Everyone Is Different and Learns Differently!

A teacher was once asked to decide which animal was the best in the world. To be fair, the teacher chose ten different animals and said: 

“To test you equally, you must all take the same test. Climb that tree!”

• The monkey climbed the tree skillfully and got a 10.
• The cat climbed well but was too afraid to come down a 9.
• The bear climbed slowly and with effort a 8.
• The bird flew into the tree, but flying wasn’t climbing a 7.
• The snail crawled all the way up, but it took too long a 6.
• The giraffe stuck its head into the tree but couldn’t climb a 5.
• The mole dug under the treea a 4.
• The dog jumped at the tree but didn’t get in a 3.
• The donkey didn’t know what to do and walked around the tree a 2.
• Last was the fish. He didn’t dare leave his bowl afraid he’d die. He did nothing and got a 1.

“The monkey is the best, and the fish is the worst,” the teacher concluded.

Ten animals were all given the same test: climb a tree. Naturally, the monkey excelled, and the fish failed. Though the test seemed fair, it ignored the fact that each animal has unique abilities. In the end, the fish was left feeling worthless even though he simply wasn't made to climb.

Food for thought

The teacher believed the test was fair because everyone took the same exam. But is equal treatment always fair treatment? The fish spent the rest of his life sad and insecure.

• Why do you think that happened?
• What kind of test would the fish have scored a 10 on?

Tests and grades are tools to measure progress in a specific area. They don’t measure your worth as a person. Comparing grades can cause pain and being unkind about someone’s score is its own kind of failure. If everyone is different and learns differently, can we truly test people fairly in school, in sports, at work? 
“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”
often attributed to Albert Einstein