By John Balch
News-Leader staff
“It’s for geniuses only – I know that sounds discriminatory, but the fact is every child is a potential genius.”
Those are the words of 92-year-old Professor William Maxwell, a Center Point native now residing in Mineral Springs, who along with descendants from the Wesson-Boles family of Howard County has established The American Creed Academy.
The Academy’s goal is simple, Maxwell said: Start an “educational revolution” right here in Howard County.
Just incorporated by the state in November, the Academy will start its venture in January with free one-hour “genius” workshops for parents and children ages 3-1/2 and above. More sessions and an international Children’s Athletics and Scholastic Trials event are planned later in 2022 to take place in the Center Point Community Center.
The free workshops will be held every Saturday at 8:30 a.m., starting Jan. 8 at the CP Community Center. For more information or to reserve seats, contact Maxwell at (404) 323-1403.
Maxwell said the Academy is the second known attempt to implement the American Creed as stated in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” That same message is taught in the Bible (Genesis 1:26), and has been verified by five sciences, according to the professor.
“A baby fetus starts life perfectly endowed,” Maxwell said of studies that have determined that all normal human babies are born with 86,000,000,000 “genius-quality brain cells” ready to learn “faster than the best computer chips.”
“Thus, every child is designed by God to be a potential genius, obviously, though, requiring highly skilled teaching,” Maxwell added.
That teaching should start early with methods many expectant parents are familiar with such as “The Mozart Effect” where certain music is played to the baby inside the womb and the mother keeping herself and the baby stress free, healthy, off any drugs, and happy through the term.
“Research in India over 2,000 years ago showed that rhythmic music harmonious with the rhythms of the brain and heart increases the speed with which the brain builds communication networks inside itself,” according to Maxwell.
Once the baby is born, advanced teaching should begin, but by proven simple means involving core subjects of music, mathematics and physical education.
“Once a kid gets the confidence of math and music and the skills of athletics, then the kid is confident enough to tackle medicine, law or astronomy, or whatever,” Maxwell said. “But that training must begin at home, from infancy.”
The father’s role in the teaching is critical. But Maxwell said statistics show this will be one of the challenges faced by the Academy. “Only 60 percent of American children have fathers, with Blacks only 20 percent,” he said. “That’s disaster!”
“My students at Ottawa University interviewed juvenile delinquents for three times a year for 10 years. Those students prepared about 65 questions for these 300 young criminals. The last question was ‘What is your relationship with your father?’ Not one of those 300 criminals had a good relationship with a father. The converse is instructive. Nearly every successful person from Heifetz to Serena Williams to Stephen Currey had a father who carefully mentored their child.”
Therefore, the father’s role will be a major focus of the workshops in January. “I’m going to pound the table, ‘Dad, you’ve got to do your job. Your job is to educate your child; don’t wait for schooling. Their brain is powerful and fresh when they’re two years old. So teach him everything you know.’”
Even the common play of the dad counting toes and tossing their child in the air with laughter and hugs plays a big role in the child’s development. “The child gains trust. If they trust the dad, then the child is ready to trust the universe,” Maxwell said.
The idea of revolutionizing the education system is not new and Maxwell concedes that. He knows, too, public acceptance of “something new, very new” is another hurdle ahead for the academy. “What we have now is a socialist educational system that began here in American in 1635 that does not work now,” he said.
Maxwell clinches his teeth when stating the United States is currently ranked 37th worldwide in math scores for 15-year-olds. “That’s simply curable! It’s been proven over and over again: Start kids off by loving math from playing math games such as NIM and Kalah!” There are hundreds of games, he said. Maxwell said those math games will translate into real life situations at the academy.
The academy’s funding will be from an initial endowment of land in Center Point as well as donations and investors. And a plan proposed by Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman called “The Educational Mortgage” will also be critical where capitalists and other citizen-investors follow Professor Friedman’s advice and invest through the Academy in children with the drive to develop their genius with the belief that the children so well-educated with repay the cost of their first-rate education from future earnings so that the Academy can yield back to investors at least 8 percent return, according to Maxwell.
The Academy will train dads to begin teaching their children “Ethical Capitalism” by showing them how to grow and sell to neighbors carrots or onions or other vegetables on a one meter by two-meter plot of land in the backyard or elsewhere and invest the profits by purchasing shares at $10 per share in the American Creed Academy. Enterprising children will also be trained to earn an additional $10 per week by helping elderly neighbors do chores such as cleaning their front yards or washing their cars or walking their dogs, etc.
Another source of funding will be the Genius Pathfinder Test, co-authored by Maxwell and Dr. Dorothea Martin, and developed at the request of Grantham University wanting to show that its work curricula increases its students’ intelligence while enrolled. Dr. Martin’s intelligence quotient (IQ) has been measured at an extraordinary genius-level 185, which puts her in the top 100 most intelligent persons on earth at this time. She was blinded at birth.
The 50-question test, Maxwell said, follows proven science and a concept urged by St. Peter in the Bible (Second Peter 1:10) , “Follow your true calling.” The test assesses 21 mental skills from problem-solving abilities to self-awareness. The test also measures a person’s changeable IQ. The test is for people whose mental age is 12 and older.
The test, officially called the Maxwell-Martin Multiple Intelligences Career Path Finder, is available worldwide at the academy website (americancreedacademy.com) for $199.95.
Test free for limited
time to county residents
The test is free to all residents of Howard County until Dec. 31, 2021 with the discount code to TEACH100. There is no obligation involved in taking the test and the funds will help balance the Academy’s budget where the starting salary for the genius teachers/professors is $90,000, Maxwell said. All test results are confidential, he said.
Maxwell calls the genius test part of the academy’s “intellectual property” that coupled with other sources of income could one day result in the actually building of a 21st century facility on nine-acres of his family’s historic land located “under the hill” in Center Point.
Typically, Maxwell believes, revolutions tend to start where they are least expected. He also believes there is nothing to prevent the educational revolution from starting in the former county seat of Howard County.
“Why not!” he added.
Maxwell was born in Center Point, Ark., and grew up in Arizona, where he was valedictorian and president of his high school student body. He studied at Howard, Oregon State, Maryland, California, Oxford and Harvard universities. HIs master’s and doctorate are from Harvard University. He is also a noted author of three books – “The First Hero,” “Genius Baby,” and “Super Parenting.” HIs late wife, Mary Elizabeth, was a public health nurse and co-authored some of his books.
