Jeg vil stille jer et spørgsmål: Hvornår blev I sidst kaldt "barnlig"? For børn, som mig selv, sker det ret ofte, at vi bliver kaldt barnlige. Hver gang vi stiller irrationelle krav, opfører os uansvarligt eller udviser tegn på at være en normal amerikansk borger, bliver vi kaldt barnlige. Og det går mig virkelig på. Prøv og tag et kig på disse begivenheder: Imperialisme og kolonisering, verdenskrige, George W. Bush. Spørg dig selv: Hvem er ansvarlig? Voksne.
Now, I want to start with a question: When was the last time you were called "childish"? For kids like me, being called childish can be a frequent occurrence. Every time we make irrational demands, exhibit irresponsible behavior, or display any other signs of being normal American citizens, we are called childish. Which really bothers me. After all, take a look at these events: Imperialism and colonization, world wars, George W. Bush. Ask yourself, who's responsible? Adults. Now, what have kids done?
Hvad har børn gjort? Anne Frank rørte millioner af mennesker med sin stærke fortælling om Holocaust. Ruby Bridges var med til at ende raceadskillelse i USA. Og for nylig var Charlie Simpson med til at indsamle 120.000 pund til Haiti på sin lille cykel. Som i kan se ud fra disse eksempler, så har alder intet med det at gøre. De egenskaber som ordet "barnlig" adresserer ses ligeså ofte hos voksne, at vi burde afskaffe dette aldersdiskriminerende ord, når vi kritiserer en adfærd, der associeres med uansvarlighed og en irrationel tankegang.
Well, Anne Frank touched millions with her powerful account of the Holocaust. Ruby Bridges helped to end segregation in the United States. And, most recently, Charlie Simpson helped to raise 120,000 pounds for Haiti, on his little bike. So as you can see evidenced by such examples, age has absolutely nothing to do with it. The traits the word "childish" addresses are seen so often in adults, that we should abolish this age-discriminatory word, when it comes to criticizing behavior associated with irresponsibility and irrational thinking.
(Bifald)
(Applause)
Tak.
Thank you.
Og dog, hvem siger at vi ikke har brug for visse former for irrationel tankegang i verden? Måske har du haft store planer, men stoppet op og tænkt: "Det er umuligt," eller "Det er for dyrt," eller "Det vil ikke gavne mig." På godt og ondt er vi børn ikke hæmmet lige så meget når det kommer til at finde på grunde til ikke at gøre ting. Børn kan være fulde af inspirerende ambitioner og håbefulde tanker, ligesom mit ønske om at ingen sulter, eller at alt er gratis, et slags Utopia. Hvor mange af jer drømmer stadig om det og tror på mulighederne for det? Nogen gange kan viden om historien og tidligere utopiske fiaskoer være en byrde, fordi du ved, at hvis alt var gratis, så ville fødevare markedet blive udtømt, og det ville føre til kaos. På den anden side, så drømmer vi børn stadig om perfektion. Og det er godt, fordi før man kan gøre noget virkeligt, bliver man nødt til at drømme om det først.
Then again, who's to say that certain types of irrational thinking aren't exactly what the world needs? Maybe you've had grand plans before, but stopped yourself, thinking, "That's impossible," or "That costs too much," or "That won't benefit me." For better or worse, we kids aren't hampered as much when it comes to thinking about reasons why not to do things. Kids can be full of inspiring aspirations and hopeful thinking, like my wish that no one went hungry, or that everything were free, a kind of utopia. How many of you still dream like that, and believe in the possibilities? Sometimes a knowledge of history and the past failures of Utopian ideals can be a burden, because you know that if everything were free, then the food stocks would become depleted and scarce and lead to chaos. On the other hand, we kids still dream about perfection. And that's a good thing, because in order to make anything a reality, you have to dream about it first.
På mange måder skubber vores dristighed til at drømme til grænserne for, hvad der er muligt. For eksempel har the Museum of Glass i Tacoma, Washington, min hjemstat - juhu, Washington!
In many ways, our audacity to imagine helps push the boundaries of possibility. For instance, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, my home state -- yoohoo, Washington!
