I was reading the book “The Genius in All of Us” by David Shenk today. It is a fantastic book that breaks several myths about talent and how much of it we can expect to inherit from our parents. The good news is that talent is something that everyone can develop. It isn’t just for the gifted few.
A good friend of mine, Enrico Contolini, noticed that his oldest daughter had a knack for geography. He helped his daughter develop this knack to the point where she was good enough to compete. Fast forward. She has won the state geography bee twice.
Shenk makes the case that genetics will only take a person so far. Having talent is one thing, but developing that talent is another. The environment also plays a very formative role. Shenk uses examples of both cello virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma and Mozart to illustrate that very involved and capable parents play a critical role in helping children realize their full potential. Enrico’s daughter inherited a mother who is a skilled educator and a father who is an engineer. The cards appear to be stacked in her favor.
Enrico has developed a teaching and coaching method that clearly works with his daughter. Music’s Shinichi Suzuki developed and honed his Suzuki method of teaching, and it revolutionized how music is taught to children. Perhaps the study of geography is about to receive the Contolini Method for getting kids energized about the places of the world. See more on this father-daughter team’s quest to share their love of geograhpy at www.geokid.org.