100 Multicultural Proverbs: Inspirational Affirmations for Educators

"Obiakor poignantly bestows upon us the infinite wisdom of culturally diverse peoples that has been passed down from generation to generation. At the same time, he provides interpretations that challenge us to rethink traditional school leadership and teaching styles in ways that lead to transformed educational practices for all learners-adults and children alike-in an age of accountability and reform." -Stanley C. Trent, Associate Professor of Special Education University of Virginia Traditional wisdom to inspire and enrich your teaching and leadership! This thought-provoking book presents wise sayings from different continents, countries, tribes, and religions-proverbs that have had a historical impact on the building of communities and that continue to influence present-day events. Believing that the complexity of the world's problems calls for new ways of thinking, discussing, sharing, teaching, and learning, the author focuses on the implications that these proverbs have for interpersonal communication and cooperation in today's society. Ideal for teachers and administrators, this illuminating text offers thoughtful reflection about: Self-responsibility Collaboration and consultation Spirituality General life lessons

Table of Contents:
Foreword Preface Acknowledgements About the Author 1. Proverbs That Teach Self-Responsibility Proverb #1: If Everyone Loves You, You Will Not Know Who Poisoned You Proverb #2: If You Tell a Tree that You Will Kill It... Proverb #3: The Rat That Joins the Lizard to Get Wet in the Rain... Proverb #4: What You’re Looking for Is What You Will Get Proverb #5: What a Person Does Is in His Heart Proverb #6: If You’ve Not Reached Where You’re Going, You Should Keep Going Proverb #7: Eneke the Bird Noted That Since Men Have Learned to... Proverb #8: Your Intelligence Is Your Handbag, and You Carry It... Proverb #9: When a Young Man Washes His Hands Properly... Proverb #10: The Lizard That Fell From the Iroko Tree Said That If... Proverb #11:The Person Who Blows the Flute Must Sometimes Wipe His Mouth Proverb #12:The Dog Does Not Chew the Bone That Is Hanging Around Its Neck Proverb #13: If You Do Not Allow People to Know What Your Size... Proverb #14: If You Pull a Tree and It Pulls You Back, You Should Leave it Alone Proverb #15: If One Is Not Careful, What Destroyed His Father Might Destroy Him Proverb #16: As You Make Your Bed so Will You Lie on It Proverb #17: If You Try to Wrestle Down Your Father, His Wrapper Will Cover Your Eyes Proverb #18: When You Chew the Dried Meat, it Fills Up Your Mouth Proverb #19: You Can Cry All You Want, But You Cannot Cry Out Blood Proverb #20: Where You Live Is Where You Protect Proverb #21: Money Is the Beauty of a Man Proverb #22: It Is Not the Load That Breaks Us Down; It Is the Way We Carry It Proverb #23: A Good Name Shines in the Dark Proverb #24: A Person Who Does Not Concede Defeat Is Not a Good Sport Proverb #25: A Person Who Praises the Rain Has Been Rained On 2. Proverbs That Teach Collaboration and Consultation Proverb #1: Life Is in the Ears Proverb #2: To Come and Eat Is Not to Come and Work! Proverb #3: A Tree Cannot Make a Forest Proverb #4: When Mother Cow Is Chewing Grass, the Younger Ones Look at Her Mouth Proverb #5: It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child Proverb #6: When You Wrestle Someone to the Ground, You Also... Proverb #7: A Fool Does Not Know That His Brother or Sister Is a Visitor Proverb #8: The Fly Without an Advisor Follows the Dead Body Into the Grave Proverb #9: A Gathering of Kinsmen and Kinswomen Is an... Proverb #10: When Two Elephants Fight, Grasses Suffer Proverb #11: Laughter Is Just a Matter of Moving Back the Cheek Proverb #12: A Good Friend Is Better Than a Bad Family Member Proverb #13: The Tiger’s Cub Does Not Chew Grass Proverb #14: If You Give Your Mother a Counterfeit Money, You... Proverb #15: The Person Who Sits Next to Someone Can Easily Smell His Mouth Proverb #16: The Knife and the Axe Do Not Compete Proverb #17: You Cannot Climb a Tree Without Support Proverb #18: Let the Kite and the Eagle Perch and Whichever One... Proverb #19: The Crazy Person and His Mind Understand Proverb #20: In My Poverty, Let Not Poverty Befall the Person Who... Proverb #21: The Child’s Home, Even If It Is Trashy, Is Always a Palace Away From Home Proverb #22: The Rooster Does Not Forget Who Plucked Its Feathers... Proverb #23: When the Moon Is Shining, a Person With a Physical... Proverb #24: When a Child Is Tired of Working, He Resorts to Fighting Proverb #25: When You Dig a Ditch for Others, You Might Fall in It 3: Proverbs That Teach Spirituality Proverb #1: If You’re Eating With the Devil, You Must Use a Long Spoon Proverb #2: If You Fall Down and Do Not Stand Up, Evil Will Take Over Proverb #3: God Does Not Give You a Load That You Cannot Carry Proverb #4: Evildoers Are Usually Pursued By Their Own Shadows Proverb #5: Do Not Put Yourself Where Your Faith Will Fail You Proverb #6: I Am Holding My Staff and You Are Holding Your... Proverb #7: The Toughest Head Carries the Masquerade Proverb #8: Let’s Continue to Sacrifice and Let the Blame Go to the Gods Proverb #9: God Gives and God Takes Proverb #10: If You Are Better Than Someone, You Might Be Better... Proverb #11: No Person Is God Proverb #12: God Knows the Heart of Everyone Proverb #13: The Same Mother Delivers the Children, but the Same... Proverb #14: When You Believe, Your God Will Believe Proverb #15: God’s Time Is The Best Proverb #16: You Can Never Become Someone Else’s God Proverb #17: The Opportunity That God Sends Does Not Wake Up... Proverb #18: Everyone Has His/Her Own God Proverb #19: There Is No Partnership Between Good and Evil Proverb #20: A Person Who Ridicules Good Will Become Overtaken by Evil Proverb #21: The Fear of God Is Not Based on What We Wear Proverb #22: A Person Who Trusts in God Lacks Nothing Proverb #23: A Witch Doctor Does Not Cure Himself Proverb #24: Where There Are Many People, There God Is Proverb #25: The Veil Spirit of a Person Is a Person 4. Proverbs That Teach Other Life Lessons Proverb #1: Nights Have Ears Proverb #2: As Much as You Love Your Husband, You Will Not Want to be Buried Alive With Him Proverb #3: When a Poor Person Is Told What It Takes to Be Rich... Proverb #4: The Frog Does Not Come Out in the Daytime for Nothing Proverb #5: A Traveler Is More Knowledgeable Than an Aged Person Proverb #6: The Dying Dog Does Not Smell the Bad Odor Proverb #7: We Never Go Back to Yesterday Proverb #8: Patience Is King Proverb #9: You Do Not Tell the Deaf Person That... Proverb #10: The Hot Soup Is Usually Licked Slowly Proverb #11: When the Wind Blows, You See the Chicken’s Buttocks Proverb #12: Truth Is Life Proverb #13: Soiled Hands Lead to the Oily Mouth Proverb #14: The Patient Person Eats the Best Part of the Fish Proverb #15: All Lizards Are Lying on Their Stomachs, and... Proverb #16: When the Child’s Sore Is Healed, He Tends to Forget the Pain Proverb #17: A Child Must Crawl Before Walking Proverb #18: The Look of a Child Determines If You Will Take Food From Him Proverb #19: It Does Not Matter How Bad the Yam Is; It Is Still... Proverb #20: When Dried Bones Are Mentioned, Old People Feel Uneasy Proverb #21: A Person Who Is Already on the Floor Does Not... Proverb #22: Tomorrow Is Pregnant; No One Knows What It Might Deliver Proverb #23: There Is No Use for a Dry Porridge Proverb #24: As the Cow Gets Older, Its Nostrils Get Bigger Proverb #25: Anything With a Beginning Must Have an End Afterword

