Sir Ken Robinson, a renowned thinker on education and creativity, recently wrote a book aptly entitled The Element.   The book is filled with stories of amazing and now very famous and successful people who were ‘tossed aside’ by traditional educational institutions.  These ‘slackers’ found their true gift or ‘element’ in life from non-traditional avenues (outside of educational institutions) and have become some of the most celebrated and inspirational people in their respective fields.  What does this have to do with homeschooling?  Well, anyone who is homeschooling a child because their child didn’t ‘fit in’ at a traditional school or to let their child spend more time in ‘his or her element’ are doing exactly what Ken says is missing from traditional education.  The Element provides refreshing insight into what constitutes actual human intelligence and the folly of the world’s focus solely on reading and math.  What about the arts? After reading The Element, I was reminded of how both Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were ‘misfits’ in traditional schools.  According to Wikipedia, Thomas Edison was pulled out of school to be homeschooled because he lacked focus and his teacher labeled him addled (1850′s).  In 1894, Albert Einstein quit school.  According to Wikipedia, Einstein ‘resented the school’s regimen and teaching method. He later wrote that the spirit of learning and creative thought were lost in strict rote learning.’ So, over one hundred years have passed since Einstein quit school and we are still hearing stories of great people of our time being ‘tossed aside’ by traditional educational institutions.  At the same time, our world is increasingly seeking creative, innovative and adaptable people.  Memorizing math facts, state capitols and following instructions just aren’t enough.   So, call homeschoolers eccentric or eclectic . . . we are in good company!