(Bifald)
(Applause)
De har et program, der hedder "Kids Design Glass," hvor børn designer deres egen glaskunst. Den faste kunstner sagde, at de fik deres bedste ideer fra programmet, fordi børn ikke tænker på begrænsningerne for hvor svært det er at puste glas i bestemte former, de kommer bare på gode ideer. Når man tænker på glas, tænker man måske på farverigt glaskunst af Chihuly eller på italienske vaser, men børn udfordrer glaskunstnere til at gå skridtet videre ind i en verden af sønderknuste slanger, og bacon drenge, som i kan se har et kød syn.
has a program called Kids Design Glass, and kids draw their own ideas for glass art. The resident artist said they got some of their best ideas from the program, because kids don't think about the limitations of how hard it can be to blow glass into certain shapes, they just think of good ideas. Now, when you think of glass, you might think of colorful Chihuly designs, or maybe Italian vases, but kids challenge glass artists to go beyond that, into the realm of brokenhearted snakes and bacon boys, who you can see has meat vision.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Vores iboende visdom er ikke en insider viden. Børn lærer allerede en masse fra voksne og vi har en masse, vi kan dele. Jeg synes, at voksne skal til at lære af børn. Jeg taler for det meste foran et publikum inden for uddannelse -- lærere og studerende, og jeg kan godt lide denne analogi: Det burde ikke være en lærer, der siger til klassen: "Gør dit, gør dat." Eleverne burde undervise læreren. Undervisning mellem voksne og børn burde være gensidig. Virkeligheden er desværre lidt anderledes, og det hænger sammen med tillid eller manglen på det.
Now, our inherent wisdom doesn't have to be insider's knowledge. Kids already do a lot of learning from adults, and we have a lot to share. I think that adults should start learning from kids. Now, I do most of my speaking in front of an education crowd -- teachers and students, and I like this analogy: It shouldn't be a teacher at the head of the class, telling students, "Do this, do that." The students should teach their teachers. Learning between grown-ups and kids should be reciprocal. The reality, unfortunately, is a little different, and it has a lot to do with trust, or a lack of it.
For hvis du ikke stoler på nogen, lægger du restriktioner på dem, ikke? Hvis jeg tvivler på, at min storesøster tilbagebetaler de ti procent i rente, som jeg pålagde hendes sidste lån, vil jeg nægte at låne hende flere penge indtil hun betaler dem tilbage.
Now, if you don't trust someone, you place restrictions on them, right? If I doubt my older sister's ability to pay back the 10 percent interest I established on her last loan, I'm going to withhold her ability to get more money from me, until she pays it back.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Det er forresten en sand historie. Voksne lader til at have en generel, begrænsende holdning til børn fra "Gør ikke dit, gør ikke dat" i skolehåndbogen til begrænsninger på internetbrug i skolen. Som historien har vist, bliver regimer undertrykkende, når de bliver bange for at miste kontrol. Og selvom voksne måske ikke når op på højde med totalitære regimer, så har børn meget lidt at sige i forhold til at lave regler, selvom holdningen burde være gensidig, sådan at den voksne befolkning burde lære fra og inkludere den yngre befolknings ønsker.
True story, by the way. Now, adults seem to have a prevalently restrictive attitude towards kids, from every "Don't do that, don't do this" in the school handbook, to restrictions on school Internet use. As history points out, regimes become oppressive when they're fearful about keeping control. And although adults may not be quite at the level of totalitarian regimes, kids have no or very little say in making the rules, when really, the attitude should be reciprocal, meaning that the adult population should learn and take into account the wishes of the younger population.
Men værre end begrænsninger er det, at voksne ofte undervurderer børns evner. Vi elsker udfordringer, men hvis forventningerne er lave, så vil vi falde til det niveau. Mine forældre havde alt andet end lave forventninger til mig og min søster. Okay, de tvang os ikke til at blive læger eller advokater, men min far læste højt for os om Aristoteles og "Banebrydende bakteriebekæmpelse", mens andre børn hørte "Hjulene på bussen drejer rundt, rundt, rundt." Den hørte vi også, men "Banebrydende bakteriebekæmpelse" styrer for vildt.
Now, what's even worse than restriction, is that adults often underestimate kids' abilities. We love challenges, but when expectations are low, trust me, we will sink to them. My own parents had anything but low expectations for me and my sister. Okay, so they didn't tell us to become doctors or lawyers or anything like that, but my dad did read to us about Aristotle and pioneer germ-fighters, when lots of other kids were hearing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round." Well, we heard that one too, but "Pioneer Germ Fighters" totally rules.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Jeg elskede at skrive, fra jeg var fire år gammel, og da jeg var seks år, købte min mor en bærbar til mig med Microsoft Word. Tak, Bill Gates, og tak, mor. Jeg skrev over 300 noveller på den bærbar, og jeg ville udgive dem. I stedet for at grine af at et barn ville udgives eller sagt jeg måtte vente, til jeg blev ældre, støttede mine forældre mig. Mange forlæggere var ikke lige så opmuntrende. Et stort børnebogsforlag sagde ironisk nok, at de ikke arbejdede med børn. Et børnebogsforlag, der ikke arbejder med børn? Det er lidt som om, de støder en stor kunde fra sig.
