Chapter 5 - Mind and Brain

The brain indeed is a remarkable organ. It is able to change depending on certain conditions; it is able to get rid of connections that it doesn't think it needs. What is most amazing to me is that this seems to happen early on a person's life.

I read somewhere (I can't remember the article for the life of me) that the reason why the Michael Jordans and Tiger Woodses of this world are so good is because they were trained since childhood to excel in their field. They had the advantage of training early on when their brains are receptive and neurons could wire and rewire at will. In other words, if I suddenly took up tennis now, the odds of me challenging any one of the Williams sisters is close to nil.

Which is why I take my hats off to early childhood and elementary teachers. For me, they are one of the most important people in education; they teach during the early, formative years of a child's life. They can turn a child on (or off) to learning.

I now take this opportunity to thank all my elementary teachers: Mmes. Reyes, Ribay, Policarpio, Leopando, Redoble, Gliponeo, Yambao. (I still remember their names!) I hope I can be as good a teacher as they were to me.