The Wisdom of Duke Ellington

One of my online homework assignments for 8^thgrade is to choose one Duke Ellington quote from a list I compiled. The first one I got back was this:

“Anytime you have a problem, you have an opportunity.”

The student wrote:

“I like this quote from Duke Ellington because it is very relatable. I think if everyone heard this quote, when people come across small or big problems, there would be more of an area to grow and think in different ways than before…”

Another student chose the same quote and wrote: 

“Every time you have a problem, you have a few options. You can either give up on solving the problem or let it affect you, or, you can take the opportunity to be resisilient and make the most out of the situation. Oftentimes, when you don’t give up and find some way to overcome the problem, you end up learning a valuable lesson. So in the end, every time you are faced with a problem, take the opportunity to make something great out of it. “

Perhaps I should have titled this:The Wisdom of 8^thGraders. The virus is shouting at us—

“ Grow! Think in different ways than before! The same-old us-against-them is not working. Here’s your opportunity to change it! Make something great out of it!”

I don’t know about you, but I needed these timely reminders from my wise 8^thgraders.