Discovering Child Prodigies

                       photo by hotblack                                                      photo by tobi

A group of students in Waltham, Massachusetts has found a way to develop the reading and mathematics skills which they failed to develop while in school.  The organization, called More Than Words, is a non-profit organization in which homeless teens sell books on-line and operate a café.

 The company started when a few teens from the local DCYF program received donated laptops and one shelf of books to sell.  The children were homeless, high school dropouts, juvenile delinquents, or involved in foster care programs.  Within two months they had a storefront and were selling books on-line.  The program now helps these at- risk youth to transition into jobs from their work at the bookstore.

 The students are developing valuable entrepreneurial, marketing, and financial planning, and customer service skills which will help them if they desire to have a business of their own sometime in the future.  Required to report to work on time, they are also learning how to become more responsible.

 While these students are busy running a business in Massachusetts, Elementeo Anshul Samar, has been running a business since he was in fourth grade.  His father, a native of India, is an executive at Oracle and has been very influential over him.  Elementeo is the CEO of a gaming company and is eager to raise $1 million by the time he graduates from middle school.

 These children are the new child prodigies who, at a very early age, have mastered a skill at an adult level.  The difference between the group of students in Waltham and the solo entrepreneur is that the latter has had the involvement of his parent, while an educator, Jodi Rosenbaum, has influenced the others.  The end result was that their exceptional talents were discovered and developed.

These children were fortunate in that they had the guidance of an interested party, but how many countless children go though life never having an opportunity to use the exceptional ability with which they were born?

As we are emerging from a difficult time in the history of the United States, we could use more child prodigies to help shape the country’s future.  However, if they are not discovered, it would be a great waste of resources.

For more of a discussion on talents and skills, you might enjoy,

Prosperity Through Talents and Skills

Encouraging Children to Write a Story

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