The Rise of the YouTube Geniuses

Technology is a wonderful thing. It allows us instant access to information.

Between Google and YouTube, you can find out almost anything that you need to know. At the very least, those mediums can help you figure out how to find the information you are looking for. 

However, there are those of us who come from a time of encyclopedias-- a time when we had to put forth a little effort to learn. We understand that being able to find information instantly does not make us geniuses. We know that learning to do something and do it well takes practice, creativity, discipline... and time. 

Unfortunately, the connections between time, work, effort and mastery of a skill have been lost on the generations of children who have never known a world without the Internet. Many of them are developing a false sense of being brilliant and gifted, but based on none of their own efforts.       

For example, just recently, I had a discussion with one of my 10th-grade students about djembe drums that needed to be re-skinned for my teachers in their drumming classes. I explained to him that I was looking for an experienced drum builder to repair our drums. He told me that I didn’t need to look for anyone, as he would repair the drums himself!

I asked him if he had ever repaired a djembe drum before. He said no. I asked if he had ever even played a djembe drum before. He said no. So I asked how he expected to be able to repair the drums. He patiently explained to me (as though I didn't get it) that he would simply look up djembe drum repair on YouTube, watch the video, and then he would repair the drums based on what he learned from the video.

Now, anyone who knows anything about the art of drum-building understands that it is a very specialized skill-- so much so, master drum builders spend years learning their craft. I explained this fact to him and let him know that if he were really interested in drum building, I would put him in contact with someone he could take classes with. And that in time if he stuck with it, he would indeed be able to do a great job at repairing our drums. 

Apparently this was not the answer he was accustomed to. He accused me of trying to discourage him from the idea that he could do anything. I told him he could do anything, but that it comes with hard work, patience and commitment, not from watching a single YouTube video. 

Don’t get me wrong, watching YouTube videos has its place. For instance, you can quickly learn to tie a bow-tie or change a burnt-out headlight bulb in your car this way. But it is not the best way to learn everything. This is just one of many conversations that I have had with students who believe that they are exceptionally brilliant, based not on any actual accomplishments, but on their potential to accomplish things. 

I have found that students who are engaged in activities that require practice and consistent effort-- like playing an instrument or dancing or participating in organized sports teams-- understand the important relationship between time, effort and outcomes: They know that there are no “cheat codes” that will enable them to magically be better at playing the trumpet or executing a flawless pirouette; they know that they will only get better if they continue to practice over time. 

This problem is only made worse for students attending schools where funds have been moved away from the arts and sports to focus solely on testing. In today's urban educational climate, there is a great deal of pressure on teachers and administrators to focus all of a school's attention and resources on ensuring that students pass their standardized tests.

This often results in focusing classroom efforts on drills and tricks that instantly bump up scores but do not necessarily result in long-term knowledge or skill acquisition. This culture of instant achievement that has begun to permeate our school systems reinforces the idea that excellence is something that can be quickly attained.

It is, therefore, more critical than ever that testing is balanced with more hands-on enrichment opportunities like those that can be found through the arts or athletics. In this way, students learn to appreciate and understand the essential relationship between time, effort and outcomes. 

Continuing to allow our children to believe that they are brilliant and exceptional based on their ability to “Google it” or attain passing scores on narrow standardized tests will result in fostering a generation of adults who have no appreciation for or ability to produce anything that stands the test of time.