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When you were younger, did you ever use the word “smart” to describe yourself? In a public school system that only valued two of the eight intelligences, it was challenging for many of us to believe we were smart. Dr. Kathy highlights that you were good at theater because you are smart, you were good at piano because you are smart, you were good at soccer because you are smart. This book enabled me to teach my children that not only are they smart in multiple ways, but that these multiple intelleigences will aid them in becoming who God has uniquely created them to be.
8 Great Smarts has introduced me to new ways of celebrating my children’s strengths. With my background in early education I was aware labels do more harm than good- even “good” ones. Terms, such as lazy, bad, smart, have the possibility of negativity sticking with our child and/or weighing them down with inappropriate expectations. Children are in a constant state of growth and change, so a “wild” toddler may mature into a focused teen, or a “talkative” preteen might become a good listener as an adult. Instead of one-dimensional labels, we should focus our comments on the behavior, not the trait. For instance, instead of a generic, “you’re so smart!” we can say, “You nailed that on your first try! That shows me you really understand this concept!” And now I also enjoy pointing out to them the smart I see them growing in.
Being “smart” isn’t a permanent, unchanging feature like eye color; we can excel in some areas and struggle in others. In the book we learn there are 8 different smarts (Dr. Kathy credits Dr. Howard Gardner as the father of multiple intelligences): Word Smart, Logic Smart, Picture Smart, Music Smart, Body Smart, Nature Smart, People Smart, and Self Smart. Thanks to Dr. Kathy, I’ve learned ways to talk to my children about their smarts in a way that honors their strengths and interests, without putting them in a box. Dr. Kathy also walks the reader through the challenges that accompany each smart, so that our children can build an awareness to “use their smarts for good, not harm.” For example, “People-smart children are great motivators. They can also be great manipulators.”
You know what matters in the long run? Life success. Yes! I tell parents and educators all the time that the purpose of school is not to prepare children for more school. It’s to prepare them for life. A good life. A fulfilling life. A life of meaning and contribution.
Dr Kathy Koch 8 Great Smarts
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