Esther Wojcicki is famous for three things: teaching a high school class that has changed the lives of thousands of kids, inspiring Silicon Valley legends like Steve Jobs, and raising three daughters who have each become famously successful. What do these three accomplishments have in common? They are the result of TRICK, Esther’s secret to raising successful people: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness. Simple lessons, but the results are radical. Esther Wojcicki is a leading American educator and journalist. Mother of YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Fulbright scholar Janet Wojcicki, and 23&Me founder Anne Wojcicki, as well as a teacher and mentor to James Franco and Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Esther is widely heralded as the most successful parent and educator in the United States. Esther offers essential lessons for raising, educating, and managing people to their highest potential. She is the author of Moonshots in Education (2014) and best seller How to Raise Successful People (May, 2019). She is co founder of Tract.app (2020) an innovative way to empower students by gamifying education using a peer to peer model.
Key Takeaways:
00:30 Esther’s Favorite Thing about Working with Young Learners
09:28 The Challenge for Educators with New Technologies
18:23 COVID and Alternative Education
25:32 Important Skills for Children to Have
35:19 Two Different Kinds of Bad Parenting
37:00 The Courage To Be Different and Vulnerable
45:50 How can Teenagers meet their Social Needs?
47:56 Metaphor comparing Traditional Education with Self-directed Education
Quotes:
“Young learners, they’re incredibly creative and you would never be able to predict what they’re going to ask or do or say. And I love that. Unpredictability and I love their creativity.”
“You don’t learn to be kind unless you are treated with kindness.”
“When you trust the child, they then feel good about themselves. And then they trust themselves.”
“An innovation comes from taking a risk. So you cannot be innovative as long as you’re unwilling to put yourself in this sort of vulnerable position.”
“The social, emotional skills are more important than anything. And those are the skills you, parents, can teach while your kid is at home now.”
Social Links:
Esther Wojcicki
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherwojcicki/
Co-Founder- http://tract.app
Dean:HarmonyPlus; Palo Alto High Journalism
Founder: Creative Commons; JournalisticLearningInitiative
Advisory Council: How to Raise Successful People; ThriveGlobal Blogger;
Founder: https://globalmoonshots.org/
Books: Moonshots in Education