It has been said: "Wisdom is rooted in the figurative". I need to write a short, one page essay on this. Explain what this might mean.

I'm not sure who actually said this - so we're working
without context here.  If I were explaining this quote without context - I would put it
in the context of something familiar - namely - my life.

As
a teacher, I've found that sometimes the most straight forward, step-by-step
explanations of lessons go in students right ears and directly out the left.  What often
seems easy to me makes no sense to my students.  More importantly, what I find important
is usually not so important to my students.  I have discovered that the key to effective
lessons - is making information relevant to students' lives.  And I do this through
analogies and, essentially, figurative stories.

OK - so I
understand that most students do not enjoy sitting down for 10 minutes every single day
and writing journal entries on prompts that may or may not be interesting to them.  Kids
who don't like to write especially loathe this activity.  So I have explained to them,
figuratively, that writing a 10 minute journal entry every day does to the brain what
taking a 10 minute jog every day does to the body.  Yes, when you are out of shape, it
hurts a little at first - and it isn't fun, and you might jog really slowly.  But the
more you do it, the easier it becomes, and the easier it becomes, the more enjoyable the
activity is.  And even if you aren't a runner, per se, but you are involved in other
sports, a 10 minute jog every single day is going to get your entire body in better
shape overall, thereby making you better at whatever sport you play.  It is the same way
with the 10 minute write.  Getting better at this exercise is going to increase your
overall ability to communicate - not just in writing and not just
in English class.

Kind of a long example - but what I'm
trying to say is that the above explanation WORKS.  Students get it.  And their
attitudes toward writing, slowly but surely, change.  In that, I have effectively proven
a little bit of my teaching "wisdom" through presenting a lesson in the
figurative.

Perhaps you can think of your own example - or
something that someone else has done for you.