Educating children is a critical aspect of human progress. Strategic and intentional development of every child’s purpose is the quintessence of an advanced civilization. Teaching and learning must be approached with the understanding that every child has a unique and specific genetic cipher that allows each one to express an innate purpose throughout their lifetime. Multifaceted, cultural, contextual education has facilitated the continuation and advancement of civilizations for millions of years. Now is the time to rediscover and infuse ancient educational practices into present learning modalities and technological innovations to cultivate a new paradigm that enables children to achieve their divine purpose.
The guiding principle and educational philosophy of the institution, Every Child Is a Genius, is that every child is in fact a genius. The term genius, which stems from the Latin word “gignere,” means guardian spirit or attendant spirit that watches over each person from birth. It also means innate ability or inclination. In the late sixteen century, the term genius was redefined as “a person’s natural ability.” In the mid-seventeen century, genius was again redefined as “exceptional natural ability.” Every Child Is a Genius has created a new educational paradigm in which the natural abilities of children and students are identified, celebrated, and empowered to help children begin living out their life’s purpose.
Simultaneously in the 17th century while Western linguists were redefining the term genius, Western scientists were experimenting with how to define and quantify intelligence. In the early 18th century scientists began using pseudoscientific research such as craniology and craniometry to define, measure and quantify the construct of human intelligence with the direct goals of creating a rank ordering of humans by race – with Europeans/Saxons at the top and African/Black people at the bottom. This pseudoscientific human intelligence classification system provided the foundation that determined which race and gender should be labeled as having exceptional natural ability (genius) and which segments of the population should and would qualify as gifted and be provided a gifted education. This racist biological genetic inferior ideology has permeated educational pedagogy and methodologies for decades.
Fortunately, the pendulum is swinging in a different direction. In 2000, Psychologist Dr. Howard Gardner founder of the Multiple Intelligences Theory defined intelligence as “biopsychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a culture” This definition provides a broader conceptualization of intelligence that isn’t based on the pseudoscience of eugenics but on the sciences of cognition and learning and when properly applied can help to change the education paradigm, the concept of intelligence and the definition of gifted and genius.
Every Child Is a Genius does exactly this – we assert that every child is a genius and has the divine right to develop a free-thinking problem solving soverign mind in a loving innovative culturally competent learning environment. We work to cultivate the natural genius of our children using educational approaches based on the Latin root: “educare” or “educere” which means to “bring up or bring forth.” The process of education is to “lead forth, extract out or bring forth.” The goal of Every Child Is a Genius is to bring forth or extract from every child their innate divine purpose so they can fully contribute to the advancement of civilization – and this is our singular goal, purpose and function as an organization and institution of higher learning.
Imagine the transformative power of education that produces self-actualized children who are happy and free in their work, healthy and clean in their bodies and minds, and who are treated as sacred, unique beings who are miraculous creations with limitless innate ability. This is a new paradigm: Every Child Is A Genius is the new paradigm.
Sources
Straightening the Bell Curve: How Stereotypes about Black Masculinity Drive Research on Race
and Intelligence by Constance Hillard (2012).
TEDx Tucson George Land- The Failure of Success 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfKMq-rYtnc