0:00:17.193,0:00:18.343
When you're a kid,

0:00:18.345,0:00:21.152
you get asked this one[br]particular question a lot.

0:00:21.152,0:00:23.424
It really gets kind of annoying.

0:00:23.646,0:00:26.201
"What do you want to be[br]when you grow up?"

0:00:26.614,0:00:29.072
Now, adults are hoping for answers like

0:00:29.072,0:00:30.814
"I want to be an Astronaut" or

0:00:30.814,0:00:32.833
"I want to be a Neurosurgeon".

0:00:33.496,0:00:36.165
You adults and[br]your imaginations. (Laughter)

0:00:36.165,0:00:37.221
Kids,

0:00:37.221,0:00:39.681
they are more likely to answer with[br]pro skateboarder

0:00:39.691,0:00:41.973
surfer or Minecraft player.

0:00:42.533,0:00:44.341
I asked my little brother,[br]and he said,

0:00:44.341,0:00:46.696
"Seriously dude, I'm 10,[br]I have no idea,

0:00:46.696,0:00:48.060
probably a pro skier.

0:00:48.060,0:00:49.447
Let's go get some ice cream!"

0:00:49.447,0:00:50.811
(Laughter)

0:00:50.816,0:00:52.416
See, us kids are going to answer

0:00:52.416,0:00:54.279
with something we're stoked on

0:00:54.279,0:00:55.957
What we think is cool.

0:00:55.957,0:00:57.473
What we have experience with,

0:00:57.473,0:01:00.476
and that's typically the opposite[br]of what adults want to hear.

0:01:01.141,0:01:02.815
But if you ask a little kid,

0:01:02.815,0:01:05.076
sometimes you'll get the best answer,

0:01:05.097,0:01:07.348
something so simple,[br]so obvious,

0:01:07.348,0:01:09.265
and really profound.

0:01:10.045,0:01:12.352
"When I grow up,[br]I want to be happy".

0:01:13.319,0:01:14.600
For me, when I grow up,

0:01:14.600,0:01:16.221
I want to continue to be happy

0:01:16.221,0:01:17.642
like I am now.

0:01:17.958,0:01:19.466
I'm stoked to be here at TEDx,

0:01:19.466,0:01:20.887
I've been watching TED videos

0:01:20.887,0:01:22.585
for as long as I can remember.

0:01:22.585,0:01:25.349
But I never thought I'd make it[br]on stage here so soon.

0:01:25.355,0:01:26.975
I mean,[br]I just became a teenager,

0:01:26.975,0:01:28.582
and like most teenage boys,

0:01:28.582,0:01:30.362
I spend most of my time wondering:

0:01:30.365,0:01:33.671
"How did my room get so messy[br]all on its own?" (Laughter)

0:01:33.902,0:01:35.880
Did I take a shower today?[br](Laughter)

0:01:35.880,0:01:37.818
And the most perplexing of all,

0:01:37.818,0:01:40.740
How do I get girls to like me?[br](Laughter)

0:01:41.400,0:01:44.300
Neuroscientists say that[br]the teenage brain is pretty weird.

0:01:44.300,0:01:46.717
Our prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped,

0:01:46.717,0:01:48.901
but we actually have[br]more neurons than adults.

0:01:48.901,0:01:52.179
Which is why we can be so creative,[br]and impulsive, and moody,

0:01:52.179,0:01:54.080
and get bummed out.

0:01:55.110,0:01:57.130
But what bums me out[br]is to know that

0:01:57.130,0:02:01.303
a lot of kids today are[br]just wishing to be happy,

0:02:01.303,0:02:03.543
to be healthy, to be safe, not bullied,

0:02:03.543,0:02:05.593
and be loved for who they are.

0:02:05.759,0:02:08.076
So it seems to me when adults say,

0:02:08.391,0:02:10.372
"What do you want to be[br]when you grow up?"

0:02:10.372,0:02:14.111
They just assume that you'll [br]automatically be happy and healthy.

