Not all children are born geniuses . . . but they are born with potential.
Many children begin life with extraordinary creative potential, but parents, teachers, religions and society in general create rigid environments that suppress the habits allowing their potential to grow and mature.
Every child wants to be somebody. They want to live their dreams and find their place in the cosmos.
We must learn to break down the barriers that inhibit their process and focus on each individual and each individual’s desires and needs to accomplish their desires.
Our educational system puts kids in boxes. Burn those boxes.
Industrial Society
The architecture our school system we’ve inherited focused on creating workers who were punctual, obedient, and uniform with basic the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.
Creativity, adaptability, and specialization weren’t even an afterthought but were systematically overlooked.
And most recently, standardized testing has created a generation trained to perform, not to reason.
Original thought is dismissed as regurgitating answers is rewarded.
Specialization
The age of technology has changed everything. I suppose you could compare this age to the industrial age as one would compare an electronic calculator to the slide rule. Our tools have evolved faster than their users.
We no longer need mindless workers; we need creative innovators.
But instead, with a decrepit educational system, old, decayed, obsolete, and high tech in the hands of students, look where it’s gotten us.
Start Young
Early testing is paramount. The problem is though testing has changed, it’s not changed all that much because it measures what’s easy, not what’s important.
The IQ test had to change, because it was culturally biased. You could say they didn’t just measure intelligence, they measured acculturation [the process of learning and adopting the cultural norms, values, and behaviors of a particular group].
We have tools to measure creativity and original thought, but we don’t use them; proof that the system is still chained to its past.
And this is where we start. There are real, research‑backed tests that measure creativity, originality, problem‑solving, adaptability, and unique thinking rather than rote knowledge.
- Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) — The gold standard worldwide for measuring creativity, fluency, flexibility, and originality.
- Alternative Uses Test (AUT) — Measures divergent thinking by asking students to generate unusual uses for everyday objects.
- Remote Associates Test (RAT) — Measures creative thinking and insight problem solving.
- Wallach–Kogan Creativity Tests — Measures fluency, originality, and flexibility without time pressure.
- Guilford’s Divergent Thinking Tests — this one’s the foundation of modern creativity research: fluency, flexibility, originality, and redefinition.
And there are more, very simple, fun tests that will determine early on where each student is headed, and the education that student gets must be aimed at helping them get there. Pretty simple, eh?
Stop This — Burn it Down and Start Over
Our children will always be shaped by parenting, religion, society, and social media. And we really can to little to change that. This is where “the teacher” comes in. We must value our teachers as much as we value anything if we are to progress. The old saying why don’t we pay our teachers as well as we pay our athletes keeps echoing in our ears, but like the weather: we talk about it but nobody changes it.
Let the masses have their bread and circuses, but if we’re going to ever build a society where each individual’s contribution is valued, we must value first the teacher. We have to pay them and provide them with the tools they need. PERIOD.
Teaching Assistants
If a vocation is valued and rewarded accordingly, more and more will want to get into that profession, so how about an apprenticeship?
We talk about overcrowding in school and this is the simplest solution.
Classes can be broken down into smaller groups overseen by a teaching assistant. These groups can be tested regularly for those things we don’t yet teach. And we do this from preschool through middle school so as to know the individual student thoroughly. We won’t just know if the child can parrot back answers, we’ll know their strengths, their weaknesses, their dreams, their needs, their desires, and most importantly we’ll understand the whole child, not just what they know but who they are becoming.
End High School
Yes, just end it.
I can’t avoid getting personal here, because I was one of those for whom high school was not designed. I hated every minute of every day.
I graduated with grades that would never have gotten me into a university. In fact, it was only because of my military service that the UofMinnesota allowed me to attend . . . on probation.
A little story: my first day of Algebra Pre-Calculus the prof didn’t say much. Just that we’d be starting on chapter three come Monday. I stayed after and asked, “What happened to chapters one and two?”
“You should have learned them in high school.”
“And if we didn’t?”
