Glad to hear about the young Frum showing intelligence and wit. I guess it runs in the family.
As for rote memorization, I think the education indstry was right to turn away from it, at least in most circumstances. As soon as children are capable, they should be taught to think about the subject so that they can better grasp the truth and be able to apply it to other situations. This was also demonstrated by the young Mr. Frum, as you said.
I work in education, and I’ve learned that self-esteem is useful – to a point. Too many of my students let their fear prevent them from succeeding on examinations. They panic, and miss things that they actually know. However, self-confidence does you no good if you don’t understand the material. A pity some in the education industry seem to forget that.
