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Insult to Intelligence (Frank Smith):

It explains how the education system ignores the natural method in which children learn.  School teaches children that learning is difficult and boring, when learning is actually our brain's primary function.  Also, I love that it gives credit to the children for the learning they accomplish, not to egotistic parents, teachers, and institutions.  (Parents, teachers, and schools should only take credit in that they have provided the environment in which allows the child to learn on his/her own.  The only job of a parent is to provide your children with the best environment possible.  It is not about teaching, it is about allowing learning to take place.) Children are so highly underrated.  If you are a parent, you owe it to your children to read this book.  If you are a teacher, you should want to learn how children learn, or do us all a favor and quit your job, please.  Also, if you are simply interested in the way humans learn, you will want to read this book.  I cannot say enough.  This book is amazing.

Let me leave you with two quotes from the book (also found on my educational quotes page):

"To see what students learn in school, look at how they leave school. If they leave thinking that reading and writing are difficult and pointless, that mathematics is confusing, that history is irrelevant, and that art is a bore, then that is what they have been taught. People learn what is demonstrated to them, and this reality will not change to suit the convenience of politicians and educations administrators." - Frank Smith, Insult to Intelligence, 1986, p.ix

"We underrate our brains and our intelligence. Education has become such a complicated and overregulated activity that learning is regarded as something difficult that the brain would rather not do... But reluctance to learning cannot be attributed to the brain. Learning is one of the brain's primary functions, its constant concern, and we become restless and frustrated if there is no learning to be done. We are all capable of high and unsuspected learning accomplishments without effort." - Frank Smith, Insult to Intelligence, 1986, p.18

See Also:

• Recommended Books
• Get Rich Books and Greed
• Education Quotes
• Parenting Quotes
• Personal Quotes

By: Matthew Doucette
(Interested in Writing Articles For Xona.com?)