We are Teachers

April 28, 2009 by Milton Kamwendo
Filed under: Unleashing Greatness 

Learning is always taking place, consciously or unconsciously. In particular our environment is the biggest teacher of all. Each of us creates an environment around us that teaches the people around us. It could be in the home, office or organisation. Sometimes the best lessons in life are created without conscious intention. Such lessons then assume their own life and momentum.

The case of Dorothy Nolte. 
Nolte was a columnist with The Torrance Herald, a Southern California weekly newspaper. In 1954, in her kitchen she quickly wrote an instalment for her column on raising children. Her article was entitled: “Children Learn What They Live.” She hurriedly sent it off the article to her editor without much thought. Like all good lessons in life, the lesson had an immortal life of its own. In the years that followed the wisdom of this article was translated into 35 languages around the world, in some cases with some additions. In 1971 she copyrighted the work when she discovered that a firm making baby nutrition product was distributing millions of copies to new parents for free. The article became a bestseller Japan in 2005 after Crown Prince Naruhito intimated that he was using the article to raise his three year old daughter, Princess Aiko. 

 

The wisdom of the article that Nolte wrote rings true beyond the lives of children but finds application in business, family and general relationships among people. The article reads: 
“If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. 
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. 
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive. 
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves. 
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy. 
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy. 
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.” 

The environment is a teacher
Even a negative environment is a teacher, unfortunately a bad teacher and defective mould. The article continues and extols the virtue of providing a positive growth and learning environment when it says: 
“If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence. 
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience. 
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation. 
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love. 
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves. 
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal. 
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity. 
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness. 
If children live with fairness, they learn justice. 
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect. 
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them. 
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.” 

It is what we do that matters
What we do always speaks louder than what we say. People learn more from what they observe compared to what we tell them. The popular aphorism: “Walk the talk” rings true today. Deeds have always been the interpreters of thought and opinion. Ultimately it is deeds and not words that count the most in our life’s lessons. 

To your greatness,

 

Milton Kamwendo

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