You Are Unique - Part 1

Wow, I it is hard to believe a week has gone by since my last post. Sorry I have been a bit scarce. I have been incredibly busy sending out resumes and studying technical books in order to refresh my memory. I am just now coming up for air. One of my cousins and her husband are coming in from out of town to see my dad this weekend and they are staying with us, so I'd better write now while I have the chance.

As you can probably guess, I have been doing much introspection lately and one thing on my mind is something I learned as a teacher. We had to go to several professional development seminars and there is one I remember in particular. I had learned about this in an educational psychology class as a music education major, but I had never taken the test. The seminar was basically proving the point that we should not "pigeon-hole" people as being "smart" or not. Doing so is a mistake and will alienate some students while giving others an attitude of superiority. The seminar was about the theory of multiple intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner in his book "Frames of Mind" published in 1983. He believes there are seven (eighth was added later) intelligences that people can possess in varying degrees. They are:

Linguistic intelligence
Logical-mathematical intelligence
Musical intelligence
Spatial intelligence
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
Interpersonal intelligence
Intrapersonal intelligence
Naturalistic intelligence

Here's an example. I have to admit that I really like Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter). If I were stuck deep in the Australian bush country I would want him to escort me out. Offer me the best brain surgeon in the world or the best software engineer in the world, I'd still prefer Steve. I think he is a genius in his niche. However, if I needed brain surgery, I would go with the brain surgeon. No offense Steve, but to hear you say, "Just cut his skull right there, mate" would be very scary.

There are links at the bottom of this post if you'd like to explore this more. The last link is a test you can take to see how you score in each area. I guess this is on my mind because I am of the opinion that if you are good at something you will enjoy doing it. I also believe God's plan for our lives will involve each and every talent and ability that He has given us. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean all those will be wrapped up in our "job". For example, my Interpersonal Intelligence is definitely not exercised when I stare at a computer screen all day, but it can be utilized with volunteer work and contacting people who God puts on my heart. It also doesn't mean that our talents and abilities will be used in the same season of our life. It's up to us to seek God in order for us to find the right combination and the right timing.

http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr054.shtml
http://www.edwebproject.org/edref.mi.intro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences
http://www.accelerated-learning.net/multiple.htm

Click the link below to take the test:
http://www.accelerated-learning.net/learning_test.html