Education has always been vital for survival, even long before formal schools were established. Imagine how long prehistoric man would survive if he didn’t learn to hunt or protect himself against the elements. In American culture, we have witnessed the increasing demand for formal education as a means of survival. As a parent, it is your duty to provide your young students with the skills and resources they need to be successful in school and in life.
Valuing education is a fundamental prerequisite. You can’t complain that your child doesn’t take school seriously if you don’t show the importance of it. It’s not enough to repeatedly tell your teen, “School is important” or “You have to do better in school.” What are their attitudes towards education? Do you manifest a desire in your life to learn and undertake challenges that may be difficult? Consider your response when you are offered or required to participate in job-related training. Parents must nurture the value of education in themselves before they can expect their children to embrace it. Maybe the workshop or conference you attended was boring, but can’t you find at least one thing that can help you in your occupation? Get excited about that information, the new approach, or just reflect on your occupation. If the training was not effective, think about why it is not more interesting: what do you need to increase your interest and motivation? What can you do differently at work to promote positive change? Share positive attitudes with your family; get excited about work, learning and growing.
Consider your attitude toward your job. School is your teen’s main job; It should be your priority. Do you model the perspective that work is an activity to which you give your best? Or does it promote a “get ahead” attitude? Killing time and impatiently waiting for the workday to end are not effective messages to your children (and are signs that your life is not fulfilling you). If you tell your kids that school is important so they can get a good job, but you don’t like your job, a student has no motivation to get such a dubious reward. Maybe your teenager is smarter than she thinks, and rebels against meaningless work.
When you talk to your teen, where do you place your emphasis? If you express more interest in your teen’s sports than in his academic work, his actions contradict your words that school is important. How much attention do you pay to what your student is learning rather than her grades? Ask about that book that is read in English. Ask your teen to teach you how to solve that math problem. Talk with your teen about how the chemistry lesson applies to everyday life. Your interest in your teen’s learning will convey the value of her education.
Look for learning opportunities in your life. This does not mean that you have to be continuously enrolled in university courses, but rather that you seek to learn with enthusiasm. Explore something on the internet: learn a new word or recipe, name that bird you see every morning, get golf tips or gardening tips, research health issues. Take up a new hobby. Read an article or book and discuss it. Ask yourself where that path goes and then find out. Learning is about discovery; be curious about things and keep track of your curiosity.
Your enthusiasm for learning and your practiced expectation that your teen also participate in learning will instill a value that will benefit him throughout his life. Attitudes are learned, and you can teach your teen to be successful. You can cultivate an aspiration for learning within your home that will pay off, not just for your teen, but for you as well. Valuing education is a prerequisite for your teen’s success.