Intelligence

Some years ago, I ran across Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. I don't remember how or why I came across it, but it got my attention. Some found fault with his theory, but I don't have time or inclination to delve into that bucket-of-worms. Gardner identified eight types of intelligence:

Linguistic: sensitivity to spoken and written language.

Logical-Mathematical: ability to analyze problems logically and carry out mathematical operations.

Spatial: capacity to think in three dimensions.

Musical: skill in performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns.

Bodily-Kinesthetic: using one's body to solve problems or create products.

Interpersonal: understanding and interacting effectively with others.

Intrapersonal: capacity to understand oneself and one's thoughts and feelings.

Naturalistic: ability to recognize and categorize plants, animals, and other aspects of the environment

Each of us has different strengths. As a teacher, it was sometimes like a scavenger hunt to find the one thing that would ignite a student's interest and desire to achieve. Not everyone will be wildly successful in school, and although I wanted every student to love reading and writing as much as I do, not all of them did. However, if I worked hard to provide varied opportunities, it was usually possible to find something each enjoyed and could do well enough to achieve success and experience the good feeling that comes with it.

Then along came the SOL's and slowly the air leaked out of the educational experiences I enjoyed sharing with my students, and the multidimensional art of teaching went flat. It didn't take long for me to realize my work in public education was done.

I have gotten into the weeds a bit; better get back on track. Last week's post made me think about Gardner's theory again. Remembering those tadpoles sitting on a table in the classroom led to other memories. Watching the Monarch butterfly emerge from the chrysalis, waiting for the baby chicks to hatch, creating the model of the solar system, and launching the model rockets all made strong impressions on me and nurtured my natural curiosity. I remember making a little garden in a box as a book project after reading The Secret Garden in fifth grade. That little garden may have been one of the impetuses for my love of growing flowers today.

Interestingly, by the time I was completing my degree in education at Virginia Tech, I had completely forgotten how much I loved science, especially natural science, and was strictly a Language Arts person. Maybe chemistry, my freshman year, left a bad taste in my mouth, and I turned my back on all science.

At some point along the pathway to becoming a teacher, we had to choose what subject(s) we wanted as our concentration(s). Mine were Language Arts and Social Studies. However, due to my freshman year of thinking I might be interested in Physical Therapy, I also had a fair number of science credits. My advisor, Dr. Shirley Farrier, pointed out the option of taking one more science class and having an additional concentration in science to make myself more marketable.

I distinctly remember the conversation. "No, I'll never teach science," I assured her with all the puffed-up bravado of a twenty-two-year-old ready to tackle the world and quickly tame it to suit my wishes.

I did get my dream job teaching language arts, but it didn't happen right away. Most school systems had already begun teacher work week, and I had resigned myself to substitute teaching until a teaching position became available to me. Then, as things often do, everything suddenly changed, and I joined the teaching staff at Brownsburg Middle School in Rockbridge County, where I happily became the seventh-grade language arts teacher.

Those four years at Brownsburg remain extremely special and formative. I met some lifelong friends, loved my students, and developed into a decent teacher. Not to mention all the fun we had. The sky seemed to be the limit, and creative activities happened often. I could set my mind to it and come up with a long list of the things we were able to do with and for the students, but I'll jump ahead to the point of this post.

After four years at BMS, everything suddenly changed again, and it was time to leave Rockbridge County and return home to Giles County. As it had happened with the position at Brownsburg, God moved the puzzle pieces into place, and before I knew it, I had an interview with Mr. Matlock, the principal at Eastern Elementary and Middle School.

Just as I distinctly remember the conversation with Dr. Farrier, I remember that interview with Mr. Matlock. He asked me if I could teach sixth and seventh-grade science. Without a moment's hesitation, because I was still only twenty-something and sure I could do anything, I said, "Absolutely, of course I can. I was only one credit away from having a concentration in science."

He smiled, and for the next eight or ten years, I was a science teacher, and folks at Eastern couldn't imagine I'd ever been anything else, just like the folks at Brownsburg couldn't imagine me as anything but a language arts teacher. I enjoyed teaching science, and I wondered why I had been so dead set against getting that additional concentration. I eventually made my way back to language arts, and truly, it was my first love in teaching, but science wasn't very far behind.

When I first came across Gardner's theory, I took an online test to see what my natural proclivities would be. Linguistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal did not surprise me much, and neither did naturalistic, once I thought about it. I had just never thought about it.

This post may be a bit boring to you, but if you've made it this far, let me remind you of a few things. Never say never. Take some time to think about what intelligences best describe you and then take some more time to be sure you are using your God-given talents and interests in productive ways that honor Him and best serve those around you.

The credit for this great photo goes to Bobby.

Back on the chaise.

Helping make up the bed????

Have a great day and enjoy a long Memorial Day weekend!