Path to Greatness
How wise teachers and smart children helped create The Path to Greatness
“They changed the education system about four times and each time they threw the baby out with the bathwater.”
— 50-year veteran teacher interviewed by Tony Williams
A Bird’s Eye View
As Tony toured schools, he realized he had been granted a unique opportunity - a bird’s eye view of education. He became curious. He looked, asked a lot of questions and listened. Visiting over 700 schools gave him a wide variety of experiences, from talking with the best teachers to going to the worst schools.
The Worst School
“This is the worst school I have been to. The children attack me, but not in the way you are thinking.
They are so undervalued that they are desperate to help me. They manhandle a table from another room to display my books on. I agree with their every suggestion and they immediately scurry around doing it. They’d repaint the whole hall if I asked them to.
One of them is like a little bantam chicken, elbows thrust out, a determined look on his face, trying to compensate for something lacking in his life. He has a disagreement with a bigger, older boy who has elected himself as my chief helper and they snap at each other like dogs. The older boy is obviously the top dog and I consider intervening, but decide not to.
The image of my little bantam remains with me still. I wonder how his life has turned out. Good or bad? I have no idea. I must do something to help him and others like him.”
Arming People with Knowledge
One day, Tony was doing a live phone interview for one of his non-fiction books with a country radio station when the enthusiastic young host suddenly interrupted him, ‘I know what you do! You arm people with knowledge!’
Tony realized he was right. What was needed was for him to use his skills to write books so simple that any child anywhere could get the basics of an education that would enable them to live a successful life.
Upbringing
One veteran teacher told Tony some children were coming to school unprepared to learn because parents were not teaching them fundamentals like their colors.
Another veteran teacher told Tony the saying, ‘Show me the child of 7 and I’ll show you the man.’
Tony realized that education had to include upbringing.
Master
About 15 years into his educational odyssey, Tony realized one day, ‘Birth to adulthood is such a rocket ride of learning, why should it ever stop?’
What are the learning goals of an adult? Tony was member of a library that gave him access to over 4 million books. He read hundreds of biographies of successful people and he came up with two goals of adulthood.
Master and Greatness.
Legend
Tony put all these steps together and presented the Path to Greatness to the 10 and 11-year old students of a school he was visiting. They told him a final step was needed - Legend.
The Path to Greatness
Everybody is on the Path to Greatness. This is the path of a life.
Ages given are rough guides. Age is no barrier. Your potential is infinite.
0. Born 0.1
The first step is to be born. Everyone does that!
1. Baby 1-12 months
A baby starts to learn by looking and comparing.
2. Toddler 1-3
Now the child is walking, talking and investigating.
3. Infant 4-5
Physical and Communication abilities increase.
4. Reader 5-8
Learns to read and handle numbers; the 3 R’s – reading, ’riting, ’rithmetic.
5. Vocabulary 8+
Increases vocabulary and masters language.
6. Knowledge.
Acquires main branches of knowledge: history, science, math etc.
7. Competence.
Can confidently do many activities well.
8. Expression.
Using knowledge and language, can express self, and can announce vocation.
9. Vocation
Knows their vocation and starts to prepare for it (this can occur at an any age).
10. Opportunity
Gets a studying and/or working opportunity in the field of their vocation.
11. Apprenticeship
Works under the tutelage of a master(s) in their vocation
12. Craft
By learning, application and experience, acquires the skills of their vocation (trade, profession).
13. Master
Continuing to work and learn, they become a master.
14. Leader
Continued learning and mastery puts them in a position of leadership.
15. Greatness
They use leadership to constructively influence the lives of many.
16. Legend
Magnus Animus (Great Spirit) Of great benefit to others (Mandela, Gandhi etc.)
Vocation
The mid-point of The Path to Greatness is Point 9 Vocation, a person’s true calling in life. What they really want to do. What they’d do for nothing, except they acquire enough knowledge and skills so they get paid for it. If a person does not have a vocation, they end up with a ‘job’ and according to survey about 50% of people hate their jobs. So vocation is key to happiness, wealth and going on to achieve greatness.
Greatness
You have greatness inside you.
Every journey starts with the first step.
Take it on the path to your greatness.
Get the knowledge.
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