It's been a busy day here in Phoenix, and it's a little late to be posting this. But I definitely wanted to put up a quick word about the great Second General Session this morning.

Dr. Benjamin Carson (at right), author and chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, gave an amazing and inspiring presentation called "Think Big." His story is daunting to say the least. Carson's mother was one of 24 children. She was only able to read at a third-grade level when Carson was growing up. But his mother knew that education (and literacy) was the key to success. Carson was required to submit weekly book reports, and even though she couldn't read them, she marked them up anyway!

He doesn't pull any punches, and he is not afraid to tell it like it is. "We are a pinnacle nation," he said, "but we have forgot the fundamentals." We have forgotten how to maintain those high literacy rates that made us such a success. The question is, can we learn learn from our mistakes? Can we avoid the pitfalls of the pinnacle nations that came before us?

According to Carson, one of the keys is understanding that young people are different, and they learn differently. Understanding that THEY are the ones responsible for their education. We need to create a paradigm where educators become more like "education coordinators." Everybody needs to get involved. It's too hard for one group to know everything. The whole community needs to be a part of the process. And teachers and administrators must lead the charge in enacting this change!

So many great ideas. I can't possibly can't list them all here. But I heartily recommend checking out his book "Think Big," available in the NASSP Convention Bookstore. A great read by an inspiring man.