On Education

These is no denying the truth here.

I’m reminded of a story about the child prodigy Frederic Chopin. By the time he was eight, he’d been a pupil of every piano teacher in Warsaw, Poland, the closest city to his birthplace. When the teachers had the occasion to gather, they would often talk about young Chopin, many remarking that he had “bad habits” and that they considered it their duty to “break him” of them.

Fortunately, one brave and candid voice rose among them, and offered the following: “If we’re going to be honest here, we all need to admit that he plays far better than any of us.  Perhaps it’s best to leave him alone.”

Yes, it’s true that our schools are stultifying for perhaps one in a few million kids.  For the rest of us, however, a solid education is a very good thing.