I failed miserably in school when it came to math. I could understand addition and subtraction because I could visually add and subtract on my fingers. When it came to multiplication, again, I could learn by visually seeing how the numbers lined up, added up, and totaled. When it came to geometry, I did very well because the measurements of real objects made sense to me. I could even understand fractions and the metric system. I was considered "above average" in math and was promoted to a unique group of students called, "Mentally Gifted Minors," a similar name would be GATE. I felt good until I hit the 8th grade. Then everything fell apart. What happened? Algebra. I could not understand the math at all because I couldn't see it. My teachers kicked me out of the program and shamed me to badly that I avoided anything to do with math for most of my adult life. Did I fail math? No, my teachers failed me.
During the pandemic, parents were forced to be involved in their children's learning. What they learned was their children were not learning the 3-R's of the past, but were learning new R's: Racism, Reparations, and Restructuring. The education system is under attack as revelations regarding the systematic drop in overall knowledge has been replaced by agendas and propaganda. This is sad to many who believed their children were receiving the best education possible. Unfortunately, this shift has been going on for many decades. I first became aware there was "something wrong" any years ago when my daughter went out for high school sports. It was during the time when everyone received a participation trophy, and no one was allowed to excel because that "would make others feel less successful." Many parents tell me, if they want their child to excel in life, they are not going to learn excellence in the current education system.
One thing I've learned over my lifetime is the truth I heard many years ago while attending college, "Those who can-do. Those who can't-teach." It's true. Many people who have "learned" about running a business, have never actually ran one. Many who teach finances, have never worked in the financial world. Most business owners are too busy running a successful business to teach. Mentors repeat the information they learned from other mentors, and they in turn, become mentors themselves.
There is a difference in teaching practices between those who teach, and those who train. Teachers regurgitate a curriculum someone created to fulfill a requirement to meet a standard that the creators of the curriculum have set. So, if my goal is to teach you 3rd grade math, I'll create the curriculum and the test to measure if the student has properly memorized the information provided. Very often the information is given without the means to apply the knowledge in the student's life. The measurement is not knowledge, but memorization of the facts regurgitated onto a test. Anyone who is not good at memorization will do poorly in comparison to someone who does well in memorization.
A trainer teaches from the perspective of application. They take what the student has learned and trains the student how to apply their knowledge to the situation at hand. A teacher might "show and tell" you what a hammer is; the trainer shows you how to use it. You might say they have the student "learn and do." This is how I run my company. I teach my students through show and tell, and then let them learn and do. In the end, they know not only the why, but the reasons behind the why that allows them to be successful as they do. When people wake up to the truth that it's not about sharing what you think that will make you happy, but the actions that you take to improve the lives of others that will bring you pure joy.
“Only that day dawns to which we are awake.”
Henry David Thoreau