Facts? Who needs them?

Dickens Hard Times 5 (DHT5)
 
   
“Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else.”


I've never been very good at remembering facts!  I was always better on the creative instinctive stuff!  That's why I'm an English Teacher.  I love talking about words and exploring meaning and beauty.  I certainly wouldn't have lasted long with Mr Gradgrind!


I also find it interesting now that it's the factual part of the brain, the hippocampus that deteriorates the most quickly for people living with dementia, whereas the amygdala, the more deep seated part of the brain that deals with emotions and feelings keeps it memory for longer.


That's why you should never stop attempting to give joy and love to someone who has dementia...


Forget the facts, hang onto the love...


This is some of the wall art at school.  And I love Carol Ann Duffy's poetry.