0:02:14.111,0:02:16.207
But maybe that's not the case.

0:02:16.207,0:02:18.243
Go to school. Go to college. Get a job.

0:02:18.243,0:02:20.076
Get married. Boom![br]

0:02:20.138,0:02:22.198
Then you'll be happy, right?

0:02:22.937,0:02:25.565
We don't seem to make learning[br]how to be happy and healthy

0:02:25.565,0:02:26.877
a priority in our schools.

0:02:26.892,0:02:28.620
It's separated from schools,

0:02:28.620,0:02:31.474
and for some kids,[br]it doesn't exist at all.

0:02:31.903,0:02:33.647
But what if we didn't make it separate?

0:02:33.647,0:02:35.611
What if we based education on the study

0:02:35.611,0:02:37.961
and practice of being happy and healthy?

0:02:37.961,0:02:40.597
Because that's what it is, a practice.

0:02:40.615,0:02:42.722
And a simple practice like that.

0:02:43.340,0:02:45.047
Education is important,

0:02:45.047,0:02:46.733
but why is being happy and healthy

0:02:46.733,0:02:48.393
not considered education?

0:02:48.393,0:02:50.231
I just don't get it.

0:02:51.693,0:02:54.494
I've been studying the science[br]of being happy and healthy.

0:02:54.494,0:02:57.109
It really comes down to practicing[br]these 8 things:

0:02:57.617,0:02:59.645
Exercise, diet and nutrition,

0:02:59.645,0:03:02.258
time in nature, contribution[br]and service to others,

0:03:02.258,0:03:04.603
relationships, recreation,

0:03:04.603,0:03:07.078
relaxation and stress management,

0:03:07.078,0:03:09.087
and religious or spiritual involvement.

0:03:09.087,0:03:11.592
Yes, I got that one.[br](Laugther)

0:03:11.984,0:03:15.137
So these 8 things come[br]from Dr. Roger Walsh.

0:03:15.137,0:03:17.661
He calls them[br]"Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes"

0:03:17.661,0:03:19.581
or TLCs for short,

0:03:19.581,0:03:22.709
He's a scientist that studies[br]how to be happy and healthy.

0:03:22.709,0:03:24.089
In researching this talk,

0:03:24.089,0:03:26.191
I got a chance to ask him[br]a few questions like:

0:03:26.191,0:03:30.869
"Do you think that our schools today[br]are making these 8 TLCs a priority?"

0:03:30.869,0:03:32.770
His response was no surprise.

0:03:32.770,0:03:34.455
It was essentially "No".

0:03:34.455,0:03:35.890
But he did say

0:03:35.890,0:03:38.490
that many people do try[br]to get this kind of education

0:03:38.490,0:03:40.580
outside of the traditional arena

0:03:40.580,0:03:43.332
through reading or practices[br]such as meditation or yoga.

0:03:44.362,0:03:46.457
But what I thought was his best response

0:03:46.457,0:03:48.794
was that much of education is oriented,

0:03:48.794,0:03:50.204
for better or worse,

0:03:50.204,0:03:53.263
towards making a living[br]rather than making a life.

0:03:55.525,0:03:57.812
In 2006, Sir Ken Robinson gave

0:03:57.888,0:04:00.129
the most popular TED talk of all time,

0:04:00.437,0:04:02.387
"Schools Kill Creativity."

0:04:02.387,0:04:06.242
His message is that creativity is[br]as important as literacy,

0:04:06.242,0:04:08.676
and we should treat it[br]with the same status.

0:04:09.014,0:04:11.124
A lot of parents watched those videos,

0:04:11.124,0:04:13.666
some of those parents like mine[br]counted it as one of the reasons

0:04:13.673,0:04:16.868
they felt confident to pull their kids[br]from traditional school,

0:04:16.868,0:04:18.665
to try something different.

0:04:19.187,0:04:22.359
I realize that I am part of this small[br]but growing revolution of kids

0:04:22.359,0:04:24.623
who are going about[br]their education differently.

