Finding the Genius in Everyone

Growing up in a family with three brothers, I was known as the smart one. I loved to read, took pride in my school work, and had anxiety with anything less than an "A." I grew up an avid writer. I imagined myself a young adult novelist and even went to college that had a writing program. My older brother, on the other hand, did not have the temperament for school. He had ADHD, which in the 70's meant a more punitive approach to getting him to "behave" in school, where he had to sit for 5-7 hours a day and do school work. There were no brain breaks, or social emotional support. There was punishment. 

I graduated high school in the top 5% of my class. I went to college. My older brother settled on a steady stream of C's and D's in high school and would pull a passing grade out of thin air at the last minute. He graduated high school with many struggles. Some would say I had the genius in the family. But that is not true. I had the academic smarts. My brother had genius in a way I was jealous of. He was out-going, where I was an introvert. He had lots of friends, where I had one or two. He could play music on most any instrument by ear and create music off the top of his head. I took flute lessons for a few weeks and then dropped it. I can draw stick figures, and he can draw like a trained artist without any formal training. 

I went on to get two masters and my superintendent's license. I loved learning. I loved school. Degrees and certifications fed my soul. This is my genius. My brother found his place with the Chicago Fire Department. He joined when he was 20 years old. He was the youngest lieutenant in the city at the time of his promotion. He worked his way up through the ranks to become a Deputy Commissioner. He studied, he learned, he applied his knowledge that led to him being a high ranking officer in CFD. My brother found his genius in the Chicago Fire Department. If you went by the evidence of his academic achievement during school, it would have been easy to write him off. More than one teacher did that to him. Told him that. As a child. To his face. 

My brother and my differing genius's are what I keep in mind as I look over report cards on a quarterly basis for each of our Ginsburg students. Each person has unique genius that can be used to lead them to success in life. Our teachers work hard to identify that genius, recognize it, and celebrate it for each child in front of them. It does not lie in the letter grade of a report card only. Continuous learning is important for future success, that is true. Lots of research supports this. However, there are multiple ways to get students to that learning. We do that through differentiation, support in social emotional learning, brain and movement breaks, and through listening to our students. We also do this by utilizing The Leader in Me and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. We teach students to create goals, set up the steps to success, and to check in on those steps towards achievement. 

What genius do you see in your child? Be sure to let your child's teacher know. 

For more information on The Leader in Me visit www.leaderinme.org/