Hi. My name is De Ann Moore and I am average.
What is average? Average is right in the middle. It means I am just a normal person with normal abilities. So why is that so depressing. I live a world where I am told that I need to be special. I need to be the favorite friend, daughter, worker, and teacher. What happens to all the other people if I became the best or above average? It would put people under me. It makes me better than other people. How is that healthy? Since when does that make me better?
From my experience, I have more respect for the person that has all odds against him or her and he or she beats it anyway. I have a student this year that I am in the process of referring for Special Education. He struggles in math and reading. He is way below average. I have been working with him daily and watch as he works his way through tough math equations. He has to put in three times the amount of effort of the rest of the class. And yet, he has surpassed many students that do not put any effort into their work. He probably looks at everyone in the class and thinks he is not very smart. In my eyes, he is one of the most deserving students in the class. He may never score very well on tests. He may always struggle in school. But he has learned to give everything he has and then some.
I am reminded of people on my mission to Germany. There was one family in particular that was willing to change their entire lives to live the gospel. They had to get rid of all their old habits and replace them with better habits. They put forth effort to grow closer to God. I look at them and think they have far surpassed people that have been members their whole life and have never had to make major changes. Yet the world would still say they are not as great as the later.
What it comes down to is effort. How much effort does one have to put into something to be successful? If I were given the power to choose who was above average, who was average, and who was below average, my world would be different. The people who would deserve respect would be the hardest workers. People would be recognized for how they respond to challenges. But for right now, I am average.
What is average? Average is right in the middle. It means I am just a normal person with normal abilities. So why is that so depressing. I live a world where I am told that I need to be special. I need to be the favorite friend, daughter, worker, and teacher. What happens to all the other people if I became the best or above average? It would put people under me. It makes me better than other people. How is that healthy? Since when does that make me better?
From my experience, I have more respect for the person that has all odds against him or her and he or she beats it anyway. I have a student this year that I am in the process of referring for Special Education. He struggles in math and reading. He is way below average. I have been working with him daily and watch as he works his way through tough math equations. He has to put in three times the amount of effort of the rest of the class. And yet, he has surpassed many students that do not put any effort into their work. He probably looks at everyone in the class and thinks he is not very smart. In my eyes, he is one of the most deserving students in the class. He may never score very well on tests. He may always struggle in school. But he has learned to give everything he has and then some.
I am reminded of people on my mission to Germany. There was one family in particular that was willing to change their entire lives to live the gospel. They had to get rid of all their old habits and replace them with better habits. They put forth effort to grow closer to God. I look at them and think they have far surpassed people that have been members their whole life and have never had to make major changes. Yet the world would still say they are not as great as the later.
What it comes down to is effort. How much effort does one have to put into something to be successful? If I were given the power to choose who was above average, who was average, and who was below average, my world would be different. The people who would deserve respect would be the hardest workers. People would be recognized for how they respond to challenges. But for right now, I am average.
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