I loved to write from the age of four, and when I was six, my mom bought me my own laptop equipped with Microsoft Word. Thank you, Bill Gates, and thank you, Ma. I wrote over 300 short stories on that little laptop, and I wanted to get published. Instead of just scoffing at this heresy that a kid wanted to get published, or saying wait until you're older, my parents were really supportive. Many publishers were not quite so encouraging. One large children's publisher ironically said that they didn't work with children. Children's publisher not working with children? I don't know, you're kind of alienating a large client there.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Et forlag, Action Publishing, var villig til at tage chancen, og høre hvad jeg havde at sige. De udgav min første bog, "Flying Fingers." Og derfra er jeg gået til at snakke på hundredvis af skoler, foran tusindvis af undervisere og endelig snakke foran jer i dag.
One publisher, Action Publishing, was willing to take that leap and trust me, and to listen to what I had to say. They published my first book, "Flying Fingers," you see it here. And from there on, it's gone to speaking at hundreds of schools, keynoting to thousands of educators, and finally, today, speaking to you.
Jeg sætter pris på jeres opmærksomhed, fordi i ved at lytte viser, at det betyder noget. Men der er et problem med denne rosenrøde ide om, at børn er bedre end voksne. Børn vokser op og bliver voksne ligesom jer.
I appreciate your attention today, because to show that you truly care, you listen. But there's a problem with this rosy picture of kids being so much better than adults. Kids grow up and become adults just like you.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Eller ligesom jer? Virkelig? Målet er ikke at gøre børn til jeres form for voksen, men i stedet, til bedre voksne end i har været, hvilket kan blive udfordrende, når man ser på jeres kompetencer.
Or just like you? Really? The goal is not to turn kids into your kind of adult, but rather, better adults than you have been, which may be a little challenging, considering your guys' credentials.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Fremgang sker, ved at nye generationer og nye tider
But the way progress happens, is because new generations and new eras
vokser frem og bliver bedre end de tidligere tider. Det er derfor, vi ikke længere er i Den Mørke Middelalder. Uanset hvad din holdning er, er det nødvendigt at skabe muligheder for børn, så vi kan vokse op og skubbe jer væk.
grow and develop and become better than the previous ones. It's the reason we're not in the Dark Ages anymore. No matter your position or place in life, it is imperative to create opportunities for children, so that we can grow up to blow you away.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Voksne og andre TEDstere i bliver nødt til at lytte til og lære af børn, og stole på og forvente mere af os. I må låne os et øre i dag, for vi er morgendagens ledere, hvilket betyder, at vi skal tage os af jer, når i er gamle og senile. Nej, jeg laver sjov.
Adults and fellow TEDsters, you need to listen and learn from kids, and trust us and expect more from us. You must lend an ear today, because we are the leaders of tomorrow, which means we're going to take care of you when you're old and senile. No, just kidding.
(Latter)
(Laughter)
Men vi er den næste generation, dem, som vil bringe denne verden fremad. Og hvis du tror, at dette ikke har nogen betydning for dig, så husk at kloning er muligt, og det betyder, at man skal gennem barndommen igen, og derfor vil du ønske at blive hørt, ligesom min generation. Verden har brug for muligheder for nye ledere og nye ideer. Børn har brug for muligheder for at lede og dermed lykkes. Er du klar til at tage kampen? For problemerne i verden burde ikke være menneskehedens arvestykke.
No, really, we are going to be the next generation, the ones who will bring this world forward. And in case you don't think that this really has meaning for you, remember that cloning is possible, and that involves going through childhood again, in which case you'll want to be heard, just like my generation. Now, the world needs opportunities for new leaders and new ideas. Kids need opportunities to lead and succeed. Are you ready to make the match? Because the world's problems shouldn't be the human family's heirloom.
Tak.
Thank you.
(Bifald)
(Applause)
Tak. Tak.
Thank you. Thank you.