Joanna Brauckmann 📚🐉 (she/her)

Passionate Educator, FIS Wiesbaden, PYP, Literacy Coach, Mama Bear, Reader, Night Owl Baker, Upcycler Fix it Lady,🇺🇸 taught in🇯🇵🇨🇭🇺🇸🇬🇧🇩🇪Views my own

[Jaynit @jaynitx]

In the 1920s, a Stanford psychologist tracked genius children for 50 years.

Malcolm Gladwell breaks down what he discovered:

Rich families → successful. Poor families → failures.

Not average. Failures. Genius-level IQs that produced nothing.

He spent 60 minutes at Microsoft explaining why we're wrong about success:

The psychologist was named Terman. He gave IQ tests to 250,000 California schoolchildren.

He identified the top 0.1%. Kids with IQs of 140 and above.

His hypothesis: these children would become the leaders of academia, industry, and politics.

He tracked them. And tracked them. For decades.

The results split into three groups.

The top 15% achieved real prominence. The middle group had average, moderately successful professional lives.

And the bottom group? By any measure, failures.

The difference wasn't personality. Wasn't habits. Wasn't work ethic.

It was simple: the successful geniuses came from wealthy households. The failures came from poor families.

Poverty is such a powerful constraint that it can reduce a one-in-a-billion brain to a lifetime of worse than mediocrity.

There's a concept called "capitalization rate."

It asks a simple question: what percentage of people who are capable of doing something actually end up doing that thing?

In inner city Memphis, only 1 in 6 kids with athletic scholarships actually go to college.

If our capitalization rate for sports in the inner city is 16%, imagine how low it must be for everything else.

Here's something stranger.

Gladwell read the birth dates of the 2007 Czech Junior Hockey Team:

January 3rd. January 3rd. January 12th. February 8th. February 10th. February 17th. February 20th. February 24th. March 5th. March 10th. March 26th...

11 of the 20 players were born in January, February, or March.

This isn't unique to the Czechs. Every elite hockey team in the world shows the same pattern. Every elite soccer team too.

Why?

The eligibility cutoff for youth leagues is January 1st.

When you're 10 years old, a kid born in January has 10 months of maturity on a kid born in October. That's 3 or 4 inches of height. The difference between clumsy and coordinated.

So we look at a group of 10 year olds, pick the "best" ones, give them special coaching, extra practice, more games.

We think we're identifying talent. We're just identifying the oldest.

Then we give the oldest more opportunities, and 10 years later they really are the best.

Self-fulfilling prophecy.

The capitalization rate for hockey talent born in the second half of the year? Close to zero.

We're leaving half of all potential hockey players on the table because of an arbitrary date on a calendar.

Kids born in the youngest cohort of their school class are 11% less likely to go to college.

11% of human potential squandered because we organize elementary school without reference to biological maturity.

Now here's the part about math.

Asian kids dramatically outperform Western kids in mathematics. The gap is enormous and consistent across decades of testing.

Some people say it's genetic. It's not.

It's attitudinal.

When Asian kids face a math problem, they believe effort will solve it.

When Western kids face a math problem, they believe the answer depends on innate ability they either have or don't.

Here's the proof.

The international math tests include a 120-question survey. It asks about study habits, parental support, attitudes.

It's so long most kids don't finish it.

A researcher named Erling Boe decided to rank countries by what percentage of survey questions their kids completed.

Then he compared it to the ranking of countries by math performance.

The correlation was 0.98.

In the history of social science, there has never been a correlation that high.

If you want to know how good a country is at math, you don't need to ask any math questions. Just make kids sit down and focus on a task for an extended period of time.

If they can do it, they're good at math.

Why do Asian cultures have this attitude?

Gladwell's theory: rice farming.

His European ancestors in medieval England worked about 1,000 hours a year. Dawn to noon, five days a week. Winters off. Lots of holidays.

