep 1, 2022Liked by Mari, the Happy Wanderer
I love this and as ever I'm jealous of your connection to so many interesting people!
I have two particular teachers who have been key to my development: Mrs. Linda Augustyn, my senior year honors English teacher, and Dr. Dana Chamblee-Carpenter, a college professor. They both took special notice of and interest in my writing. Their encouragement and mentorship has done more to feed my love of writing than anything else.
Edited to add: I can't believe I forgot to mention my first professional mentor, Lisa Watts. She assigned me my first features and gave me a local food column when I was just a lowly copy editor, because she asked "What do you want to do?"
All through high school, college ( I lived at home), and even in my early years of teaching, I worked in my aunt and uncle’s flower shop. The many skills I learned in the shop have served me well for the last 60-plus years. However, one of those skills/talents that I never stopped developing is floral design. After decorating for countless occasions, that talent has taken a new twist. I manage the local hospital gift shop. We are completely run by volunteers. Post Covid, we found that our supplier of flower arrangements could no longer meet our needs. You guessed it….I now make all the arrangements that are sold in the shop. All profits from the shop are designated for new robotic equipment. I will never conduct an orchestra or write anything that will make the annuls of history, but I feel really good about this little contribution.
Remember the years at McKinley when we encouraged the kids to use their gifts to make the world a better place? They may not remember, but for several years I wrote a PTO grant for “bus fare” to visit a local senior complex. The kids sang, played instruments, read poetry, shared some of their social studies projects…all to focus on the importance of sharing our gifts! Everyone has something they can share!
I appear to be a slow developer-I didn't know I could sing, and actually rather well, until I was in my 40's-but I am thankful to several teachers who recognized some of my other qualities/skills and prompted me and made me aware of those areas as well as supported me in developing those. That may have also given me the confidence to simply try things, like the singing. Which is something we need to do motivate in children, already at an early age. Talents aren't always that obvious, least of all to ourselves. And so we need to continue trying things out and seeing what we can do, even and especially in later phases of life.
This is a lesson I struggle to learn. Sometimes I feel insecure about being more creative than analytic, especially because dad and Noah seem to be destined for Great Things due to their interests in maths and history. But then I remember that during COVID, it wasn't statisticians or think tanks that got me through- it was artists, comedians, authors. I try to carry that with me as I work towards my English degree.
I've always been a strong and eager learner, and I had the fortune to be able to choose between a wide range of interests as they evolvled over my life. But I've had one particular talent that is frequently useful, being able to pick out an answer from seemingly limited and/or contradictory data. I tell my colleagues that I'm not likely to be the one to think of a new idea, but when I hear one "that's correct" I can tell right away. All I have to do keep listening and asking questions, and sooner or later the answer will reveal itself.
There is also something that I attribute to my years of waiting tables in a busy family restaurant. If an object near me begins to fall, I can often catch it. I call it my superpower, and it's a great party trick.
This reminded me of a story about my mother. When I was in 5th Grade during a parent/teacher conference the teacher was saying how great it was to have me in the class because she could use me to help with the other kids. My mother asked where my paycheck was.
I think that story manages to summarize my agreement with this as well as sum up my mom.
You make a valid point. I was thinking about this--no one would want a surgeon who wasn't smart, or a lawyer, or a civil engineer, etc. And yet, as a nation we reject the idea that intelligence is something to be nurtured. People have different talents. Some are good at running with footballs, others at figuring out how to treat a person's disease. Myriad talents all requiring support.
I love this and as ever I'm jealous of your connection to so many interesting people!
I have two particular teachers who have been key to my development: Mrs. Linda Augustyn, my senior year honors English teacher, and Dr. Dana Chamblee-Carpenter, a college professor. They both took special notice of and interest in my writing. Their encouragement and mentorship has done more to feed my love of writing than anything else.
Edited to add: I can't believe I forgot to mention my first professional mentor, Lisa Watts. She assigned me my first features and gave me a local food column when I was just a lowly copy editor, because she asked "What do you want to do?"
All through high school, college ( I lived at home), and even in my early years of teaching, I worked in my aunt and uncle’s flower shop. The many skills I learned in the shop have served me well for the last 60-plus years. However, one of those skills/talents that I never stopped developing is floral design. After decorating for countless occasions, that talent has taken a new twist. I manage the local hospital gift shop. We are completely run by volunteers. Post Covid, we found that our supplier of flower arrangements could no longer meet our needs. You guessed it….I now make all the arrangements that are sold in the shop. All profits from the shop are designated for new robotic equipment. I will never conduct an orchestra or write anything that will make the annuls of history, but I feel really good about this little contribution.
Remember the years at McKinley when we encouraged the kids to use their gifts to make the world a better place? They may not remember, but for several years I wrote a PTO grant for “bus fare” to visit a local senior complex. The kids sang, played instruments, read poetry, shared some of their social studies projects…all to focus on the importance of sharing our gifts! Everyone has something they can share!
I appear to be a slow developer-I didn't know I could sing, and actually rather well, until I was in my 40's-but I am thankful to several teachers who recognized some of my other qualities/skills and prompted me and made me aware of those areas as well as supported me in developing those. That may have also given me the confidence to simply try things, like the singing. Which is something we need to do motivate in children, already at an early age. Talents aren't always that obvious, least of all to ourselves. And so we need to continue trying things out and seeing what we can do, even and especially in later phases of life.
This is a lesson I struggle to learn. Sometimes I feel insecure about being more creative than analytic, especially because dad and Noah seem to be destined for Great Things due to their interests in maths and history. But then I remember that during COVID, it wasn't statisticians or think tanks that got me through- it was artists, comedians, authors. I try to carry that with me as I work towards my English degree.
I've always been a strong and eager learner, and I had the fortune to be able to choose between a wide range of interests as they evolvled over my life. But I've had one particular talent that is frequently useful, being able to pick out an answer from seemingly limited and/or contradictory data. I tell my colleagues that I'm not likely to be the one to think of a new idea, but when I hear one "that's correct" I can tell right away. All I have to do keep listening and asking questions, and sooner or later the answer will reveal itself.
There is also something that I attribute to my years of waiting tables in a busy family restaurant. If an object near me begins to fall, I can often catch it. I call it my superpower, and it's a great party trick.