Inspired teachers make inspired students and teaching students through their values is one of the most valuable ways to increase concentration levels.
Voids and values are the cornerstone of human behaviour and when teachers understand that principle they will begin to master teaching. Let me explain: each individual has a hierarchy of values or a list of priorities they live by. This has nothing do with morals or ethics.
A person’s values describe what is most valuable or important to them in their lives, scaling down to what is least valuable or important. They are usually derived from what that person perceives to be most missing from their lives or, in other words, their voids.
Our values are unique and we tend to filter our reality through them. I will give you an example: if a woman’s highest value is her children and she walks through a shopping mall, she will see things mostly relating to children, such as children’s clothes, toys, and so on.
In the area of our highest values, we have what I call attention surplus order — in this case, this woman’s children. However, she may have attention deficit disorder in the areas of business and finance. In which case, book and computer stores may go unnoticed.
Every decision we make is based on what we think will give us greater advantage over disadvantage, greatest reward over risk to fulfil our highest values or priorities. And all peoples’ decisions are based on those value structures.
I am leading up to the crucial message. There is a genius in every one of us and whatever is highest on our list of values is where we awaken our genius. Our greatest potential sits there. It is vitally important for teachers to master this concept if they wish to communicate through a student’s highest values to keep them interested, disciplined and focused.
To demonstrate this, I would like to relate a story about one of the finest teachers I have ever met. Her name is Marilyn Wilhelm. Many years ago, I was invited to speak at the internationally acclaimed Wilhelm Scholê International in Texas by Marilyn Wilhelm herself.
She is in her 90s today, travels the world teaching her methods to other teachers and is the author of the book Education: The Healing Art. The class was a group of eight- and nine-year-olds. In the back of the classroom was a one-way mirrored window. Behind it were teachers from many countries observing Marilyn’s teaching methods.
As I was about to speak, an eight-year-old Japanese boy put his hand up and said: “Dr Demartini, I have a question. I would like to know the modus operandi of how encephalons and endorphins work in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain.”
It so happened that I had done a dissertation on that topic, but I was so blown away by an eight-year-old asking me that question, I turned to Marilyn and said it would be wiser for me to observe than to speak. I watched her get up and work her magic. She cared enough about each child to consciously memorise what inspired them so she could identify each of their highest values.
Marilyn does not see children as children; she sees them as little geniuses. She honours them by masterfully teaching the curriculum in their own language and value systems instead of projecting on to them what she thinks they should learn.
I watched as Marilyn identified that one of the boys loved automobiles, another loved music, another loved history and another was interested in sports. Whatever it was, she utilised the highest value of each to teach them and draw out their genius.
She would wave her stick like a wand and point it at her students and ask: “Henry, tell us what was going on with the automobile in 1905.” And out came his genius according to his values. Each child had the inspiration to listen, knowing they were next to answer a question that would boost their excellence.
To the next, she asked: “What was going on in music at that time?” All the answers were cross-loaded with information on that period in history, giving the class a broader knowledge. By the time these children were 13, they knew nine languages, religions of the world, sciences, arts, philosophies.
Some went on to become university professors at very young ages. Marilyn was once challenged by educationists in New York. They stated that it was easy to advance children from privileged backgrounds, but what if the kids came from Harlem?
So she took 25 children from Harlem and used the exact same method of teaching to show that, deep inside every human being, there is a genius waiting to surface according to the hierarchy of their values and that it has nothing to do with economic backgrounds. She transformed these young children’s lives in months. She tapped into their potential and brought their desires, dreams and aspirations to the surface.
If a teacher does not take the time to communicate in a student’s highest values, he or she may end up unconsciously projecting his or her own values on to the student. This will create an alternating monologue instead of a dialogue.
However, if the teacher is inspired by the curriculum and is caring enough to communicate it in each student’s highest values, it becomes inspiring for the teacher to teach and for the student to learn.
Internationally published author and consultant Dr John Demartini is a teacher and human behaviour specialist. He will be delivering his one-day programme, Young Adults Inspired Destiny, on June 16 in Johannesburg. One teacher and his or her nominated student stand to win a place at the programme. To enter, send your contact details and brief answers to the following questions to [email protected]. What inspired you to become a teacher? What is special about the student you nominated? (Please give student’s name). For more information visit: www.drdemartini.com