What adults can learn from kids Adora Svitak
[Music]
[Applause]
now I wanted to start with the question
when was the last time you were called
childish for kids like me being called
childish can be a frequent occurrence
every time we make irrational demands
exhibit irresponsible behavior or
display any other signs of being normal
American citizens we are called childish
which really bothers me after all take a
look at these events imperialism and
colonization world wars george w bush
ask yourself who’s responsible adults
now what have kids done bull and Frank
touched millions with her powerful
account of the Holocaust ruby bridges
helped to end segregation in the United
States and most recently Charlie Simpson
helped to raise one hundred and twenty
thousand pounds for Haiti on his little
bike so as you can see evidence by such
examples age has absolutely nothing to
do with it the traits the word childish
addresses are seen so often in adults
that we should abolish this age
discriminatory word when it comes to
criticizing behavior associated with
irresponsibility and irrational thinking
thank you then again who’s to say that
certain types of irrational thinking
aren’t exactly what the world needs
maybe you’ve had grand plans before but
stopped yourself thinking the that’s
impossible or that costs too much or
that won’t benefit me for better or
worse sweet kids aren’t hampered as much
when it comes to thing about reasons why
not to do things kids can be full of
inspiring aspirations and hopeful
thinking like my wish that no one went
hungry or that everything were free kind
of utopia how many of you still dream
like that and believe in the
possibilities sometimes a knowledge of
history and the past failures of utopian
ideals can be a burden because you know
that if everything were free then the
food stocks would become depleted and
scarce and leaped chaos on the other
hand we kids still dream about
perfection and that’s a good thing
because in order to make anything a
reality you have to dream about it first
in many ways our audacity to imagine
helps push the boundaries of possibility
for instance the Museum of Glass in
Tacoma Washington my home state yoo-hoo
Washington has a program called kids
design glass and kids draw their own
ideas for glass art now the resident
artist said that they got some of their
best ideas from the program because kids
don’t think about the limitations of how
hard it can be to blow glass and the
certain shapes they just think of good
ideas now when you think of glass you
might think of colorful shmuly designs
or maybe Italian vases but kids
challenge glass ours to go beyond that
into the realm of broken-hearted snakes
and bacon boys who you can see as meat
vision now our inherent wisdom doesn’t
have to be insiders knowledge kids
already do a lot of learning from adults
and we have a lot to share I think that
adults should start learning from kids
now I do most of my speaking in front of
an education crowd teachers and students
and I like this analogy it shouldn’t
just be a teacher at the head of the
classroom telling students to do this do
that the students should teach their
teachers learning between grownups and
kids
should be reciprocal the reality
unfortunately is a little different and
it has a lot to do with trust or a lack
of it now if you don’t trust someone you
place restrictions on them right if I
doubt my older sister’s ability to pay
back the 10% interest she established on
her last loan I’m going to withhold her
ability to get more money from me until
she pays it back true story by the way
now adults seem to have adults seem to
have a prevalently restrictive attitude
towards kids from every don’t do that
don’t do this in the school handbook to
restrictions on school internet use as
history points out regimes become
pressive when they’re fearful about
keeping control and although adults may
not be quite at the level of
totalitarian regimes kids have no or
very little saying making the rules when
really the attitude should be reciprocal
meaning that the adult population should
learn and take into account the wishes
of the younger population now it’s kind
of worse and restriction is the adults
often underestimate kids abilities we
love challenges but when expectations
are low trust me we will sing to them my
own parents had anything but low
expectations for me and my sister okay
so they didn’t tell us to become doctors
or lawyers or anything like that
but my dad did read to us about
Aristotle and pioneer germ fighters when
lots of other kids were hearing the
wheels on the bus go round and round
well we heard that one too but pioneer
germ Fighters totally rules I love to
write from the age of four and when I
was six my mom bought me my own laptop
equipped with Microsoft Word thank you
Bill Gates and thank you mom I wrote
over 300 short stories on that little
laptop and I wanted to get published
instead of just scoffing at this heresy
that kid when to get published or saying
wait until you’re older my parents were
really supportive many publishers were
not quite so encouraging one large
children’s publisher ironically saying
they didn’t work with children might
want to children’s publisher not work
with children I don’t know you kind of
alienating large
there now one publisher action
publishing was willing to take that leap
and trust me and to listen to what I had
to say they published my first book
flying fingers you see it here and from
there on it’s gone speaking at hundreds
of schools keynote and the thousands of
educators and finally today speaking to
you I appreciate your attention today
because to show that you truly care you
listen but there’s a problem with this
rosy picture of kids being so much
better than adults kids grow up and
become adults just like you or just like
you really the goal is not to turn kids
into your kind of adult but rather
better adults than you have been which
may be a little challenge and consider
your guys credentials but the way
progress happens is because new
generations and new eras grow and
develop and become better than the
previous ones it’s the reason we’re not
in the Dark Ages anymore no matter your
position or place in life it is
imperative to create opportunities for
children so that we can grow up to blow
you away
adults and fellow tedsters you need to
listen and learn from kids and trust us
and expect more from us
you must lend an ear today because we
are the leaders of tomorrow which means
we’re gonna be taking care of you and
your old and son Isle no just kidding
actually um no really we are going to be
the next generation the one who will
bring this world forward and in case you
don’t think that this really has meaning
for you remember that cloning is
possible and that involves going to
childhood again in which case you’ll
want to be heard just like my generation
now the world needs opportunities for
new leaders and new ideas kids need
opportunities to lead and succeed are
you ready to make the match because the
world’s problems shouldn’t be the human
family’s heirloom thank you
you