Here is what Abraham Lincoln can Teach us about Education Today

• “Abraham Lincoln is my name. And with my pen I wrote the same I wrote in both hast[e] and speed and left it here for fools to read.” (Donald, 30)

16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln

• We all admire the traits of President Abraham Lincoln, but there is one trait that we all should admire and that is Lincolns pursuit of knowledge and self-education.

1. See, Abraham Lincoln was born in a log-cabin in a remote place in Hardin County, Kentucky. Growing up in Kentucky the next school was 4 miles away so Lincoln could not attend school regularly, nor did he got formal education for more than one year.

• But that did not hinder Lincoln for his pursuit of knowledge. Few of us could ever begin to compare ourselves to this strange and great leader, who stood tall at 6’4, was at times a gaunt 35 pounds underweight, with ears and a nose too big for his head and with an always tired-looking face.

The odds were against him.

Lincoln Memorial

Don’t limit yourself by birth

• There was a scarcity of books in his frontier where Lincoln once lived. So he focused on the two books he could find: the Bible and Shakespeare he read and reread books slowly and carefully, reading out loud was a habit of his.

1. Lincoln once walked 6 miles just to get a copy of an english grammar book, because he was interested on improving his english.

Don’t wait for people to teach for you

• We tend to think of Lincoln as an iconic public speaker. But out of the 100 public speeches he gave, two are most remembered. His Second Inaugural and the Gettysburg Address. The power and impact of these speeches have become the standard of language and leadership.

1. Lincoln wrote the speeches himself in his own hand. He edited the last one on his way to the battleground in Pennsylvania, and then changed it again during the night he spent in a house near where he would deliver one of the greatest speeches ever given.

Don’t be influenced by the mass popularity

• Most people want to be liked, but the ones who typically achieve great heights are either loners or not popular. Lincoln was not a total loner nor not popular. He was actually kindly dispositioned.

1. And yet every weekend he rode alone, accompanied by one trooper, out to his country retreat on the outskirts of the Capital. There he found relief from the heat and from the people who were allowed to sleep on the floors and at the doorways of The White House.

• Even the night of the great northern victory he turned away crowds of well-wishers who came to implore him to speak. He would do that when he was ready and confident in his message.

Lincoln was willing to stand alone.

Don’t stop learning

• “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”- Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address

• His humility and willingness to change, learn, moderate and grow have contributed to his success. He became a better commander in chief, he gained confidence, he improved his speech skills, all while on the job.

1. It would be a mistake to assume that he came to it with everything he needed. Leaders today should aspire to this kind of constant growth.

• We live in the best times today, as well as in the weirdest times today. We as the people have to think and shape the economy of the future. We need an aggressive workforce built of lifelong learners, like Abraham Lincoln, to work in our rapidly changing world.

1. So, the next time someone tells you that you need fancy credentials to be an educated, successful individual, tell them about Abraham Lincoln.

Business

Abrahamlincoln

Education

Selfeducated

Leadership