Again, I feel the need to write about the education system.
Actually I am going to write about the role of teachers…

   A Few weeks ago Nesrin and I had to go to school to deal with an issue, one that people in general would think of it as a small or non-issue.

   The meeting was regarding Isabela, my youngest daughter, a sharp and outspoken beautiful little girl that has been taught to be independent, to have a voice, and to stand up for what she believes in.

   Our visit to the school was requested by us because we observed a pattern happening with three of her teachers. These specific three teachers were constantly complaining about her behavior while other teachers were very pleased with her.  These three teachers believed that Isabela does not respect them; she is argumentative and is a free spirit.

   At home we make sure that we reinforce strength of character and “believe in yourself” philosophy to our kids!  We encourage our children to stand up for themselves even if it is with a teacher or any other adult.  You are the only one that can protect your self worth! No one can intimidate you or minimize your self worth!

Submissiveness or passiveness is a phenomenon that is taught at home and/or school. People become passive to events that unfold in their adulthood due to how they were raised.

   So, after listening to the teachers complaining about Isabela, we believe that she has a normal behavior for a child her age. Also, a teacher must find the way to earn respect from her/his students. Finally, not all students learn the same way, some are more fidgety than others so a teacher must learn to adapt to each child and find solutions.

Teachers have to be passionate about their careers and it can’t just be a job. They must have a purpose, without it how are they helping kids to grow?  Enthusiasm can not be fake; kids can feel it!

   Anyway, after the meeting at school I asked myself:
   How can a teacher create an interaction that will make kids want more classroom time?

How should a teacher get a kid excited about school?

        - First and most important, Teachers must encourage kids to express their opinions and they must listen to them. Encouraging them to ask questions, make connections and make choices. Despite the fact that sometimes teachers may not like the opinions or responses, but that is honesty an opportunity to understand the child.

        - Teachers must offer positive reinforcement that will inspire kids to keep learning and challenging themselves. Teachers must celebrate achievements, no matter how small they are. 

        - Teachers must show enthusiasm for a child’s interests and encourage them to explore subjects that fascinate them. Teachers must focus on the kid’s strengths, and persuade them to develop new talents.

        - Teachers must find the way to make the program fun and interesting where discipline becomes almost non perceptible. A teacher must become a kid’s Champion.
   While writing this piece I came across a New York Times article: Big Study Links Good Teachers to Lasting Gain and borrowed 3 paragraphs from it:

“Everybody believes that teacher quality is very, very important… What this paper and other work have shown is that it’s probably more important than people think. That the variations or differences between really good and really bad teachers have lifelong impacts on children.”

“Perhaps just as important, given the difficulty of finding, training and retaining outstanding teachers, is that the difference in long-term outcome between students who have average teachers and those with poor-performing ones is as significant as the difference between those who have excellent teachers and those with average ones, the study found.”

“…having a good teacher in an early grade has a bigger effect than having a good teacher in later grades.”

   Our meeting at school concluded with:

We chose this school because it was the best fit for our kids, and your job is to motivate the kids, not bring them down.

If Isabela is misbehaving or not doing her work, she needs to deal with the consequences, NO question!

Yet, she should NOT be punished for being confident and having a voice.

   Sometimes the lack of understanding of the individual student leads to a hazardous misunderstanding that can form an uncertain path for that student by being labeled a certain way. 

“Human communities depend upon a diversity of talent not a singular conception of ability and at the heart of the challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability and intelligence” ― Ken Robinson

     Last month in Washington DC after finishing a photo shoot I got one of the best compliments…

     A few years ago Nesrin, my wife said to me “you should stop exciting people about life, not everybody has your spirit… you always place these big dreams in their heads…”

I had always believed that I am a good motivator and when I see a person with a lot of potential wasting their lives, I feel the need to talk to them. I want to get them motivated to find their element.

         After the photo shoot, Peter, a well known photographer and a dear friend, asked me, “you don’t remember when we met the first time do you?”

“Sorry, not really…” I said.

Peter recounted our first encounter, and I took it as a great commendation.  I asked him to write a paragraph about it for my blog.

“I was serving lunch in a cozy Italian restaurant on a beautiful    sunny afternoon,

I was young, inexperienced yet energetic, strong and hungry for knowledge. Not to mention super excited about my new job.

Sitting by the window was a gentleman quietly enjoying his lunch, thinking, pausing, and looking out the window as he was looking for something. It almost looked like he was writing a book, but instead of paper and pen he used his mind.

After a little small talk He introduced him self as Mauricio – “I am an entrepreneur”, he said.

He asked me, “What's your story?” It turned out to be a really nice conversation, something Mauricio is good at - he is an extraordinary listener. He told me something that I have carried on as a legacy in my mind ever since.

He said, "what you are doing is great, but ("pero") you can do more. Multiply, expand, open your own business, employ and harvest...
Think of the possibilities. Work hard and enjoy it while doing it. 
That was nearly 15 years ago and I love what I am doing! "

         It took Nesrin a few years to understand what I had been trying to do and now she supports it 100%.  She knows by now that I won’t stay quiet. When I choose an “unlucky” person to talk to, she looks at their faces thinking: too bad you have to deal with it… it might help you!

        A few days ago at home, I was putting some furniture together and I had hired a young Nigerian man, Abah to help me. This was the second time that I used his services, he is an immigrant in Spain that is determined to succeed.

So while working on the furniture I began giving my rules for success (poor guy had to listen to me, he didn’t  have another place to go. ja,ja):

First you need to be conscious about your own dignity, you need to be determined and resilient. If you have a dream, you need to see yourself accomplishing it, believe in it, become part of it….

While giving my speech, I was surprised and glad to see Abah taking notes and asking questions, “dignity, what is the meaning of it?” “How do you spell resilience?” He was really absorbed with the discussion.

After finishing assembling the furniture Abah said to me “Thank you, I am keeping these notes and I will review them every morning”.

Great! He is young and has the drive to succeed. I wish him all the best!

         Peter the photographer said to me “Mauricio, you do not know how many times I have repeated your speech when I encounter a young motivated person. I am glad that I got to see you again. Gracias my friend”.

         Here is the lesson: As we get older we manage to acquire knowledge, some money and if we are fortunate we are healthy. Even though we take care of ourselves, eat healthy, constantly exercise our health could deteriorate rapidly. Money comes and goes and you can not take it with you when you die. So knowledge, our experiences are the only thing that we can pass on. This knowledge is the only thing that is going to stay after your gone and the information that you were able to transmit.

          I will keep motivating and challenging young people to find their passion and to have the courage to pursue their dreams.

          At the end, only a small percentage of the people that I preached  to will get encouraged to make a change. However, if this modest group, just like Peter,  will keep passing enthusiasm and knowledge to the next generation, I accomplished my goal of making a positive impact in this world.

"The revelation of thought takes men out of servitude into freedom." - Ralph Waldo Emerson