About the Author :
Festus E. Obiakor, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Manager, Sunny Educational Consulting, Shorewood, Wisconsin. He has served as Department Head and Professor, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia and The City College of New York, New York. A teacher, scholar, leader, and consultant, he has served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at a variety of universities. He is the author of more than 150 publications, including books, articles, and commentaries; and he has presented papers at many national and international conferences. He serves on the editorial boards of reputable nationally and internationally refereed journals, including Multicultural Learning and Teaching (MLT) in which he serves as Executive Editor. Dr. Obiakor is a leader who has been involved in many landmark scholarly works in the fields of general and special education, with particular focus on African American and other culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners and he continues to prescribe multidimensional methods of assessment, teaching, and intervention for these individuals. Based on this premise, Dr. Obiakor created the Comprehensive Support Model (CSM), an intervention model that values the collaborative, consultative, and cooperative energies of students, families, teachers/service providers, communities, and government agencies.

Review :
"A rich, lively, and positive commentary on our global cultures. Obiakor′s selection of proverbs and the conceptual framework for the book is, to say the least, powerful. Equally impressive and effective are his brief interpretations and prescriptions for the appropriate use of these proverbs for those involved in education, leadership, and service provision." "Obiakor poignantly bestows upon us the infinite wisdom of culturally diverse peoples that has been passed down from generation to generation. At the same time, he provides interpretations that challenge us to rethink traditional school leadership and teaching styles in ways that lead to transformed educational practices for all learners—adults and children alike—in an age of accountability and reform." "Obiakor’s interpretations of the proverbs challenge the ordinary mind to shift paradigms and power and expand our imaginations to use real principles to solve real problems. In addition, his interpretations uniquely touch on all facets of life and challenge educators and leaders to do the right thing." "Teachers and administrators will find it a fine collection useful as a starting point for explorations of other cultures."