Exploding Myths

Genius: born or made? For fast fact bullets about the age old billion dollar question blow your mind with Chapter 1: Your Child Can Think Like a Genius. For now, get your running shoes on we are going for a mental jog, - oh and you may need a full metal jacket and hat, because we are going to explode a few myths along the way.

The facts in summary :

• No culture, social background, race or gender has a monopoly on intelligence.
• Popular culture has created powerful but inaccurate stereotypes about who or what is clever. This isn’t helpful for us or our children.
• Ideas about who or what is clever over the centuries have become a product of a social construct more than something based in hard scientific fact.
• What we might term 'genius' starts in ordinary families in ordinary homes.
• With what we know today about the brain, child development, learning, intelligence, creativity and the 100 billion brain cells that children have at their finger tips, ready to be developed, – you do the math, your child’s chances of success are no less than brilliant!

Still not convinced? OK, I’ll just load up a few powder kegs…lighting the fuse NOW!

Say the word ‘genius’ and the most likely image to spring into everyone’s mind is a wildly grey-haired gentleman, tinkering with a strangely smouldering chemistry set. But never has there been a myth so off the mark as this one. Take a closer look at the history of genius and we find that more accurately genius comes in all shapes, sizes, from all backgrounds, races, cultures, genders - and people without a shock of grey hair that looks as if it has been plugged into the national grid system. Stereotypes aren’t useful to anyone in any field or walk of life; they work to hold people back and that is not good for us or our children. So where DO these outdated myths that keep stereotypes alive come from?

Our attitudes toward what we believe to be clever and not clever, and how we view our own capabilities, as matched against others, have been heavily influenced over recent centuries by what we have grown up in. Stereotypes are passed down to us from our school, family and social experience and images in popular culture. The ‘usual suspect’ type caricatures of what is intelligent and what is not in Hollywood type films have fed our imaginations now for over a century. Caricatures and stereotypes may work as useful formulas for entertaining film scripts but not for real life. Take the example of real-life genius Hedy Lammar.

Genius: is it about being in the right place at the right time?

The beautiful World War II actress, Hedy Lamarr was made famous playing the seductress in mid-20th century films such as Samson and Delilah. But history shows that had she been in her prime today we would probably find her more at home in a think tank at MIT in Boston, than in the film sets of Hollywood. Tinkering on the piano one afternoon, she came up with a brilliant idea for alternating sequences, so that radio messages between the allied forces could be sent without the enemy being able to intercept them. It was a fantastic invention that was successfully used by allied forces in World War II and later informed the technology we benefit from today such as cell phones. Despite her genius, she was advised to focus not upon developing further inventions but on acting instead. It was not to be until the end of the 20th Century, and when she was a grand old lady, that she was to be given formal recognition for her genius. When finally she was accorded the respect owed to her, she is alleged to have replied indignantly, and not without reason, “bout time!”

Nobody has the monopoly on good ideas

Hedy Lamarr was at least fortunate enough to have been recognized in the end, but how many others have there been that for reasons of stereotypes pertaining to race, gender, culture or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, have had their ideas held back, and opportunities denied them? We will of course never know the answer to this question. But what we can say is that today none of our children need work off the idea that anyone has the monopoly on great ideas. History is full of all kinds of people, from all walks of life, who have had great ideas and changed the way we live. And it usually began by them wanting to do or change something that they felt strongly about, with either necessity or passion, or both, playing a strong part in their groundbreaking ideas.

And no, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Einstein…

Einstein came from a family that wasn’t extraordinary or wealthy or spectacular in any way. He was rejected by academia in the first instance on the grounds that he simply didn’t have what it took to be a scientist (!). In a letter he wrote to a friend upon this rejection, he points out that no matter how long it takes him, he will keep on going until he succeeds. Eight years later, after a string of temporary jobs including a clerk in a patents office, eventually he was accepted into the halls of academic science. The rest is of course history. In his own words, Einstein wasn’t a genius, but someone who was passionately curious about his field. Genius doesn’t start in fairy tale stereotypes; history shows it starts in ordinary families in ordinary homes.

The internet is far from perfect, but for the first time in history, it does allow anyone, from whatever, age, race, or cultural background, to have their creativity and ideas heard, - globally. This is an opportunity unprecedented in human history. Today, whether you are 17 or 71, live in Shanghai or Birmingham, the net provides a forum for showcasing talent and creativity. Basement pop star successes, which began by broadcasting on the net, are only the tip of the iceberg to what can be achieved by individuals. Imagine the creativity that may have been unleashed if Da Vinci, Einstein and Hedy Lammar had all been able to access email!

The time is NOW – what are you waiting for?

In a fast moving age where innovation is key to solving the challenges of the way we live in 21C, and developing cutting edge thinking for our futures, never has there been a more important time than now for children to have at their fingertips all the knowledge they need to make the best of their own individual gifts and creativity. Bernadette Tynan is dedicated to helping every child and their parents plan out a happy, healthy and balanced plan that works with them and makes the best use of all learning opportunities, and shows them the power of their own mind. That is how to start thinking like a genius. Or, you could of course carry on doing what you’ve always done and expect a different result. That is how not to think like a genius! Think about it, but don’t take too long, the time is now.

Okay you can take your running shoes, helmet and jacket off now – we’re done!

For the full inside story of what every parent needs to know see 'Your Child Can Think Like A Genius' on this website.