Many of you don’t want to hear the great secret I want to share with you today, but I feel compelled to tell you because it’s so vital. That, then, is the key. What if I told you that students in schools are becoming smarter every day?
Now, how could one accomplish that? Children acquire more knowledge and acquire proper instruction when they attend school. That means they ought to be wiser, if anything. How can they lose their intelligence? What am I discussing?
I do intend to show you how that works today. I was a young person before I reached 14 and had no idea what I wanted out of life. Thus, when you ask a five- or six-year-old what he wants to be when he grows up, he frequently answers, “A businessman or astronaut.” I listened to my parents almost exclusively because I wanted to play Call of Duty professionally and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life when I grew up. I had faith that they were aware of what was best for me.
The Early days of Education.
My parents desired the same things from me as any other parent would. Thus, attend class, maintain good marks, get outside, and engage in physical activity occasionally. And I made an effort to fulfill all of the requests made of me. I wasn’t even very excellent in school, which was the issue. I could not write a five-paragraph essay if my life depended on it, and I was dreadful in science. I still believe that I’m the only Asian child in the world that struggles with math to this day.
Yes, I do. But it all changed when I became 14 years old. And I was no longer flying around in space like this hot air balloon. I was traveling at a speed of about fifty thousand miles per hour, or as fast as a supersonic plane, when I approached my destination. And it was an envelope I received in the mail that sparked this entire turnaround. It wasn’t a birthday party invitation. However, to a Boston business proposal competition. I was also intrigued.
I had to go since I was so intrigued. The director of the program also told us that during the course of five months, we would create teams, work on business ideas, and then pitch these ideas to a panel of judges who would then evaluate our submissions. You are also aware of our impeccable taste in suits and business acumen.
Diving into the Matter.
To cut a long tale short, I put up an A-Team, worked on a concept, and we won the competition and received a cheque over those five months. And my desire to attend an increasing number of these events was ignited by that one event. I attended countless competitions throughout the course of the following two years of my life, and I was nearly always the winner. And that’s when I realized I enjoyed going to them so much because I had an undiscovered passion in addition to liking winning them. And it was a love of making things.
Every single time, my team would set itself apart from the competition by going to Home Depot, purchasing materials, and building the concept we were discussing instead of having everyone get up and present their ideas and PowerPoints. The notion that a group of youngsters could go out and develop stuff and create prototypes for barely functional devices astounded the judges.
And we took first place in nearly every competition simply because the judges were impressed with our performance. I met Frank, a middle-aged, short-tempered Polish guy, at one of these events. And I’d best run after this if he’s here today.
The Creativity.
After looking at our prototype, Frank approached us and said, “I can help you guys turn this into a real company.” That’s cool, don’t you think? We are 16-year-olds who are venturing into the real world to build a hardware technology firm. We all thought it was time to emulate Steve Jobs at first. Now let’s go create Apple. leaving school right now. However, we soon discovered that things are not so simple. Therefore, unless you are certain that you have a good concept, don’t drop out.
The Team understood that putting together a great team is the first step towards creating a great company. Additionally, we were unable to network at bars as students. We were not allowed to attend adult networking gatherings. In order to convey their proposal and perhaps persuade students to join our team, we went to our school and set up a brief presentation in our auditorium.
My Research
Our entire school was invited. Almost nobody showed up, which was the first thing we noticed. Nearly no one showed there, and those that did disseminated the word across the campus. And we were laughed at all that week. We were ridiculed for our concepts and for emulating Mark Zuckerberg.
The strange thing is that we used the same presentation the following week at our primary school, where it was given to children who were five or six years younger. And there was an incredible response. These children were asking to purchase our prototype with their lunch money.
It was astounding that these children, who were probably too young to even pronounce some of these words, even understood that such things existed when they asked for our pre-money estimate. And that alone really impressed me greatly.
The Effect of Education.
Personally, I believe that within the course of the last five to six years, our educational system has accomplished this. These imaginative kids have developed into these conventionally thinking teenagers. Now, let’s return to the secret I said earlier. Is it plausible that education is diminishing children’s intelligence?
The truth is that intelligence comes in a wide variety of forms. Additionally, while education can increase one’s intellectual capacity and teach subjects like calculus, algebra, and physics, it also reduces a child’s capacity for creative thought.
It is instructing kids to follow a predetermined course in life, to think in a particular manner, and to believe that they will not succeed if they do not complete high school, obtain a diploma, enroll in a reputable university, and find a reliable job. And how am I even here now, if that’s the case?
How did a sixteen-year-old straight-A student launch a technological company? And how is the performance of my company, which was highlighted in last week’s Wall Street Journal, better than that of certain businesses founded by Stanford or Harvard graduates? It has to be something that’s beyond the scope of academic intelligence.
Way forward
Thus, this is my belief. Youth are influenced and inspired by their parents, teachers, and other educators. The truth is that there are far too many individuals in the world today who are fixated on encouraging children to complete their education, land a respectable career, and succeed. There aren’t enough people encouraging young people to consider their options for becoming business owners.
If there’s one thing I want parents, children, and all of you to remember from my speech today, it’s that you can open your doors and veer off the traditional, constrained, and straight path that school leads us down. Diverge to shape your own destiny.
You are able to launch your own businesses and nonprofit organizations. You are able to produce. You’re capable of innovation. And this is the one thing I want you to remember from all I’ve said. Nobody has ever altered the course of history by following social norms.
