The Choice Channel

“In ‘China Needs an Einstein. So Do We’ (column, April 27), Thomas L. Friedman writes that ‘if Einstein were alive today, he would be telling both America and China that they have homework to do.’ I suggest that a starting assignment might be to turn off the television for little children and read out loud to them, and give them open-ended questions and see what they come up with. Questions like ‘What makes the sky blue?’ or ‘Why does the grass grow up?’ or ‘What is inside of a tire when it becomes flat?’ Kids notice things like this, even ask these questions. With the TV on, kids, passively entertained, aren’t as apt to be as curious.” (05/01/07)