My brain is tired...

After reading a chapter regarding how children learn, are we really taking advantage of the rate of development and abilities of children? or do we underestimate them? For example I show the film Educating Peter which chronicles a young man with mental impairments in a third grade class in the early 90's as the inclusion movement was really beginning and the students in my class(college aged) are always amazed at the insights of the third-graders. I think we underestimate the abilities of children and somehow we need to find a way to change that... what is the answer? ...the search goes on