It Didn't Seem that Hard

Darryl Wu got a perfect 800 score on the math section of his SAT. So, you ask? Mr. Wu, a 5th grader in Seattle, is 10 years old. He also scored above average on the reading and writing sections. Says Wu; "I, like, half expected it. It was still very exciting". When asked why he 'half expected it', Wu responded "Because the section didn't seem that hard".

OK. It's easy to dismiss this story as simply another 'juvi-genius' that you hear about once in a while -- as we always do. Of course, when I say 'as we always do', I'm referring to both hearing about them and dismissing them. But maybe we'd all be better off if we started paying attention to just how often young people are accomplishing amazing things. That could go a long way toward changing the prevailing wisdom that young people are empty vessels waiting to be filled up with adult wisdom. If we focused more on the potential of young people, who knows what the Wu's of the world could contribute.

By the way. If you want to be introduced to more evidence of the potential of youth, watch the Oprah Winfrey show tomorrow (February 12th), as she is doing a whole hour on 'Amazing Kids'. Personally, I can't wait to hear about the 7 year old who has performed surgery ...