Marva Collins Children Quotations

Teaching children to read was one thing; keeping them interested in reading was something else.

I got so tired of hearing those proverbs when I was a child. Now I use them all the time. Sometimes they are the best way to say what needs to be said. I teach them to my students. I have a collection of proverbs for class discussion and writing assignments.

None of you has ever failed. School may have failed you. Goodbye to failure, children. Welcome to success.

Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind.

There is a brilliant child locked inside every student.

An error means a child needs help, not a reprimand or ridicule for doing something wrong.

I'm a teacher. A teacher is someone who leads. There is no magic here. I do not walk on water. I do not part the sea. I just love children.

Kids don't fail. Teachers fail, school systems fail. The people who teach children that they are failures, they are the problem.

Students do not need to be labeled or measured any more than they are. They don't need more Federal funds, grants, and gimmicks. What they need from us is common sense, dedication, and bright, energetic teachers who believe that all children are achievers and who take personally the failure of any one child.

Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another.