"He who seeks the Queen of all Knowledge, speak and be recognized."

Recently, I finished watching season 1 of Criminal Minds.  Today's quote comes from the show and is said by the technical analysis, Penelope Garcia.

The first season was fantastic! I had seen episodes of the show here and there and then decided that I wanted to get the entire back story on all of the characters.  So far, I haven't learned very much about them, but I am hoping to in season 2.

Dr. Spencer Reid played by Matthew Gray Gubler

My favorite character on the show would have to be Reid (pictured above).  His ability to recall countless facts, that he often spouts randomly makes him very dorkable.  I love that he graduated from high school at the age of 12 and that he is extremely devoted to his schizophrenic mother.

One of my favorite aspects of the show is how at the beginning and end of each episode, one of the title characters gives us a quote to ponder.  Although the quotes are related to the episode you are watching, they also make you think.  I especially enjoy the following quote:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge.  Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world" - Albert Einstein

Now, the teacher in me couldn't resist commenting about the quote above.  I believe that Einstein's words of wisdom should be ingrained in every educator's mind.  It is definitely important for children to develop their knowledge in school.  However, I also believe that how far a child can stretch their imagination better demonstrates a child's intelligence.  You can know a lot of things about mathematics, history, language, and so forth, but it is imagination that leads us to new knowledge.  The definition of imagine from dictionary.com is to "form mental images of things not present to the senses; to suppose; to think; to conjecture." Teachers must encourage and foster a sense of imagination in their students so that children can discover new information about the world.  Imagination helps us think up new, creative ideas and can help develop a child's mind.  Let me share with you a quote by L.S. Vygotsky, an educational theorist.

"We already said that when in the process of understanding or in the process of practical activity the creation of something new is necessary, perhaps a new concrete construction, a new image of reality, the creation of a new idea, then on the first level appears fantasy as a basic function. With the help of fantasy not only artistic works are created but also all scientific inventions, all technical constructions. Fantasy is one of the manifestations of human creative activity, and specifically in adolescence, converging with thinking in concepts, it receives a broader development in this objective aspect."

Vygotsky, L.S. (1931) "Imagination and Creativity in the Adolescent", 

Chapter 12 in The Pedology of the Adolescent from Volume 4 of the 

Collected Works of L.S. Vygotsky. Moscow: Pedagogika, 1984).

Now I sound like Reid, haha. But in all seriousness, Vygotsky states the importance of imagination more eloquently than I ever could.  In order to help our students unlock new knowledge, we must stimulate their imagination.

Okay, I'm done with my yammer-fest about imagination, haha. Back to Criminal Minds.  I really enjoy this show and look forward to the episodes ahead.  My goal is to get through all seven seasons before season eight comes out in September.