A peasant in South China or Japan in the same period worked 3,000 hours a year.

Rice farming isn't just harder than wheat farming. It's a completely different relationship with work.

There's a Chinese proverb: "A man who works dawn to dusk 360 days a year will not go hungry."

His English ancestors would have said: "A man who works 175 days a year, dawn to 11, may or may not be hungry."

If your culture does that for a thousand years, it becomes part of your makeup.

When your kids sit down to face a calculus problem, that legacy of persistence translates perfectly.

Now consider distance running.

In Kenya, there are roughly a million schoolboys between 10 and 17 running 10 to 12 miles a day.

In the United States, that number is probably 5,000.

Our capitalization rate for distance running is less than 1%.

Kenya's is probably 95%.

The difference isn't genetic. The difference is what the culture values and where it spends its attention.

Here's the most fascinating finding.

30% of American entrepreneurs have been diagnosed with a profound learning disability.

Richard Branson is dyslexic. Charles Schwab is dyslexic. John Chambers can barely read his own email.

This isn't coincidence. Their entrepreneurialism is a direct function of their disability.

How do you succeed if you can't read or write from early childhood?

You learn to delegate. You become a great oral communicator. You become a problem solver because your entire life is one big problem. You learn to lead.

80% of dyslexic entrepreneurs were captain of a high school sports team. Versus 30% of non-dyslexic entrepreneurs.

By the time they enter the real world, they've spent their whole life practicing the four skills at the core of entrepreneurial success: delegation, oral communication, problem solving, and leadership.

Ask them what role dyslexia played in their success and they don't say it was an obstacle.

They say it's the reason they succeeded.

A disadvantage that became an advantage.

Here's what Gladwell wants you to understand:

When we see differences in success, our default explanation is differences in ability.

We forget how much poverty, stupidity, and attitude constrain what people can become.

We refuse to admit that our own arbitrary rules are leaving talent on the table.

We cling to naive beliefs that our meritocracies are fair.

The capitalization argument is liberating.

It says you don't look at a struggling group and conclude they're incapable. It says problems that look genetic or innate are often just failures of exploitation.

It says we can make a profound difference in how well people turn out.

If we choose to pay attention.

This 60 minute Microsoft talk will teach you more about success than every self-help book you've ever read combined.

Bookmark this & give it an hour today, no matter what.

[Earth Hippy 🌎🕊️💚 @hippyygoat]

If you are going to watch one thing today- WATCH THIS.

THANK YOU MR TRUMP..
For the perhaps unintentional education.

[Collin Rugg @CollinRugg]

JUST IN: Singer Bruce Springsteen releases angry, highly political new anti-ICE music video titled "Streets Of Minneapolis," which was uploaded to YouTube.

Springsteen raged against the Trump administration and called some out by name in the song.

The Hollywood clown show is so back.

[Joanna Brauckmann 📚🐉 (she/her) @jkrnomad]

@ChrisMurphyCT Defund, disband and prosecute ICE

[Joanna Brauckmann 📚🐉 (she/her) @jkrnomad]

@CaptMarkKelly Thank you for making such a brave stand.

[✌Anna🐞🌻🇺🇸 @noprentence]

@NancySinatra @ALETTAHA Yes.

[Mr. Spock 🖖 (Commentary) @SpockResists]

It is so blatant now.

Yet they still don’t get it.

That even their own racism was created for them by the wealthy to keep them poor.

Will they ever get it?

[Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton]

It’s not his house.

It’s your house.

And he’s destroying it.

[Joanna Brauckmann 📚🐉 (she/her) @jkrnomad]

@CoryBooker I love the Norway is going so far!

[Joanna Brauckmann 📚🐉 (she/her) @jkrnomad]

@KellyScaletta @Acyn This is the same story being reported in Germany. Most students finish high school at around 18-19 and often take a gap year where they travel and do not work. It’s also concerning that they were deported to Tokyo, not back to Germany!

https://t.co/Igl1X5wgsX

[Catfella 📯 🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪🇨🇦 @SusanneM0905]

He nailed it ‼️

[Don Winslow @donwinslow]

Will the world hear this?

