Do you know people who talk about children who can learn and
ones who can’t? Or, children who can be helped and ones who can’t? Well, they
are wrong, and we will tell you why.
Some 30-odd years ago, the great Japanese teacher, Dr.
Suzuki, who taught over 20,000 children to understand and play the violin like
virtuosi, had some words of wisdom to share with us. He said, “People today are
like gardeners who look sadly at ruined saplings and shake their heads, saying
the seeds must have been bad to start with – not realising that the seed was
all right, and that it was their method of cultivation that was wrong. They go
on their mistaken way, ruining plant after plant. It is imperative that the
human race escape from this vicious circle.” These words have value even today.
You see, Dr. Suzuki did not believe that some children were
gifted while others were not. He believed that every child could be superior,
and that every child could be educated. Talent, he believed, was no accident of
birth, but a purposeful effort, a powerful creation.
Let’s teach our children to understand that when they see
someone of ability, they see a person who has been carefully taught, and who
has worked hard to realize their unlimited potential. Let’s teach them that
they have the same unlimited potential. And let’s teach them to believe in
sustained effort, self-discipline and self-determination.
We have the opportunity and the ability to raise an entire
generation of superstars every day. Why would we settle for less?
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