By Lance Winslow
When I was 12-years old I started my first business, was I too young? When I was 16-years old I had 100 hours flying time and solo'ed an aircraft, was I too young? Not according to the FAA. And when I was between those ages I had the ability and skill to fly, but I wasn't allowed without a flight instructor - sounds like age discrimination to me. Why are we holding our young people back - answer me that! Let's talk about this for a moment shall we?
Okay so, to the question; "Should Teenagers in High School Be Allowed to Join Think Tanks?" The best answer would be yes, why not. Still, not long ago, when a teenager asked to join our think tank and open up a dialogue on the "Future of Education" specifically Biology and Psychology, I stated;
"Meanwhile, on the subject of school, your parents would kill me if I took time away from your studies, so you have to promise me to keep your grades up and only correspond by email after you have completed your homework. If you want to continue these conversations online, I ask that you take time away from silly things like Facebook, TV, etc, and never homework or studies - deal? Grades are paramount right now for you."
Are our schools challenging our students enough? I believe the answer to be "NO" and certainly not all of them. Especially, when I find high-school students, very smart ones, contacting our think tank, and if they are unchallenged in school what does this say about our education system? Next, I ask; how much school is needed anyway, does everyone really need a four-year college degree or even an advanced degree to live well and work in our top companies - or go and become future entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders?
Now then, it is said by many of the top psychologists in the nation, including Dean Simonton that many of the eminent achievers and creative geniuses only had two-years of college, not necessarily advanced degrees, and that is interesting because we always assume that the smartest highest IQ folks go the furthest in school, and as Einstein, Disney and others have noted it is the imaginative mind that is paramount for out of the box thinking, you have that as long as you continue to "ask questions" and push your mind to "think" while you learn all the school work.
Well, I hope I've got your mind thinking and realize I am talking from an abundance of experience, observations, and knowledge on these points of contention. Think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Innovation in America. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
When I was 12-years old I started my first business, was I too young? When I was 16-years old I had 100 hours flying time and solo'ed an aircraft, was I too young? Not according to the FAA. And when I was between those ages I had the ability and skill to fly, but I wasn't allowed without a flight instructor - sounds like age discrimination to me. Why are we holding our young people back - answer me that! Let's talk about this for a moment shall we?
Okay so, to the question; "Should Teenagers in High School Be Allowed to Join Think Tanks?" The best answer would be yes, why not. Still, not long ago, when a teenager asked to join our think tank and open up a dialogue on the "Future of Education" specifically Biology and Psychology, I stated;
"Meanwhile, on the subject of school, your parents would kill me if I took time away from your studies, so you have to promise me to keep your grades up and only correspond by email after you have completed your homework. If you want to continue these conversations online, I ask that you take time away from silly things like Facebook, TV, etc, and never homework or studies - deal? Grades are paramount right now for you."
Are our schools challenging our students enough? I believe the answer to be "NO" and certainly not all of them. Especially, when I find high-school students, very smart ones, contacting our think tank, and if they are unchallenged in school what does this say about our education system? Next, I ask; how much school is needed anyway, does everyone really need a four-year college degree or even an advanced degree to live well and work in our top companies - or go and become future entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders?
Now then, it is said by many of the top psychologists in the nation, including Dean Simonton that many of the eminent achievers and creative geniuses only had two-years of college, not necessarily advanced degrees, and that is interesting because we always assume that the smartest highest IQ folks go the furthest in school, and as Einstein, Disney and others have noted it is the imaginative mind that is paramount for out of the box thinking, you have that as long as you continue to "ask questions" and push your mind to "think" while you learn all the school work.
Well, I hope I've got your mind thinking and realize I am talking from an abundance of experience, observations, and knowledge on these points of contention. Think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Innovation in America. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
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