It is not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest. ~ Alfred Binet

I will start today's story by telling the meaning of "olodo." It means a dounce, someone who is unintelligent and hard of grasping knowledge. It was used to coin a satirical song (olodo rabata meaning a dounce bought a shoe) used to mock students who were not doing well in school. Sadly, students usually sang the satirical song on the call of the teacher and it was really disappointing to see a teacher whose responsibility was to build you up knowledge-wise being the one breaking your spirit.

In all my years of learning and teaching, I have come to wholly agree with Alfred Binet. I have seen many great students and eggheads fall out, drop out or fail later on in life while I have seen the so-called dounces grow to become geniuses rather shocking people with their comeback as impeccable scholars.

Fortunately, a lot of students fall in the latter category including myself. Some psychologists call these set of students Late bloomers.

Scholars and inventors such as Thomas Edison, Ben Carson, Albert Einstein and so on are counted as late bloomers.

Thomas Edison's teacher handed him a withdrawal note from his school stating he did not have the mental capacity of learning in a formal school. His mother home schooled him from his 5th grade because no school would take him in because he was labelled a dullard. Thomas Edison went on to become one of the greatest inventors in his time inventing the lightbulb, telegraph and improving the telephone.

Albert Einstein the father of Physics was not a ‘Perfect’ student either. He had a delayed speech and his teachers described him as “too forgetful and a daydreamer." He also did not excel in subjects that required memorization. He was once so frustrated with the rigid system of the school and his teacher that he threw a chair at his teacher and was sent out of school.

He later went on to receive a Nobel prize in Physics and taught in some of the high-flying Universities. He is considered an epitome of intelligence.

 As an educator, I do not believe that students suddenly wake up and think that they need to become more serious with their studies- a couple of events must have led to that realization and commitment. Something definitely changed to lead to the climb from olodo (dounce) to efiko (genius). They fall into 3 categories:

1. Purposeful Engagement
2. Motivation (Operant conditioning)
3. Growth Mindset

We will expatiate on these next week.

Have a great weekend!!!