Monday, February 6, 2012
Week 4
This week's text has me reflecting on what is important in a school aged child's life, and what will set them up for success versus failure within the academic system. I'm so incredibly lucky to have been brought up in a family that values education. My mom made time every night for reading, and was often teaching me accelerated math and reading/writing at home. She really set that example for me. As a result, I found it exciting to learn and to prove myself academically, and that extends to this very day. . It's especially poignant for me to look back now that my mom is gone, at the gift of education that she instilled in me. Would I be going to school now, with the intent of becoming a nurse, if she had not? We know that genes are only half of the equation, and that intelligence is really created and expressed within a supportive and fostering home environment. I have friends that, while intelligent, were not brought up in an environment where going to college was important, much less expected like it was for me. I've just taken time to reflect this week, how lucky I've been. I wish that every kid had those chances. How different would the world be?
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You are very lucky indeed to have a family that values education. Your mom is probably proudly watching over you now. I remember my mom said to us,"study hard kids, education is the only wealth we can give you." And she is right.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm sure she is, and it will be something so important to me as well when I have children. School should be a kid's #1 focus. My mom used to tell me it was my "job"!
ReplyDeleteEducation is a very valuable thing, and true encouragement is as well. Children need true encouragement from their parent's in order to do well in school. Not in all cases, but when a parent encourages education, and doing well it can either help support their children and give them motivation or it can tear them down and cause them to loose interest. You're very lucky to have a family whom supported you in a healthy way! Sometimes parent's want their children to succeed in school badly that failure is not an option, and if a child gets anything less than A's and B+'s they tear their children down! That's unhealthy to me, being torn down like that only hinders your chance for success.
ReplyDeleteLovely post! Encouraging a child to enjoy learning is definitely one of the most important skills an adult can pass down to the next generation. I too have known some incredibly bright people who were for one reason or another not encouraged to excel in school, many of them ended up as addicts. I believe one of the reasons this became their reality was because they were under stimulated, they were bored.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have a computer yay for comments! Education is a very important thing it took me a long time to learn that. My parents tried very hard to teach me academically they wanted me to succeed. But my older siblings told me it was a waste of time and that I was smart why learn. My grades dropped and then after awhile I enrolled back in high school got my diploma, and now I am in college. I have set a better example for my younger brother and sister because I did not want them to have to go through what I went through. Even though I worked hard I had horrible self-esteem when it came to school because I was torn down by teachers and older brothers and sisters. Being torn down greatly takes your chances for success away and it takes a long time to build it back. Even if a child has the support of their parents they need the support of others too. It is so important to try and build a child's self-esteem. I try to do that for my son he is only three but I do not want him to lose interest no matter what age. Support systems are so important for kids so they do not lose interest in education.
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