If you haven’t read Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book - Outliers - do yourself a favor and pick up a copy right away. As with his first 2 books, Tipping Point and Blink, Gladwell manages to turn your thinking about his topic upside down.
The why of success (and it’s not always what you think!) - how it happens, what factors lead to monumental success, how it is that some gifted individuals never quite achieve the success in life you would expect.
You will better understand why the kids in Asia are really so much better at math than the average US citizen. How players are chosen to become elite hockey players. Why school cut-off dates give some kids an unfair advantage. And so much more.
I was drawn into the stories and case studies immediately. An intense read that I found difficult to put down, Gladwell’s Outliers certainly challenges traditional thinking about the subject of success.
Don’t get me started on education . . . .! Except for its universities (where most post-graduate students are foreigners - yikes!), American education is a disgrace. The documentary 2 Million Minutes (www.2mminutes.com) should be required viewing for all educators, school board members and politicians. Remedies: pay teachers better and require much more of them (i.e. elevate the profession), make the school day and the school year longer, de-emphasize sports, entertainment and after-school jobs for students (such a 50s notion - it worked then, not now) and get our students prepared for that “flat” world. The Indians and the Chinese do; we must also.
Barb, I too love Malcolm Gladwell’s work and am looking forward to getting and reading Outliers. Thanks for the heads-up…you always are on the cutting edge of important learning!