Are you smart or dumb?

After reading chapter 4 of "Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse OR The First Year of Teaching" I have come to an amazing realization about categorizing people as either smart or dumb. Smart and dumb are definitions placed on students based on if they do or do not learn the way classrooms teach. Each student learns in their own, unique way. To base our opinion of a student and their learning ability on if they're able to learn in a specific way is to disregard all of the "Albert Einsteins" in a class. We need to be able to adapt our teaching style and classroom to each student. We also need to ensure that we create an environment that excites students, allows them to learn, but also allows students to figure out how they best learn and use their unique learning style to their advantage. In this way, each student is able to be "smart" because they are creating a learning experience catered to who they are as a unique individual with a unique set of talents and abilities. Goodbye smart or dumb, hello smart AND unique.