Well hurrah, let’s trample on the Non-Verbal Reasoning test papers immediately, mes enfants. And while we’re at it, please stop all those silly French mornings when our children have to do le badinage. And can we can the violin practice before school, and all the other preposterous hurdles we expect our children to vault.
Because the news is that hot-housing your child and encouraging them to walk the path of mathematics, musical or linguistic genius doesn’t make a blind bit of difference to their future success, happiness or material gains.
Prof. Joan Freeman, who studied the adult careers of 210 child prodigies for her book Gifted Lives: What Happens When Gifted Children Grow Up
, has discovered that not every child who is labeled an infant Mozart will necessarily become one. Far from it: of the 210, only six became incredibly successful in later life.
, has discovered that not every child who is labeled an infant Mozart will necessarily become one. Far from it: of the 210, only six became incredibly successful in later life. Indeed, the book reveals that the old schoolboy riposte “Winston Churchill failed his exams at school and he didn’t do too badly, did he?” might have something in it after all. Apparently, fate, personality and good old-fashioned drive are just as important to adult success and fulfillment as the ability to describe Shape A after twisting it by 90 degrees, or describe Pi to 60 decimal points. Probably more, in fact.
For more, see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/8028543/Gifted-children-no-more-likely-to-succeed.html
