What do we teach our children? . . . We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique . . . You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything.
My education commitment is simple. I believe that every child is unique. Im going to work as hard as I know how, and Im going to ask each of you to help me to offer all Tennessee children the education they need to energize their God-given talents to take them as far as they can go.
The thing with kids is that you only get one chance to do it right. It's really important to share their gifts while they're discovering them. That's why spelling bees are such a compelling story. They stimulate them intellectually, they awaken their competitive spirit, but it's fun. There's something fun about words.
We should spend less time ranking children and more time helping them to identify their natural competencies and gifts, and cultivate those.
Bindi's really, you know, got her own goals and aspirations, and if I can nurture what Bindi loves, then I think I'm being a good parent. Because Bindi's got a natural love for wildlife, I think that will be part of what we're nurturing.
Real education has to draw out the best from the boys and girls to be educated.
God has given us these talents and we want to pass on our best.
