Rule #3 Every brain is wired differently.

This I remember from my college days studying biology. If you play the violin, practice meditation, or speak many language, your brain will be different from others. I use to always associated the saying ‘use it or lose it.’ with brain development. Our brains are very pliable when we are young and that in some way we educate our selves out of various talents. I know that the brain has a tremendous growth spurt in the toddler years hence the terrible twos but I did not realize it occurred in the teen years as well (pg 58). Reflecting on this I think it makes sense, it is during these time periods that we develop more independence and deeper exploration of our world. We become risk takers in order to learn and grow. Maybe at this time we should offer our students more opportunity to explore other areas. This addition of exploratories and seminars used to be a key part of middle schools.

The message I take from this chapter is to encourage children (adults for that matter) to explore and grow their interests. The 4 core subjects are not the only things worth studying. Practice your skills and you will get better as you re-wire your brain. And finally what every teacher and parent know, is that people do not learn at the same rate. I only wish the testers and standard setters knew this as well.