Releasing the Genius Releasing the Genius Magazine - Issue 2 | Page 6

A JOURNEY THROUGH
HIGHER
MINDED
PARENTHOOD AND
Dwayne being taught by his son on how to do relocation calculations.
“UNLOCKING
THE GENIUS”
DWAYNE MATTHEWS, A SPIRIT OF MATH
PARENT TALKS ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE AS
A HIGH PERFORMING FATHER RAISING A HIGH
PERFORMING CHILD.
W
hen Dwayne Matthews speaks of his son, he
readily refers to him as high functioning with
“boat loads of capability” yet strays away
from any implication of superior intelligence.
Matthews avoids referring to his son in terms
such as “super smart” or “gifted” that indicate his son’s core
abilities set him apart from his peers.
Dwayne's son likes to watch videos to teach himself how to
draw and design.
The Matthews' creating their father/son YouTube channel!
Trailblazer Award winners Kiana Eastmond (l), Deland Kamanga and
Dwayne Matthews
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One of Matthews’s driving beliefs, not only as a parent but
throughout his own success story, has been that most of the time,
genius is not given, it is unlocked. He holds that anyone with
the capacity to learn can unlock their genius simply through
understanding patterns and processes by utilizing the power of
design thinking, a growth mind-set, and enhancing cognitive
abilities.
THE CONCEPTUALIZING OF DESIGN THINKING
Dwayne began his journey teaching grades three through six at
an inner city public school. When he was offered an opportunity
to teach at a private school housing children of some of the
world’s wealthiest families, Matthews left the public school
system and moved to Peru. He became heavily engaged in
strategic planning and curriculum implementation, duties which
sparked a new awareness of patterns and led Matthews to explore
cognitive science, inquiry-based learning, and design thinking.
Driving to the Amazon jungle one day, Matthews had an
epiphany that led him to quit teaching altogether and transfer
his skills to the business world. He had a rough go of it, learning
a lot through trial and error. Ultimately, Matthews found