0:04:24.623,0:04:27.450
And you know what?[br]It freaks a lot of people out.

0:04:28.759,0:04:30.070
Even though I was only 9

0:04:30.070,0:04:32.422
when my parents pulled me out[br]of the school system,

0:04:32.422,0:04:34.404
I can still remember my mom [br]being in tears

0:04:34.404,0:04:37.984
when some of her friends told her[br]she was crazy, and it was a stupid idea.

0:04:37.984,0:04:41.258
Looking back, I'm thankful[br]she didn't cave to peer pressure,

0:04:41.259,0:04:42.918
and I think she is too.

0:04:43.765,0:04:47.641
So out of the 200 million people

0:04:48.071,0:04:50.783
that have watched Sir Ken Robinson's talk,

0:04:50.783,0:04:53.468
why aren't there more kids[br]like me out there?

0:04:55.274,0:04:57.396
Shane McConkey is my hero.

0:04:57.396,0:04:59.929
I loved him because[br]he was the world's best skier.

0:04:59.929,0:05:03.112
But then one day I realized[br]what I really loved about Shane.

0:05:03.112,0:05:04.493
He was a hacker.

0:05:04.501,0:05:06.120
Not a computer hacker,

0:05:06.120,0:05:07.930
he hacked skiing.

0:05:07.930,0:05:11.214
His creativity and inventions made[br]skiing what it is today,

0:05:11.214,0:05:13.197
and why I love to ski.

0:05:14.292,0:05:17.293
A lot of people think of hackers[br]as geeky computer nerds

0:05:17.293,0:05:20.316
who live in their parent's basement,[br]and spread computer viruses.

0:05:20.334,0:05:22.725
But, I don't see it that way.

0:05:22.725,0:05:24.641
Hackers are innovators.

0:05:24.641,0:05:27.390
Hackers are people who challenge[br]and change the systems

0:05:27.390,0:05:30.375
to make them work differently,[br]to make them work better.

0:05:30.480,0:05:33.045
It's just how they think,[br]it's a mindset.

0:05:33.937,0:05:35.187
I'm growing up in a world

0:05:35.187,0:05:37.531
that needs more people[br]with the hacker mindset,

0:05:37.531,0:05:39.493
and not just for technology.

0:05:39.554,0:05:42.273
Everything is up for being hacked,[br]even skiing,

0:05:42.830,0:05:44.617
even education.

0:05:45.248,0:05:47.201
So whether it's Steve Jobs,

0:05:47.201,0:05:49.388
Mark Zuckerberg or Shane McConkey,

0:05:49.388,0:05:52.303
having the hacker mindset[br]can change the world.

0:05:54.022,0:05:56.576
Healthy, happy, creativity,

0:05:56.576,0:05:59.838
and the hacker mindset are[br]all a large part of my education.

0:05:59.838,0:06:01.665
I call it "Hack-Schooling".

0:06:01.665,0:06:03.955
I don't use any one[br]particular curriculum,

0:06:03.955,0:06:06.815
and I'm not dedicated to[br]anyone's particular approach.

0:06:06.815,0:06:09.091
I hack my education.

0:06:09.091,0:06:11.847
I take advantage of opportunities[br]in my community,

0:06:11.847,0:06:14.341
and through a network[br]of my friends and family.

0:06:14.341,0:06:17.652
I take advantage of opportunities[br]to experience what I'm learning.

0:06:17.652,0:06:19.684
And I'm not afraid to look for shortcuts

0:06:19.684,0:06:23.004
or hacks to get a better,[br]faster result.

0:06:23.906,0:06:27.324
It's like a remix[br]or a mashup of learning.

0:06:27.324,0:06:29.537
It's flexible, opportunistic,

0:06:29.537,0:06:31.642
and it never loses sight of making happy,

0:06:31.642,0:06:34.396
healthy and creativity a priority.