“You’d better learn them over the weekend, I’d suggest.”
After 11 hours of studying chapters one and two, I got myself a high school education in mathematics/algebra.
I went on to get the highest score in that class on the final exam.
This is not bragging, just a fact . . . that has led me to believe that in this modern age, we can toss out high school. Not just because I didn’t learn a thing in it and then later graduated at the top of my class (summa cum laude), but that everything someone needs to know in high school can be learned quite easily during the first few days of college, early on, when students are motivated.
We need to know the whole student and what motivates them.
Camps
Who doesn’t like summer camp? Swimming, volleyball, tennis, fencing, archery, camping out?
We’re getting close . . . but these camps are year round, with summers being optional (and a lot more fun).
The camps will be staffed with teachers, assistant teachers, counselors and of course management staff, and food services. Parents can simply inform the camp director if they want the student out with them for family activities. Nobody’s locked in the camp.
This is a win/win for the families, the students, and society in whole because graduating from these camps will be functioning young adults ready to pursue their dreams. Some will go onto college and even get advanced degrees,. while others will go to a technical school, or an art school, or a music institution, even dance. Others will work as interns, or apprentices.
This way the student is doing what the student wants to do and has been given the support and education to get there.
The Design
Sections. A history section, a physics section, a math section, a computer section, geography section . . . do you get where I’m going with this? And play. Amazing how much we learn by playing.
There will be all the sports one takes up in high school, but with a caveat: you don’t have to be good to make the team. You just want to play. Sure there can be teams that play other camps, and of course coaches can choose the players to compete. Those not chosen for those competitions can still play sports within the campgrounds. Sometimes winning is not the goal, but playing is. But the camp will be broken into:
Sections
History Section
Imagine a map created of the battle of Gettysburg. Think of it in 3D with trees, hills, a stream.
The teacher will describe the battle: how they were all situated, what happened with the shooting started, the movement of troops, the number of soldiers who fell, all the small battles that led up the victory and defeat.
And one thing I’ve learned in my teaching years is that no question is stupid. The fact is, the silliest of questions come from the most creative minds.
A student’s question during this class could be: What if the south had broken through that line of northern soldiers? or What if the troops in that section had arrived late? What ifs and speculation and discussion. Kids must have the ability to discuss hypotheticals. The goal of this class is not to learn everything that took place at Gettysburg, but to understand the horror of war, to think through a problem, to discuss important issues, and to learn through discussion, how to learn and what that student needs to know in life: how to get along.
Physics Section
Most physics classes go like this:
- Start with equations
- Plug in numbers
- Maybe show a demonstration
- Test the equations
The new (revolutionary) physics teacher will start with the demonstration, which develops observation skills. Then hypothesize the rule.
As in the image above, the student will see if two balls are swung on one side, two balls will swing off the other. The hypothesis is the energy created on one side is equal to the energy on the other.
This is how Newton did it. He observed, he hypothesized: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Then came the mathematics. Some students will understand the math right away, some will understand it after a while, but some who just are not mathematically inclined will not. Not everyone is cut out to be an engineer or rocket scientist.
This doesn’t mean that those not mathematically inclined cannot learn the basics. There are many things students can do and learn by building a simple circuit (Ohm’s Law) using a battery, a small bulb, resistors, wires, and a multimeter.
One thing about this “open” classroom is that students get out of it what they need to get out of it. They are becoming decent citizens, not programmed robots.
Chemistry Section
I loved teaching this subject, and not just because I created some delightful demonstrations, but that this subject, chemistry, is closely connected to physics.
Michael Faraday, an autodidact, is a genius I admire very much. He got a lot of his education working in his teen years as a book binders apprentice. He read many of the science books in his shop, and the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
His book, The Chemical History of a Candle, is filled with demonstrations that bridge chemistry to physics. This is why I loved chemistry, because it’s a glimmer into the hypothesis that all things are connected.
“The rivers are our brothers… The air is precious to us… Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth.” Chief Seattle
Faraday was not only a genius in science, but a genius educator. He could introduce the common person, with no background in science, to scientific principles at a level they would understand.
