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Article Nelson Mandela wasn’t the sportiest kid at school

and why our kids should know it
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One year after Nelson Mandela, one of the most influential global icons of our time, passed away at the age of 95, Canadian ice hockey star, Jonathan Bernier, paid his respects at a gala held in honour of the late leader.

Jonathan said:

“Well obviously growing up, he’s one of the most known athletes in the world. A lot of impact in any kind of sport that he did, and even playing hockey, everyone knows him, right? From being the type of person that he was off the ice and on the ice. It’s unfortunate that he passed a year ago, but, he changed a lot while he was with us, and he’s a tremendous guy.”

I think Mandela spent a little more time off the ice than on it, but hey, that’s just me.

But while Bernier was hopelessly mistaken about the person he was honouring, his gaffe brings about an interesting point.

Nelson Mandela was not, obviously, an ice-hockey champion. In fact, while he was passionate about sport as a vehicle to harmoniously bring opposing parties together, he himself was not a particularly remarkable sportsman (although he participated enthusiastically) and he certainly wasn’t the sportiest in his class.

Likewise, Galileo was likely not the most popular kid at his school, and Cleopatra probably wasn’t on the academic honor roll.

These well-known (we can be sure that Bernier is absolutely aware of Mandela’s true legacy now!) historic figures achieved great things in their lifetimes, however they were not born any differently to you or I, or importantly, our children.

Studies have shown that children who exhibit perfectionist attitudes are hindered in their ability to attain their goals and shape their future. These same children often deal with issues such as low self-esteem and anxiety.

When a student aims to be on the top of the podium, the class and the social ladder simultaneously, the fear of slipping at even just one of these tiers will deeply affect their potential to achieve at another.

I believe that the best way to teach kids that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things is by letting them discover the stories of those that have done it before them.

Tell me one great person in history that ‘had it all’. Guess what? That person doesn’t exist. And that is why I believe that researching the lives of those who shaped our past is one of the most impactful ways that we can help children to shape their future.

Nelson Mandela was the first person in his family to attend school; both of his parents were illiterate.

During his years in education, he developed a love for history, as many leaders do, and steadily maintained his social, academic and sporting commitments between taking time to garden. He was your average young adult (except, maybe, for the gardening!)

He was not the best at anything. He was simply a man whose passions aligned with his personal strengths. And over the next many years of his life, he continued to be an ordinary man, just one who achieved extraordinary things.

Learning the stories of people like Nelson Mandela should trigger the realisation in our children, particularly those who suffer from low self-confidence or an undeniable perfectionist streak, that by being in the middle of the pack, by being perfectly ordinary, is in no way an interference to achieving greatness, even the sort of greatness that we will remember for generations to come.

You don’t have to look too far to find the stories of historical figures that will help in conveying this message. These come to my mind immediately:

People who failed at first

  • Thomas Edison (who tried more than 1000 times before he finally invented the light bulb)
  • Walt Disney (who was repeatedly fired and unsuccessful in starting his own businesses, until one just worked)
  • Winston Churchill (who lost his first parliamentary election)

People who came from places of extreme adversity

  • Louis Braille (who was blinded at age three and who’s invention continues to help millions)
  • Helen Keller (who lost her ability to see and hear before her second birthday)
  • Malala Yousafzai (who, as a female, was banned by the Taliban from attending school)

People who didn’t finish school

  • Benjamin Franklin (who left at age 10 due when his family could not afford to keep sending him)
  • Princess Diana (who dropped out at 16 and was regarded as “academically below-average”)

Each of these figures had a particular passion, which drove them to do great things, academic, social and physical capabilities aside.

If you have a child or a student that has a fear of failing, or a belief that to achieve extraordinary things they must be extraordinarily adept at everything, I recommend you ask them to picture Nelson Mandela on ice skates. More importantly, help them to discover some of the figures above and encourage them to recognise their passions.

