PREJUDICES TO BE SHUT DOWN.
Prejudices are common phenomena in everyday life. They are preconceived ideas that prevent accepting a perspective that could change the game. That’s why we took the time to redefine together the notion of success in the previous chapter.
Before moving on to discovering our children’s talents and the different steps to achieve them, it is necessary to clear the ground to make room for a clean slate to build on. One of my university professors used to repeat to us: “You have to destroy before you can build.”
1st prejudice: School alone leads to success
By this prejudices, it is affirmed that the academic path is the only way for a person to succeed in life. School is a privilege that some children in the world do not enjoy, but that’s not the point.
Do those who have not attended school or have not succeeded through this path necessarily fail?
Do those who have not had access to school necessarily fail?
When school did not exist, did people necessarily fail?
We agree that school is an important foundation for learning fundamentals such as reading and writing, notably. This prejudice implies that the absence of an academic diploma dooms a person to failure.
What about Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé, both World Cup champions and scorers in the World Cup final, the former without a high school diploma and the latter obtaining it without being able to go further? Have they failed? They seem so comfortable playing this high-level sport that requires a lot of sacrifices and hard work.
2nd prejudice: Only intellectual degrees lead to success.
By this prejudices, it is affirmed the presence of a gap between graduates of scientific, economic, etc., fields and graduates of more manual fields such as cooking, pastry, construction, etc.
The culture of some countries or ethnicities is so strong that it is absolutely unthinkable to consider anything other than becoming an engineer for children, and I know that some will smile accepting this observation.
This prejudice evokes the fear of others’ judgment in wanting to stand out because the envisaged profession does not correspond to the habits entrenched for decades. If you knew the number of people around us who have pursued lengthy studies that do not suit them while aspiring to work with their hands.
If only academic degrees lead to success, what about Pierre Gagnaire, a 3-star chef (16 stars across all his restaurants), or Philippe Etchebest (a 2-star chef, best craftsman in France, and TV show host like Kitchen Nightmares or Top Chef) who graduated through non-scientific paths?
Yet, they seem so fulfilled in their profession.
3rd prejudice: Teachers are always right.
By this prejudice, it is affirmed that the weight of the teacher’s words will always tip the balance in their favor. “The teacher is always right” is a phrase often used regarding the teaching given in class or during a dispute with a student.
However, this prejudice has extended to the teacher’s ability to judge success in one path or another for a student. Teaching is an admirable and indispensable profession in our society, but we can also identify adults whose childhoods were shattered by words received from their teachers. The teacher’s point of view must be listened to and taken into account but is not necessarily a guarantee of absolute truth.
Albert Einstein (Nobel Prize in Physics 1921), Michael Jordan (greatest basketball player of all time), and Steve Harvey (TV presenter, author, speaker, and actor) have one thing in common. At some point in their journey, a teacher told them they could never achieve their goals in life.
Physicist Einstein was even told he did not have the level of a “normal” person when he had much higher abilities. Have these people failed despite their teachers’ opinions? No, quite the opposite!
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” (Albert Einstein about the educational system)
4th prejudice: Not everyone has talent.
By this prejudices, it is affirmed that life has gifted some and not others. We cry injustice, thinking of a form of favoritism.
In summary, some have talents and others none at all. Some are meant to succeed, and others not. Some are meant to thrive, and others not. Some are exceptional, and others not.
What if I told you that most human beings underestimate themselves and ignore what characterizes them? According to scientific sources, humans only use 10% of their abilities…
This text is an excerpt from the book “Your Child Is a Champion” written by Jérémie Meyer.
We invite you to read the following article “Observe Your Child“.
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