Another Lesson in Education from Dr. Seuss: Horton Hears A Who

"A person's a person no matter how small" is the theme of Horton Hears a Who. I love the image of this huge elephant with a small weed in his trunk listening to the sound of the Whos. As educators, there are many connections we can make with this story. Here are a few of the ones I saw:

• Be Horton. I have a 76 year old aunt that to this day insists she is a horrible speller. Why? Because her elementary teacher once told her she would never learn to spell. My husband never learned to write in cursive because his 4th grade teacher gave him an F in handwriting and told him he was a failure. Those singular moments had a lasting effect on those two elementary students. It doesn't matter how much knowledge I have about best educational practices if I do not impart it in a way that resounds with the message: "You have value".  Our students need to know we believe in them.  Be Horton. Have eyes that see and ears that hear. See value and potential in every student you serve and then be willing to do whatever it takes to protect and nurture that potential.  
• Be the mayor of Whoville. The mayor of Whoville took it upon himself to motivate every one of his constituents to make their voices heard. No one was allowed to be a shirker. When he found Jo-Jo shirking his duties, he didn't cast him aside as a no good, lazy who. Instead he told Jo-Jo, "Your voice counts" . As educators, we must strive to inspire the shirkers, and join  them as they climb toward success. 
• Never underestimate the power of one small, extra Yopp! "Their world was saved by the Smallest of All!" At my school, I often pray for my students to grow to be "mighty men and women of God who make the world a better place". I believe they will all contribute mightily to this world regardless of their reading level, standardized test scores, or report card grade. Those are indicators of mastery of grade level content. They are not predictors of effectiveness. In fact, every person in my school is impactful. Whether they are a giant elephant or a tiny who, no one escapes the destiny of leaving a mark on this world. 

 Those were a few of my thoughts. What lessons for educators do you see in "Horton Hears a Who"?