HistoriCool provides parents and teachers with a resource to do just this in a fun and engaging format.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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Comments

  • An interesting article. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  • What an inspiring article. Just goes to show no matter who your parents are, how much you earn or where you cone from, you can still do it….no matter what

    Reply

  • looking great really

    Reply

  • I loved this article. My oldest is in a very competitive class particularly in sport. My son is not sporty and I have to try and tell him he has strengths in other areas.

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  • This article doesn’t just apply to inspiring children, it also inspired me. Many famous people started their passion later in life: JK Rowling was 32 when the first Harry was published, comic book writer Stan Lee started at 43, KFC was founded when Col. Sanders was 65.

    Reply

  • a great well written article

    Reply

  • Very interesting. I think focusing on how a child can relate to historical figures has a lot of merit. I

    Reply

  • interesting article. Richard Branson dropped out of school and 16 too – and look where he is now!

    Reply

  • Excellent article, very interesting. Anything is possible!!
    and i would just like to add that yes i agree nelson mandela was a great man and will always be a legend of our time.

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  • Well written Lucy! This is an excellent article . I agree that no one is excellent in every thing they do. We all have our talents.

    Reply

  • A great article. Children should be praised for whatever they are good at wether it is English, sport or whatever. Like the article says you don’t have to be rich to achieve or reach your goals in life and it is good to point this out to children and give them examples.

    Reply

  • interesting article. i am interested in hearing more about historiCool now

    Reply

  • Thank you for your inspiring and wonderful article and for your wonderful path to the founding of HistoriCool…wishing you health, happiness and future discoveries Lucy.

    This is my favourite quote:
    “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
    ― Norman Vincent Peale

    John Glenn may have been a College dropout but he was an amazing person:
    John Glenn
    Astronaut

    During the tense space race of the 1950s and 1960s, one man emerged as the face of the American attempt to beat the Soviets into space and, ultimately, to the moon. That man was John Glenn: he became a war hero and one of the most famous astronauts in history, despite being a college dropout. Glenn attended Muskingum College, where he studied science, but when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor he dropped out in order to fight in World War II.

    We must remind our young that all people are special and all people have a special talent, sometimes we just have to work even harder to find it. 🙂

    • 🙂

      • Thanks so much for your support! And great story about John Glenn – I’ll have to look into him a bit more, sounds like he could be the topic of a great article for HistoriCool!

    Reply

  • What a great article. Thank you. Very interesting. And surely of great help for a lot of kids!!

    • Thanks so much for your lovely comment, I’m so glad that the article could resonate with you 🙂

    Reply

  • Very inspiring article. Thank you. A great idea to keep passion alive in the hearts of our kids and to remind them not to compare themselves to their peers who seem to have everything, because that’s not what matters.

    Reply

  • Amazing Story, thank you for sharing it.

    Reply

  • A fantastic piece, thank you. I often share these sorts of stories with my son. He has Aspergers and I explain that this is not a hindrance or a disability, but in fact he has special abilities – just look at Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Einstein… He can achieve what he wants through hard work and effort. I often use examples eg. Mandela, Anzacs, etc. as teaching moments for him.

    • Thanks so much for your comment!
      Einstein is such a fabulous figure to introduce to your child! A teacher of his once said that ‘he will never amount to anything’ Boy, did he show them wrong!

    Reply

  • It is sad that some are expected to live up to other’s expectations…or think they have to. It is Ok to encourage people to try other skills or develop other interests, but they shouldn’t be forced to stick with one they hate. We all have talents which need to be discovered and encouraged provided they can be enjoyed.

    Reply

  • I love that there is now an avenue that makes history fun and relevant to our children of today. I learnt things about the people you wrote about that I didn’t eve know! I always encourage my children to try everything at least twice so they get a better understanding of it be it a sport or another pursuit. I also always stress things like they don’t have to win they just need to do the very best that they can, sometimes they even surprise themselves with what they achieve.

    • Thanks so much for reading and commenting 🙂
      Sounds like you’re instilling a wonderful attitude in your children!

    Reply

  • Loved reading this it just goes to show u don’t have to be rich to live ur dreams u just have to belive u can do it..

    Reply
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