[Christopher Webb @cwebbonline]

If you didn’t watch the State of the Union last night, just watch this. Guaranteed—Trump’s followers ate it up, so be ready with the facts when it spreads.

Rachel Maddow ran a clinic on Trump’s lies last night.

[Wu Tang is for the Children @WUTangKids]

Apparently it is once again time to bring back the lesson on tariffs from Ferris Bueller

[Joanna Brauckmann 📚🐉 (she/her) @jkrnomad]

@momof3weelees @RoyalFamily @ZelenskyyUa Zelensky 168cm. King Charles, age 76, is 177cm ….it looks like it too

[Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress]

Trump's position on Ukraine explained in two minutes

A brilliant cartoon by @freeonis/Instagram

[Aleksandr X @AleksandrX13]

THIS is Zelenskyy.

And those who fight for the light can ALWAYS recognize each other.

[Ed Krassenstein @EdKrassen]

BREAKING: After Trump's disgraceful actions at the WH today with President Zelensky major world players just came out to defend Ukraine and Zelensky:

- Donald Trump and JD Vance: You never thank us... waa waa waa.

- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk: “Dear Zelensky, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.”

- President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausea: “Ukraine, you’ll never walk alone.”

- Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen: “Dear Zelensky, Denmark proudly stands with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”

- French President Emmanual Macron: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a people being aggressed: Ukraine. We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue doing so. We, that’s the Americans, the Europeans, Canadians, Japanese, and many others. Thank you to all those who have helped and continue to do so. And respect to those who, from the beginning, have been fighting. Because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, for their children, and for the security of Europe.”

- President of Moldova Maia Sandu: “The truth is simple. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine defends its freedom—and ours. We stand with Ukraine.”

- Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: “Sweden stands with Ukraine. You are not only fighting for your freedom but also for all of Europe’s. Slava Ukraini! ”

- Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Mer: “Dear Volodymyr @zelenskyyua, we stand with #Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war. (FM)”

- Crotia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković: “Croatia knows from its own experience that only a just peace can last. The Croatian Government stands firm in its belief that Ukraine needs such a peace - a peace that means sovereignty, territorial integrity, and a secure Europe.”

- Finland’s Prime Minister @PetteriOrpo: “Finland and the Finnish people stand firmly with Ukraine. We will continue our unwavering support and work towards a just and lasting peace.”

- Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal: “We stand united with @ZelenskyyUa and Ukraine in our fight for freedom. Always. Because it is right, not easy.”

- Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris: “Ukraine is not to blame for this war brought about by Russia’s illegal invasion. We stand with Ukraine.“

- Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics: “Ukraine is a victim of the Russian aggression. It fights the war with the help from many friends and partners. We need to spare no effort for just and lasting peace. Diplomacy sometimes is the art of the impossible in difficult circumstances. Latvia stands with Ukraine”

- Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof: ”The Netherlands supports Ukraine as firmly as ever. Now more than ever. We want a lasting peace and an end to the war of aggression started by Russia. For Ukraine and its people, and for Europe.”

- Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Friedsen: “Luxembourg stands with Ukraine. You are fighting for your freedom and a rules based international order. ”

The West stands with the heroic Zelensky. Trump sides with the evil Putin. What has America become?

[Joanna Brauckmann 📚🐉 (she/her) @jkrnomad]

@RealMattCouch Zelensky actually proposed the deal last year. After receiving ~120 billion in aid the US proposed getting 500 billion in Ukraine mineral rights last week. Insane!
That’s grifter Trump doing Putin’s work, with no security guarantee and stealing Ukraine’s future. All info public.

[Furkan Gözükara @FurkanGozukara]

Notice how they don't take about Greta in schools now...