mathematics-

The brain acts like a muscle. The more we use it, the "smarter" and "more creative" we are. There are many methods to increase one's creativity. Creativity is contagious for those not "born with it". Hang around creative people, and you will find yourself thinking in a whole new manner. Hang around people who, pardon the expression, "dumbed down by formal education" and you too, will find yourself behaving in a similar fashion.

The fact is, we are all born with infinite creativity. The ancient Greeks knew this and had a word called "educare" which means "to draw out". It is the basis from where we formed the word education. In *real* education, the true teacher or mentor is keenly aware that the knowledge is already there, in fact, the student may very well have more knowledge than the teacher, he/she (that is the student) simply has not learned how to manifest that knowledge into productivity, work, or whatever goals are in the student's mind to achieve. Most "teachers" push in the knowledge. That is not education. It is better known as ego.
Sad but true.

Since the 1980's the education system has become wary of brilliant students as well; mainly because teachers have such a workload and schools are lacking many resources....enter Ritalin. The genius is suddenly a zombie and can do reading, writing, and mathematics, when in reality, his/her brain may already
be formulating a cure for cancer.

That is not as far-out as it seems. Einstein was terribly restless and bored and had he been alive today he would have been a prime candidate for Ritalin. In fact, we know he would be at the top of the list. What does that say about how our education system feels about creativity and genius. It admires it, it touts it, it brags about it, and then dumbs it down so as not to disrupt the class or the teacher's job (to help the masses). Yes, there are gifted programs but often they even fall into the same trap, some of the kids are simply too gifted for the instructor.

Most schools are not even aware of EQ and base everything on IQ. A person can have a very
high EQ (Emotional Quotient) and a not so high IQ (Intelligence Quotient). In 1985, Dr. Dan
Goleman, a Harvard professor wrote a best-seller titled "Emotional Intelligence". In his younger
years he was thought to be autistic, or at least labeled so. He went on to earn a PHD in psychology and teaches at an ivy league school.

I have a high IQ; no, probably not genius level but above the average. My education was in the Mississippi public school system and the only thing I can remember in school was looking out the window, sleeping, and tapping my feet on the floor.

Today, I work in e-commerce and in the arts. I have returned to college and am at a private
prestigious school in my third year. I was told thirty years ago I simply was not academic material
and should consider a trade.

I will write more on creativity and how to practice it (yes, it can be learned because it is already there. What I'm talking about is learning to work "outside the box" and forgetting what others think about us; as what others think about us is none of our business.

Rick London is a freelance writer, cartoonist, and e-entrepreneur. He launched Londons Times Cartoons in 1997 which evolved into the largest (8500 cartoons) and most visited (3+ million per year) offbeat cartoon website. He owns ten award-winning Internet gift & collectible stores, one of them being Rick London Special Edition Gifts

posted by fdwvsmr55035  # 9:13 AM