"We are indeed at a great deal of pains to load the memories
of youth; but very little is done to exercise their judgments or inventions."
It's almost
inconceivable that the debate on this subject is still going on 250
years later.
True enough, one can teach an infant to read. And it's
justifiably impressive when anyone--young or old--can recite the Bible
from memory.
But it goes without saying that committing the Bible
to memory does not make one a saint, and reading extremely early does
not make one a scholar, a leader or even a happier person.
However laudable these achievements, they are hollow when they are without context, and can even serve as a substitute for pursuing a great education, or a great life.
Only as we make these skills and goals the servants
of a higher purpose and the means to accomplishing a personal mission do
they truly have meaning.
Only as we take steps to cultivate the wisdom and creativity
of each individual (as Turnbull implied we should) do they begin to
discover their true genius; and then, the knowledge they acquire is no
longer mere information--it is the power to understand, to innovate and
to serve.
The question perhaps should not be what to teach, but when, how, and why.
As we let go of the magnetic pull toward the Conveyor Belt, the urge to
load the memories of our youth no longer makes sense, and the passion
to inspire them to greatness begins to animate our efforts--and theirs.
~Rachel DeMille, TJEd.org 
