Advertisement

When being remarkable is better than being excellent

This happened in 2013. I was voluntarily teaching a class of 70 students. They had come from Dzelukope R.C., where I was holding the classes, Vui Zion Basic, Tegbi Afedome, Tegbi E.P. and some other junior high schools.

I was teaching Mathematics for free, and this was after I had organized pep talks for the various schools on how to prepare for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations.

In one of our sessions, I gave a question which they all answered; some got it wrong, some got it right. Then I told the class that the people who got it wrong were in a more favourable position to benefit if I explain the question and answer further, and that I was happy they got it wrong. One sharp guy who got it correct (he’s now in his final year at Ashesi University) asked me why I said that. Why was I enthused about those who got the question wrong and somehow not appreciative of those who got it right?

The answer I attempted giving him, which he failed to appreciate at the time, is the subject matter of this post.

I personally find excellent results boring. Noticed some people sharing results slips of the National Science and Maths Quiz participants online sometime ago, and they all had 8A1s. I just rolled my eyes. Nothing impressive, really. They are obviously excellent students but there’s nothing impressive about their ability to memorize and regurgitate facts and figures—I have a machine that can do that—a Redmi 7A. 

But maybe that’s just me being biased because I wasn’t an excellent student. I graduated from Ketasco with A1 for Business Management, B2s for Accounting and Social Studies, B3 for Economics and English and C6s for Inter Science and Principles of Cost Accounting and wait for it—D7 for Mathematics at the first attempt. 

A friend, on the other hand, had 8A1s. He was excellent as his result slip states; I, on the other hand, have excellent, very good, good, credit, etc attached to mine. 

Remarkable, isn’t it? How did a guy who got A1 for BM and B2 for Accounting contrive to not get at least B3 for Science and a C4 for Mathematics? 

Worth making a remark about, isn’t it? Remarkable. 

My friend on the other hand got excellent throughout. Boring, Unremarkable. Special. We know. No story in there. I love stories.
 

All it shows is that he was a dedicated student; he read nothing save Business textbooks and missed no classes. 

I, however, missed a Maths class because I was engrossed in Joseph Campbell’s the Hero with a Thousand Faces which I found in some obscure corner of the Ketasco library, and then missed a science class because I couldn’t pull myself away from Oscar Wilde’s the Picture of Dorian Grey, and when the then Economics teacher, Mr. Azaletey, recently retired Assistant Headmaster for Academics, was teaching us and asked somebody to explain to him what “depression” was, nobody raised his or her hand. I did (and this was regular; anytime he asked a question nobody could answer I always came up with the answers, but I couldn’t get A1for Economics). 

I had a few days prior to the class listened to a BBC documentary on the US Recession of 2007-2009 and one of the economists being interviewed had made reference to the Great Depression of the 1930s. That’s how I got to know what “depression” meant. 

When I explained to Mr. Azaletey what “depression” was, he was surprised. He didn’t expect any of us to know what it entailed. I knew because I was remarkable, not excellent. I refused to be boxed into a business studies curriculum and read and studied anything that aroused my interest. Not a good strategy if you want to get 8A1s, but dead spot on if you want a complete, rounded education. 

Get my drift? Your son or daughter not performing excellently could be because she was chasing a more rounded, generalized education rather than trying to put in a specialists’ shift. 

And I personally prefer the first to the other. There’s something about failure—it’s humbling, teaching, builds you up, and makes you more appreciative of things. A guy who got straight A1s in senior high school is more likely to be very, very depressed and likely to commit suicide if he fails at the tertiary level than a guy who got B3s. 

The just-short-of-perfection people are also likelier to involve themselves in charitable causes that benefit others and the community than the straight A1s people. A1s people get serious jobs that make them seriously busy and incapable of doing anything else. 

Mr. 8A1s is currently busting his ass working in a high percentage company and is not able to see his children awake before setting off to navigate the tortuous traffic of Accra while I am free to do as I please and can afford to organize free Math classes for the underprivileged.
 

Here’s hoping that as soon as possible, my friend will make time during weekends to be teaching Maths to children in his locality or donate to my social entrepreneurship projects. 

NB: This is my 3rd post of the new year. 362 more upcoming. But I need a professional looking blog. Consider sponsoring me if you can. Thank you.
 
(Forgot to tell you that the Ashesi guy completed Ketasco with a remarkable result slip, not an excellent one!)

When being remarkable is better than being excellent

Please scroll down for comment(s) on this publication.
You may have to read this publication again; you may click here to see why.

Other very interesting publications are further below. Kindly share this publication, and scroll down for readers' comments and / or to comment...
Advertisement
Specially selected items from our online shop

When being remarkable is better than being excellent

DISCLAIMER

This publication was culled. And only uploaded to this platform, by…

David K Egyir

David K Egyir

EGYIR is passionate about helping serious people like you to escape the most dangerous — common but avoidable — problem most people (rich, poor, educated, uneducated, religious, and non-religious alike) face in life. Also, he designs and builds beautiful, cost-effective and functional buildings, and graphics. And he helps executives, marketers, and business owners to make effective presentations; what you may call winning presentations. He is an Architect, a Designer, and a Life Coach. And an Entrepreneur. Especially as a life-coach, he has been popularly adjudged the best coach for excelling in education, increasing wealth, eliminating stress, and enjoying true fulfillment in life! Egyir understands life thoroughly and shares amazingly liberating insights from a uniquely empowering perspective. He has a firm conviction that, “The greatest tragedy in life is that majority of people have accepted to be less than they were born to be and are thus accomplishing far less than their true capabilities.” To that end, he authored (wrote) Purpose Compass, the exceptional life-coaching book that reveals 4 habits that are currently making your life difficult, or otherwise may soon make your life difficult, but which your parent, teacher, or pastor would dare not talk about; how to escape them and get to live a stress-free life of purpose faster! And 13 other equally amazing books that constitute the Zing4Life! Series. Egyir is also lead promoter of the electronic, trendy and amazing Smart Business Card, the only business card you’ll ever need, for the executive in you! He is a husband, and a father of two. Positionally, he is the Lead Founder and CEO of Seers, Associate of Arthro Synergeio, Lay Preacher of The Methodist Church Ghana, Global Lead Advocate of Zing4Life! and Volunteer Mentor with iMentor Ghana. To see more about him you may click here. #WeAreSeers | To get in touch with Egyir or to follow him on social media you may click here. #EgyirGuidesDaily | To support his writing & life-coaching social ministry you may click here. #SeersFoundation | To be part of Egyir's live sessions online at 20.30 GMT on Sundays you may click here. #TimeWithSeers |

When being remarkable is better than being excellent

To comment you first have to log in below…

Leave a Reply

You may click the button below to send a message

Publications that are in the same category as the one above...

#SeersVoice

Most recent publications from our community members...

Provide the applicable details below and click the ‘Subscribe‘ button; that’s it. By the way, it’s FREE! And we do not spam; also, you can easily unsubscribe anytime…

We truly respect your privacy; you may click here to see our privacy policy

Already registered? Log in to dismiss this invite.
Not sure what registration is about? Click here.

Advertisement

When being remarkable is better than being excellent