Einstein's education

Here's an Interview with Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D. on Oct 2004 "Einstein Never Used Flashcards & Thoughts on The Mozart Effect" has some things to say about home education.

But the quote I like the most:

Q: Is there evidence supporting that children in highly structured homes, academically oriented pre-schools, moms and dads doing flash card drills, and educational TV,…. do these kids do better in the long term?

A: There are two pieces of data I’d like to share. Kids who go to academically-based preschools have more anxiety than kids who went to play-based preschools. And even more interesting is that the children who attend academically-based programs do no better in school than play-based children.
The New York Times ran a story Sunday, April 10, 2004. The story revealed what happens to kids who are pushed to achieve in unhealthy ways. Steven Hyman, provost at Harvard and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said, “By the time we get these young people,” speaking of Harvard admits, “what they bring with them are often very high levels of perfectionism and a kind of fear. It’s not the joyful intellectual exploration that college ought to be about.” So putting kids on the treadmill creates kids less likely to be creative or take risks, or to have a good time with learning. They just don’t feel like they can be playful and joyful with material they’re learning. Colleges are recognizing this now and recognizing that kids are coming to them with burnout!

See what intense schooling can do to a child? College itself, in my opinion, is not much better! (I haven't put together my blog entry yet on college).