Amidst the recent announcement from the White’s twelve-year-old daughter that she is through with school and no longer wants to attend – with viable and compelling evidence to back up her stance & position – Garrett & Danielle jump into a conversation that explores the idea of schooling vs education as they compare today’s world of accessible technology to the period in which they grew up. Also, be sure to listen to find out how you can become part of next week’s show.

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Every week, married couple Danielle and Garrett J White share insights and perspectives from within their own lives regarding the following topics discussed each month: Week 1: Sex Week 2: Money Week 3: Parenting Week 4: Communication In This Week’s Podcast…PARENTING Point #1: PROCRASTINATION

As a procrastinator in High School, Danielle was someone who never turned in her homework and was on the verge of not graduating until she was able to pull off some eleventh-hour shenanigans. “I didn’t care about doing homework. I didn’t see the point of doing it.”
Now, as an adult, Danielle regrets that “I didn’t learn how to learn and instead always found a way around doing the work.” She sees herself as very intuitive but sees Garrett as 100% more book-smart than she is. “He likes to read, he can quote all sorts of things, and he is really smart. I’ve kind of envied that about him.”

QUESTION

What habits and patterns did you have when you were going to school? Did they help or hinder you?

Point #2: AT THEIR FINGERTIPS

The landscape of today’s learning has shifted completely from when Danielle and Garrett attended school. With technology at their fingertips, kids today can learn just about anything, anytime.
Garrett: “At their age, our kids are way fucking smarter than we were. They have more data in their brains; more points of reference. And they have access to shit that we didn’t. From the time Ruby was four or five years old, she has been asking Siri questions about everything!"

QUESTION

What do you see as the pros and cons of how you learned in the past compared to how your kids are learning today?

Point #3: GENIUS DROP-OUTS

Many successful entrepreneurs and creators either dropped out of school or didn’t finish school in the traditional sense. These include the creators of IKEA, APPLE, and Facebook. “Pretty much every major tool you use right now was built by a school dropout.”
Garrett: As I look at what kids study in school, my thought is they might be better off studying Facebook ads, direct-response marketing, and persuasion & influence. When you look inside our families alone, the people with the least amount of education have made the most amount of money.

QUESTION

What has been your experience with this?

Point #4: AN ABUNDANCE OF POSSIBILITIES

Garrett: Imagine if, in the next six years, we spent three hours a day focused on turning our daughter into a weaponized speaker, marketer, and salesperson. And on top of that, she had the traditional reading, writing, and math, with the rest of the day filled with singing, art, playing the piano, and participating in team sports.
Danielle says she doesn’t have any real answers right now but that she does have a lot of questions. “This is a frustrating topic that came up for us on Date Night. I feel like Garrett and I are on both sides of the spectrum. We value learning and we value work, but do we value the traditional ways of school?”

QUESTION

What are your feelings regarding the abundance of possibilities in education available to your child in today’s world?

Point #5: OPENING DOORS

Danielle: As a parent, we wonder if we’re leading our children in the right direction. Does the Universe manifest a path that they should take? Or, are we supposed to assist and open doors for them along the way?
Garrett: Part of our job is to open the doors and let them explore different rooms. While there are plenty of doors they’re going to open themselves, as a parent, you open the door and watch what your child does.

QUESTION

What doors are you opening up for your children? What doors were opened up for you? What have been the results?

Communication Challenge:

Next week’s topic is, “Babies: When do you know it’s time to have a baby? When do you know it’s time to stop having babies?” If you would like to be part of that conversation or have a question/ comment on this, please send an audio clip to garrett@wakeupwarrior.com. We’ll throw you in the mix and play your audios on the air. Men, we want to hear from you!

Date Night Topic:

On your date this week, have a conversation around the different ways you learn. Are you more of an incessant reader and highlighter, or are prone to listening to podcasts and watching videos? Are you a little bit of each?

Quote of the Week:

“Parker does a great job, not because he’s my son but because of who he is. Did I open the door? Sure!”

–Garrett J White

“Is it personality or path? Is it circumstance or timing? Are we put on this earth and literally ordained to have a certain path? Does everyone have an equal opportunity? I think at some level, everyone is given the opportunity to find it within themselves and that that’s the point of life.”

–Danielle K White

#122 Ronan Maher – Samizdat Magazine