Guest Author - Lisa Pinkus

Our educational system is overwrought with parents making demands based on competition, decisions being made about our children’s futures based upon political guidelines and teachers who have the educational background to know better but who follow absurd policies because they are afraid of losing their jobs or angering a parent.

The book Einstein Never Used Flash Cards is a fantastic resource for all parents because it is written in terms a ‘normal’ parent can understand. The authors have done the research and share the evidence for everything they believe, and their entire premise is based upon children, child development and creating the best possible future for our children.

Get ready for your insides to boil because when you read this book, you will be disappointed at how we have become entangled in a competitive society where we want our children to be reading before they enter kindergarten and where our children must score the highest test scores in the country in order for us to feel they are successful.

Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff cite studies, such as the Mozart effect, (which made the Baby Einstein videos so popular) and show their readers how studies are only partially cited in the media and how they are twisted beyond their true results. The Mozart effect study (Rauscher, 1993 study), for example, only had 79 students participating. When the study was replicated with nearly 5000 students (Hetland, 1999), the Mozart effect was short lived and only on limited spatial abilities.

Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff provide detailed information on how children learn, how their brains develop and how we can best move them along in the grand world of academics. They include chapters on language, literacy, and quantitative learning. They explore our society’s drive to be better than normal, the development of the Self, and the natural growth of social intelligence.

They encourage their readers to move from “defensive to liberated parenting”. They plead for us – and for educators – to allow our children to play again, especially during their early years. This book was obviously written by professionals who truly care about children.

If you are concerned about future generations, this book is a must read! If you want to feel that you know what you are talking about when you approach your child’s school to question a teaching tactic, a philosophy or a homework assignment – Einstein Never Used Flash Cards can be a great tool.

Lisa Pinkus is the regular editor for BellaOnline's Judaism Site and also has her own Blog site In the Mist of Mommy