0:06:34.768,0:06:37.864
And here's the cool part[br]because it's a mindset

0:06:37.864,0:06:39.283
not a system.

0:06:39.283,0:06:43.074
Hack-schooling can be used by anyone[br]even traditional schools,

0:06:45.014,0:06:47.864
So, what does my school look like?

0:06:47.864,0:06:50.131
Well it looks like Starbucks[br]a lot of the time. (Laughter)

0:06:50.131,0:06:52.598
But, like most kids,

0:06:52.598,0:06:56.172
I study a lot of math, science,[br]history, and writing.

0:06:56.910,0:06:58.624
I didn't used to like to write

0:06:58.624,0:07:01.808
because my teachers made me[br]write about butterflies and rainbows.

0:07:01.816,0:07:04.029
And I wanted to write about skiing.

0:07:04.029,0:07:06.222
It was a relief when my good friend's mom

0:07:06.222,0:07:08.455
started The Squaw Valley Kids Institute

0:07:08.455,0:07:12.058
Where I got to write through[br]my experiences and my interests

0:07:12.258,0:07:15.470
while connecting with great speakers[br]from around the nation

0:07:15.470,0:07:17.640
and that sparked my love of writing.

0:07:18.688,0:07:20.118
I realize that

0:07:20.118,0:07:23.024
once you're motivated to learn something,

0:07:23.039,0:07:25.640
you can get a lot done[br]in a short amount of time

0:07:25.640,0:07:27.162
and on your own.

0:07:27.162,0:07:29.177
Starbucks is pretty great for that.

0:07:30.150,0:07:32.693
Hacking physics was fun.

0:07:32.693,0:07:35.002
We learned all about[br]Newton and Galileo,

0:07:35.002,0:07:38.374
and we experienced some[br]basic physics concepts like

0:07:38.374,0:07:41.884
kinetic energy though experimenting[br]and making mistakes.

0:07:41.884,0:07:45.883
My favorite was the giant Newton's cradle[br]that we made out of bocci balls.

0:07:47.906,0:07:50.982
We experimented with a lot of other[br]things like bowling balls

0:07:50.982,0:07:53.928
and even giant jawbreakers.

0:07:54.328,0:07:57.383
Project Discovery's Ropes Course[br]is awesome

0:07:57.383,0:07:59.445
and slightly stressful.

0:07:59.445,0:08:01.878
When you're 60 feet off the ground,

0:08:01.878,0:08:03.935
you have to learn[br]how to handle your fears,

0:08:03.935,0:08:07.020
communicate clearly and[br]most importantly, trust each other.

0:08:08.272,0:08:11.725
Community organizations play[br]a big part in my education.

0:08:11.725,0:08:14.041
A High Fives Foundations[br]B.A.S.I.C.S. Program:

0:08:14.041,0:08:17.124
"Being Aware and Safe[br]in Critical Situations"

0:08:18.016,0:08:20.214
We spent a day with the[br]Squaw Valley ski patrol

0:08:20.214,0:08:21.825
to learn more about mountain safety.

0:08:21.826,0:08:24.231
The next day we switched[br]to the science of snow,

0:08:24.231,0:08:26.074
weather, and avalanches.

0:08:26.074,0:08:27.482
But most importantly,

0:08:27.482,0:08:29.966
we learned that making[br]bad decision puts you

0:08:29.966,0:08:31.679
and your friends at risk.

0:08:33.207,0:08:35.489
Young Chautauqua brings history to life.

0:08:35.489,0:08:37.916
You study a famous character in history,

0:08:37.916,0:08:40.874
so you can stand on stage[br]and perform as that character.

0:08:40.874,0:08:43.616
and answer any question[br]about their lifetime.

0:08:44.304,0:08:45.352
In this photo,

0:08:45.352,0:08:47.600
you see Al Capone and Bob Marley

0:08:47.600,0:08:49.250
getting grilled with questions

0:08:49.250,0:08:52.421
at the historical Piper's Opera[br]House in Virginia City.

