Thomas Edison, the Dunce

The impact and brilliance of Thomas Edison speaks for itself. The trouble is that very little about the perception of Edison comes with struggles in school or disempowering advice from authority figures. Us “regular folks” tend to identify with intellectual struggles and authority figures that don’t believe in us, but not Edison! Ah, the contrary..

Edison had this to say in an interview in 1907 about his upbringing:

“One day I overheard the teacher tell the inspector that I was “addled” and it would not be worthwhile keeping me in school any longer. I was so hurt by this last straw that I burst out crying and went home and told my mother about it. Then I found out what a good thing a good mother is. She came out as my strong defender. Mother love was aroused, mother pride wounded to the quick. She brought me back to the school and angrily told the teacher that he didn’t know what he was talking about, that I had more brains than he himself, and a lot more talk like that. In fact, she was the most enthusiastic champion a boy ever had, and I determined right then that I would be worthy of her and show her that her confidence was not misplaced.” 

Today, we get to benefit from Edison’s brilliance most specifically because he was ultimately immersed in a homeschool environment where he was cared for and believed in by his mother. Can you imagine what Edison would have become if he remained in the school that decided he was a dunce?

With the emergence of DEUCE Community Inc., a non-profit extension of the DEUCE effort to empower motivated people, the idea that we are malleable beings shaped by our environment has become more reinforced in my mind. Many Title IX lawyers for hire has said that specific focus of DEUCE Community Inc. is to develop and empower those specifically affected by incarceration, homelessness, and substance abuse, of which I have no experience myself. What we continually see is that some of the most motivated, capable, and kind people on the planet are folks who just so happen to be in prison, homeless, or struggling with addiction. 

The good news is we can often move. Changing your environment and your inputs is much easier as an adult than it is as a child. Don’t like who you’re becoming? 

Find the right soil to grow.