We grow up thinking that the best answer is in someone else's brain. Much of our education is an elaborate game of 'guess what's in the teacher's head?' What the world really needs to know right now is what kind of dreams and ideas are in your head.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of individual thoughts and creativity over merely replicating others' ideas.
Roger Von Oech highlights the traditional approach to education, where students often feel they need to conform to their teachers' expectations rather than expressing their own unique ideas and dreams. He urges a shift in focus, advocating for the recognition and development of personal creativity and innovative thinking, which he believes are essential for societal progress.
In practice
A teacher might use this quote to inspire students to think outside the box in their projects.
If you fall in love with an idea, you won't see the merits of alternative approaches-and will probably miss an opportunity or two. One of life's great pleasures is letting go of a previously cherished idea. Then you're free to look for new ones. What part of your idea are you in love with? What would happen if you kissed it goodbye?
Take advantage of the ambiguity in the world. Look at something and think what else it might be.
Look for the second right answer.
It's easy to come up with new ideas; the hard part is letting go of what worked for you two years ago, but will soon be out-of-date.
Everyone has a 'risk muscle.' You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don't, it atrophies. Make a point of using it at least once a day.
My mother was a schoolteacher and very, very encouraging. She understood what it meant when I said I wanted to be a writer; both me and my brother wrote.
When you're young, you keep reading new writers and you keep changing your mind about how you ought to sound.
In an era ruled by materialism and unstable geopolitics, art must be restored to the center of public education.
We all know that there are these exemplars who can take the toughest students, and they'll teach them two-and-a-half years of math in a single year.
From the freedom to explore comes the joy of learning. From knowledge acquired by personal initiative arises the desire for more knowledge. And from mastery of the novel and beautiful world awaiting every child comes self-confidence.
The overwhelming number of teachers ...are unable to name or describe a theory of learning that underlies what they do.
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