Self-Devpt. Nuggets™

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NB: This newsletter is published every Monday. Point your browser to www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule

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No. 124: What Today’s Teachers Miss (and How It Can Hurt Your Child!)

This is not an attack on teachers. It’s instead an informed view of what a growing number of this group of “public speakers” are failing to do, inadvertently denying learners (our kids!) the most important “knowledge and skills” they need to excel in life.

If you’re one, or have relations with one, my advice is that you read this piece with an open mind.

I’m not the enemy here. Our collective ignorance is.

We must join hands to improve the quality of real world relevant “education” being dished out to our loved ones, by this most trusted group of “speakers” in our societies.

What Teachers Often Miss Today

My kids will tell you I am the harshest critic of their school teachers. But not to the faces of the latter. That would amount to setting the classroom on fire for the former

Instead, each time I interact with my kids, I often discover they have certain yawning gaps in knowledge (and often skills) which should not be there, given the child’s (supposed) attained level.

A closer examination of the “teachers” has revealed, to me, that many settled for teaching only after failing to find jobs based on what they studied in the higher institution.

Most have no formal teacher training or experience.

My mother worked for over 3 decades as a school teacher. She went through all sorts of training. And I recall that before retirement. she got an advanced certification is a Montessorri program in Lagos.

I and my siblings passed through my mothers’ “teaching” in the school we attended at nursery and primary level. It never ended in school. She kept at us even at home. Be assured that I am a good representation of how we all turned out.

The above convinced me I needed to play an influential role in “teaching” my kids.

But here’s what my mother did, which most teachers today do not. She taught us the basics…the fundamentals of every subject. She spent quality time drilling those rudiments of the key subjects into our heads.

Then she relentlessy gave us exercises designed to force us to self-study. Today, we all have the unique ability to tutor ourselves on any subject and excel at it. I exaggerate not!

There was one more thing she did:

She talked to us about the importance of believing in ourselves. Of never feeling inadequate before others, no matter how “superior” they appeared to be. And she walked her talk for us to see, everywhere she went.

That’s why today, each of us enjoys the reputation of being “independent thinkers”. We do not care to join the crowd. We decide what we want, and go for it, even if NO ONE ELSE is interested, or indeed if others speak against.

As long as it’s legal, does not hurt anyone, and we feel it’s OK for us, nothing else matters. We know how to define our own success!

Many teachers today do not do most of the above.

Instead, they let the influence of society – often the wayward aspects of it! – dictate what they teach kids under their care.

This is why most of today’s youths have a warped sense of values and orientation.

To illustrate, below is a screenshot of an excellent observation made by Olufemi Oyinloye, a Facebook friend today, which I posted a response to.

His grouse?

Corporate organisations out here, and in many places across the world are focussing most of their youths “development” efforts on sports and entertainment related projects.

Little or nothing is being done along the lines of educational or intellectual development. Could this be a mainly self-serving kind of Corporate Social Responsibility by these companies…?

Like my friend rightly asked, are they trying to say our kids don’t have anything “upstairs” that can be developed just as physical skills can?

You and I know the answer.

The Noisy Brand of Success Is NOT The Only One…and Definitely NOT The Best!

People get paid daily for their creative skills in writing, software development etc.

Thousands, and tens of thousands in dollars, pounds, Euros etc arrive via bank transfers and other legitimate payment channels into the hands of uniquely skilled persons, even right here in Africa.

It all happens quietly.

Unlike the noisy success of the entertainment industry, no newspaper reports announce any of it. That’s why many of the unitiated walk past others earning high level income that way, without knowing it.

Afterall, neither how much I earn, nor the unusual but legit way I earn it will ever be discernable by looking at my forehead!

Sometimes an internationally funded entity pays for work done e.g research surveys, concept papers, lectures, training, consulting etc. At other times, individual clients pay.

Delayed payments rarely occur. Parties involved always get win-win benefits. That’s why most such relationships established often last for decades!

As I said in a recent article, most African/Nigerian kids know nothing about the highly rewarding vocations and markets mentioned above, because our society is often devoid of such examples.

It’s the loud cases of celebrity entertainers like Tuface, P-Square and D-Banj (and famous sports persons like Mikel Obi) they are drawn to by the mass media.

And that makes it hard for kids or young people to imagine it is possible, talk less of believing they can succeed in the silent and unconventional manner described here.

Yet they can, if they are properly guided. We, their parents, are in the best position to do that.

As one who succeeds in this unconventional manner, with honesty and integrity, I am coaching my kids to discover their own talent for doing same. The best part is that anyone can still do it all, while holding down a well paying 9 to 5 salary job!

That means you can effectively double your income without needing to quit your day job*. There is no better gift one can give a child than this.

If you help your child develop this additional level of skill and competence, s/he will forever be grateful to you!

[NB: Renowned US based veteran public speaking mentor, Burt Dubin, always counsels his mentees to NOT quit their day jobs, till they establish reliable income to replace their salary. Learn more about Burt’s mentoring here.]

Final Words: Take Personal Action to Help Your Kids!

Yesterday, on Facebook, I shared a link to my FULL blog post on the subject. It’s titled “Don’t Just ‘Tell’ Your Kids to Do…Be an Exemplary Role Model.“

In it I explained how and why I made each of my kids handle a fifty Euro note from a bundle I received as payment for the agribusiness paper I wrote for an International organisation.

You see, I’m committed to showing my kids how to use their intellectual creativity to achieve highly productive and rewarding financial ends.

I urge you to do the same, quickly too, or the avalanche of “reality shows” will kill that instinct in them!

Read through my above mentioned blog post to get started. It offers practical ideas you can use.

Good luck!

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic)

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist – Tayo Solagbade – works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing  zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur.

He’s presently based in Benin Republic, where he’s preparing an English-French Language Guide, City Travel Guides, and a Commercial Rabbit Farming Guide.

He earns multiple streams of income providing clients with performance improvement training/coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).

In a previous life, before leaving to become self-employed, Tayo served for seven years as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

For a limited time, Tayo is available to speak to your group or organization for a moderate fee. Send e-mail to tayo at tksola dot com. You can also visit www.tksola.com to learn more.

Connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.

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