Cameron Herold:
Let's raise kids to be entrepreneurs
In this video, viewed during week 5,
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/cameron_herold_let_s_raise_kids_to_be_entrepreneurs.html Cameron Herold, a successful businessman and entrepreneur speaks out about how the “one size fits all” approach does not fulfill the needs of students. Our educational system tends to have one narrow means of evaluating students, namely grades. Not all people are academics. Many have different talents that are neither nurtured in the academic world nor evident in the tests that evaluate academic achievement. Further the education process, instead of nurturing the dreams and developing the talents of our children, takes away their dreams and often is harmful to students’ self esteem.
Cameron Herold, knew where his interest lied early in his life. Despite going through an educational system that attempted to blow out his flame, he found a pathway to success by being himself and following his bliss. He uses this talk to tell us about his journey and also to share some tips from his experience that can be used to help others nurture the entrepreneurial spirit in young people.
Some of the things Mr. Herold admits to having done were of a questionable ethical nature, to say the least. For example, he hired others to do his accounting class work while he was at university. When unethical behavior occurs, a philosophical question could be asked about rather the requirement actually contributed to the misbehavior. It appears Herold, felt he needed to have a business degree in order to become a business man and in order to get a business degree he needed to pass an accounting course. However, he had no talent for accounting.
Contracting out or “outsourcing” a task can be more efficient when the needed skills are not available in house, so this shows he has the skills of a shrewd business man. I , however, am disturbed by this since getting a degree without fulfilling the requirements shows a lack of fulfilling obligations. It makes me wonder if I would be safe entering into a contract with him. Could I expect that I would get what I paid for?
Herold mentions the entrepreneurial “type”. Many of the well known successful entrepreneurs have ADD, ADHD or manic depressive “disorder. Their neurons fire in a different way and their neurotransmitters are “out of balance”. Although they can’t sit still or have wide mood swings that make them difficult to get along with they have intelligence, creativity and the courage to take risks.
Not fitting in at school is not the same as not having the traits to be successful in the world. There are many definitions to success, there are many pathways to it. Herold has some specific suggestions on how the entrepreneurial spirit can be nurtured in children. In a continuously changing world with difficulties in the global economy, creativity and the willingness to take risks are helpful traits which can help society as a whole address these challenges as we move forward.
In addition to raising kids to be entrepreneurs, we should make note of the other talents children, (and adults), have. We should note the multiple intelligences as proposed by Howard Gardner. http://psychology.about.com/od/educationalpsychology/ss/multiple-intell.htm
We should look towards nurturing the unique talents of each and every student, and recognize that there are different paths and different destinations, all leading to differing versions of success.
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