I find myself pulled in so many directions when trying to most effectively play my part as an involved parent. Should I spend my evenings as the enforcer, standing over them to get their homework done? But then, there are the Mean Girls issues that are distracting my daughters; by talking about those, I can help them clear their heads. And then there’s getting dinner on the table, trying to find time to enjoy a board game together, ensuring they spend quality time with their extended family. It’s overwhelming to think how much I have to do in our limited time together.
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a Superintendent speak about the many challenges facing public education. And just when I thought my head would explode, I had an “a-ha” moment as he boiled down the point of education to three goals: teaching our children how to find and use resources, effective communication skills, and problem-solving skills.
As I thought about those three things, I realized how they were truly the answer to nearly every situation.
Resources. I did not go to college straight out of high school. When I told one of my first bosses how sometimes I felt inadequate about that, he told me something that stuck with me. He said what he truly learned from college was how to find the information he needs. None of us know everything, but apparently, it really is a skill to know how to learn what we need to know. It’s a skill I use almost every day; not just in my job, but as a mother, as a human. And finding the information has gotten so much easier, thanks to the Internet. Of course, we need to know how to critically research. Once my daughters understand how to distinguish the credible sites, there will be almost nothing they can’t learn.
Communication. Sure, we could bemoan that kids only know how 2 spk in txt, or narrow their thoughts to 140 characters, but they have a (more…)
