This blog post is dedicated to all the grandparents in the United States who are annoyed that their grandchildren are glued to their smartphones or iPads and don’t interact enough with human beings. My friend Maurice de Hond of Amsterdam, Holland, believes that adults better get used to the digital lifestyle otherwise their offspring will be at a major disadvantage in the in the future. He claims that the analog way of life, particularly in present day elementary schools, will not prepare children for the year 2035. He is working with the Dutch government to reverse the curriculum from traditional only classrooms to integrate virtual ones.

Maurice stated, “We have discovered since the invention of the tablet and all of the diversified educational apps, that it no longer makes sense to have a ‘one-size fits all’ educational system for students today. An increasing number of children entering the kindergarten and first grade are way ahead what is being taught to them. They have been using technology even before they can talk and have been absorbing information from areas that they are interested in at record speeds. We should not force them into a formal structure where the entire class learns a particular topic all at the same time and the same pace.”

Maurice suggests a whole reversal in the education process. He spells it out in the video above. It is 11 minutes long and it is worth watching because what you hear today will probably be common practice in the United States a number of years from now. Instead of being old and crotchety about it, embrace the changes. Your family needs your support and understanding. Get with it,

I bet on Maurice. We met over 20 years ago when he became our client and have remained close all this time. I see and speak to him more than some of my friends a few city blocks away. We have the kind of relationship that we can instantly pick up a conversation where we left off the last time we spoke. Maurice and I are the same age but he has a three year old. He also has four other older children, late 20s and mid 30s. Long story. Maurice is very well known in Amsterdam. He is a political analyst, a pollster, an Internet personality and now a pioneer in the education system. I will let you know his progress in converting the way children go to school. The ABC’s are going to take on a new meaning.