0:08:52.421,0:08:55.532
The same stage where[br]Harry Houdini got his start.

0:08:57.025,0:08:59.978
Time in nature is really[br]important to me.

0:08:59.978,0:09:03.941
It's calm, quiet, and[br]I get to just log out of reality.

0:09:04.311,0:09:07.738
I spend one day a week outside all day.

0:09:07.738,0:09:09.707
At my Foxwalker classes,

0:09:09.707,0:09:12.863
our goal is to be able to survive[br]in the wilderness with just a knife.

0:09:12.863,0:09:16.324
We learn to listen to nature,[br]we learn to sense our surroundings,

0:09:16.324,0:09:19.023
and I've gained[br]a spiritual connection to nature

0:09:19.023,0:09:21.008
that I never knew existed.

0:09:21.546,0:09:23.875
But the best part is[br]that we get to make spears,

0:09:23.875,0:09:26.480
bows and arrows,[br]fires with just a bow drill,

0:09:26.480,0:09:29.768
and survival shelters for the[br]snowy nights when we camp out.

0:09:31.681,0:09:33.711
Hanging out at The Moment Factory

0:09:33.711,0:09:35.869
where they hand make skis[br]and design clothes,

0:09:35.869,0:09:38.779
has really inspired me to[br]one day have my own business.

0:09:38.779,0:09:42.073
the guys at the factory have showed me[br]why I need to be good at math,

0:09:42.073,0:09:45.200
be creative and get good at sewing.

0:09:45.200,0:09:48.546
So I got an internship[br]at Bigtruck Brand

0:09:48.546,0:09:50.830
to get better at design and sewing.

0:09:50.830,0:09:53.168
Between fetching lunch,[br]scrubbing toilets,

0:09:53.168,0:09:54.907
and breaking their vacuum cleaner,

0:09:54.907,0:09:56.951
I'm getting to contribute[br]to clothing design,

0:09:56.951,0:09:59.644
customizing hats, and selling them.

0:09:59.644,0:10:02.668
The people who work there are[br]happy, healthy, creative

0:10:02.668,0:10:04.493
and stoked to be doing[br]what they're doing.

0:10:04.493,0:10:07.057
This is by far,[br]my favorite class.

0:10:08.273,0:10:10.834
So, this is where I'm really happy,

0:10:10.834,0:10:12.456
powder days.

0:10:12.456,0:10:14.921
And it's a good metaphor for my life,

0:10:14.921,0:10:16.010
my education,

0:10:16.010,0:10:17.839
my Hack-schooling.

0:10:17.839,0:10:19.435
If everyone skied this mountain

0:10:19.435,0:10:21.501
like most people think of education,

0:10:21.501,0:10:23.618
everyone would be skiing the same line,

0:10:23.618,0:10:24.971
probably the safest,

0:10:24.971,0:10:27.500
and most of the "powder"[br]would go untouched.

0:10:27.500,0:10:30.426
I look at this and see[br]a thousand possibilites.

0:10:30.780,0:10:32.919
Dropping the cornice,[br]shredding the spine,

0:10:32.919,0:10:35.257
looking for a tranny[br]from cliff to cliff.

0:10:35.491,0:10:38.422
Skiing to me is freedom,[br]and so it's my education.

0:10:39.113,0:10:42.021
It's about being creative,[br]doing things differently.

0:10:42.021,0:10:44.473
it's about community,[br]and helping each other,

0:10:44.473,0:10:46.880
it's about being happy and healthy

0:10:46.880,0:10:48.786
among my very best friends.

0:10:49.894,0:10:51.785
So I'm starting to think I know

0:10:51.785,0:10:53.814
what I might want to do[br]when I grow up.

0:10:53.814,0:10:56.388
But if you ask me[br]what do I want to be when I grow up,

0:10:56.388,0:10:59.262
I'll always know that[br]I want to be happy.

0:10:59.262,0:11:02.088
Thank you.[br](Applause)