And that is how I taught chemistry, starting with Faraday’s candle demonstrations.
Here’s an introductory video to Faraday’s lectures on the candle. It’s a series, so go where your curiosity leads you.
Mathematics Section
This is one of the most difficult subjects to teach because: “When will I ever use this?” “Why does this matter?” What problem in my life will this solve?”
Before we can teach higher math, we have to give it relevance, application, a connection to real life, and that it is useful.
We’re not going get anywhere dumbing it down, but by showing that it is a tool for modeling real problems, designing solutions, predicting outcome, understanding systems, and creating things. It’s all about engagement. Or as Newton, Faraday, and even I learned it: phenomenon first, math second.
Here is a great example of phenomenon to equation to usefulness
The Shadow-Stretch Experiment
You need just three things:
- the sun
- a stick
- the ground
As the sun moves, the shadow of the stick changes length, in a predictable way.
The math revealed are ratios, proportions, similar triangles, and slope.
Giving the students these building blocks, they’re going to see the math before they discover that the height of the stick over the shadow reveals a constant.
And the cherry on top is teaching how in the third century BCE, Eratosthenes determined the diameter of the earth using this simple math equation.
There are many demonstrations and historical breakthroughs for teaching math, but even more important building a student’s interest in math by giving it a purpose in their lives.
History, Geography, Literature — Liberal Arts Sections
These “classes” are where the system shines, because all these areas have stories.
Since the dawn of time, stories have been passed down to us. The story of Adam and Eve was told over and over for centuries until someone wrote it down
All of these arts, including language and be taught thru story telling.
In the art world, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres declaring, “Drawing is the probity of art.” That story must be told.
John Singer Sargent told us, “You can’t do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh.” This story must be told. Stories bring us depth, concentration, and a connection to from the present to the past.
The story that connects many artists is that before one can draw, one must learn to see. Andrew Loomis told us, “Drawing is vision on paper,” while Cezanne believed “Art begins with the act of seeing.”
Learning art is learning the story of art and learning to draw is the story of learning to see the world all over again.
Instead of book reports, why not have students retell the story of the chapter they read the night before.
Story telling is the connection between all peoples. Story telling is community.
Overall Purpose
This is where these camps differ from conventional high school.
Students are not there just to learn; the staff is there to learn who this student is.
What are the student’s strengths, interests, goals. What did the student find interesting and what did that student investigate deeper. Was there a knack for language? a knack for logic? were difficult concepts absorbed? did the student have fun learning? what did the student discover that was different from others’ discoveries.
Students will graduate with not just a diploma, but with a pamphlet that draws a picture of that student: their strengths, their weaknesses, abilities, aims, creativity.
Instead of colleges testing applicants, these high school camps can recommend applicants. Staff are familiar with the college system in the US, and if a student is Ivy League material, they will point that student in that direction with a recommendation. And because of limitations, there will have to be some sort of testing to limit the number of new freshmen students at some colleges. That’s only practical.
Yes, It is Going to Cost Money
The old question, we have money for war, why not for the care of our people?
So many maniacs screaming about “SECURITY!” We must keep our nation secure!
What is more secure than a healthy, happy, educated citizens?
And you are getting more bang for your buck!
Going back to the image at the top, social media and tech has led to
- TikTok style clips
- Bullet point summaries
- Rapid Scrolling
- Skimming
Deep concentration is gone with a screen-dominant life. A senate hearing brought up 80 counties where their incorporation of digital high tech dropped academic performance.
Obviously there must be rules and the first rule is No Phones During the Day.
Student’s hang their phones in their dorms and can use them after the day is done.
Environment shapes cognition: we build a space that rewards, depth, reflection, and connection.
Learning is social and experiential: prioritize mentorship, dialogue, and hands-on challenges.
Technology is a tool, not a habitat: use sparingly and intentionally.
There is so much we can do and so much we must do. But the people have to stand up to the system and take back their power.
