What Are We Teaching?

There was a recent article in the New York Times addressing the fact that a surprisingly high percentage of entrepreneurs in the United States have dyslexia. Is anyone surprised by this? If you truly understand dyslexia, you know that the ability to be a visionary is a common trait among people with dyslexia. I can think of a handful of books that are out there right now written by successful business people. Almost everyone begins with their tale of how horrible school was for them. So how exactly are we preparing our future leaders?

A report, compiled by Julie Logan, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Cass Business School in London, states that 70% of entrepreneurs who said they have dyslexia also reported that they did not succeed in school. Basically what this is saying is that these people succeeded despite their schooling.

I think it is time that we figure out how to foster the strengths of all children! In the US, many classrooms group students by reading ability. Where does our obsession with reading come from? Who came up with the idea that a good reader equals a good student? Why do we have all of these programs to teach the love of reading?

I do not love to read! There I said it. You will very rarely find me reading just for the fun of it. That being said, I read all the time! I read things that interest me. I read things that I can learn something from.

I wonder what would happen if we spent less time trying to convince children that they have to be great readers and more time teaching them to recognize what their individual talents are and how to use those talents. What if we taught children that they don’t have do be good at everything. It is ok to be average in some areas. What if we fostered those talents and taught the interpersonal skills needed to work with each one another to leverage those talents. Would we all rise to the top together?