In a recent post for GOOD, our own Nirvan Mullick (‘Caine’s Arcade’ director and Imagination Foundation founder) talks about escaping boredom as a third grader in Florida, the double-edged sword of identifying children as “gifted” and his Wish for the Future: “[For] a world that celebrates creativity as a core social value and works collectively to foster the talents of every child.”

An excerpt:

I went to a public school in Florida. When I was in 3rd grade, I was pulled out of class. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t really care—I was bored in school. I was taken to a strange room, and given some kind of test that involved solving puzzles and riddles. I must have done okay, because from that point on, once a week, I got to leave my regular boring class and go to a special class where the teacher was super fun and all we did was play games, solve riddles, and make stuff. I later learned I’d been labelled as ‘gifted’ by the Florida public school system.

Nirvan considers himself one of the lucky ones.

[VIDEO] Find out what the Khan Academy uncovered in its study on ‘gifted’ vs. ‘slow’ students – watch this Salman Khan 2011 TED Talk (at 13:33):

Read the full article, “Creating a Culture of Creativity for Every Child” on GOOD }

 

February 04, 2013 at 1:49pm