Einstein's Mother

"When I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If youpsychologist at Harvard) books Creating Minds and
become a soldier, you will become a general. If youLeading Minds throw some light on the factors that
become a monk, then you will end up as Pope.'influenced many twentieth century world figures:
Instead, I became a painter, and wound up asPicasso, Einstein, Martha Graham, Alfred P. Sloan,
Picasso." Famous quote from Pablo Picasso. What didThatcher, Gorbachev, and Gandhi. However, he only
Einstein's mother say to him?traces the event histories, less the role of education
Recently, I found a yellowed volume of Jawaharlalor parenting.
Nehru's (First Prime Minister of independent India)I am trying to test the following hypothesis: If
letters to his daughter, Indira Priyadarshini, at the Fortsomeone meaningful enough to the child (parent,
Mason used bookstore in San Francisco. These lettersteacher, other role model) believes in his/her
were written from prison, and as you read them,potential, and instills that belief in the child, is that the
you would feel a father preparing his belovedfirst step in reaching for Greatness or for world class
daughter for becoming a world leader. Indira Gandhi,achievement?
of course, went on to also become a Prime MinisterAnd then, if the hypothesis is true, how can this be
of India.worked into the educational system, products, and
I have always been intrigued by the question: Whatservices to give a much larger set of youngsters
is the model for raising a high-performance child?enough confidence to believe that they can, indeed,
Some of Howard Gardner's (developmenthave a world class destiny?