A Good Education Is About More Than Academics

A week or so ago I read an article on line and later found it in video form. It was titled " What Students Really Need to Hear". The article was written more like a letter from a teacher to their students and focuses on the need to teach our children lessons not written in text books. Things like resilience, problem solving, hard work, persistence, how to except challenges and manage fear. The author C. Mielke writes; "You see the main event of school is not academic learning. It never has been.  Yes, algebra, essay writing, Spanish, the judicial process-all are important and worth knowing, but not the main event.  The main event is learning how to deal with the harshness of life when it gets difficult."

I am not an educator, but I see the need for these skills everyday working as an elementary school secretary and a mother of two boys. A forgotten lunch for example can be enough to bring some children to tears, while others deal with it in stride. A not so favorable test score can either be seen as a chance for improvement or a reason to stop trying all together. What makes the difference?

I believe the difference lies in how we look at our children's education and what is the ultimate goal for them. So much emphasis is put on GPA's, ACT scores and other academically measured abilities, that I think we can overlook the things that aren't graded or scored, but that are equally important. Our children also need to learn how to relate well to people, have productive conversations, take initiative, overcome adversity, be creative, and a have a little fun along the way. If our goal is to build productive, successful, happy adults, all these principals need to be included in lesson plans along side more traditional subjects.

Our boys have been fortunate to have many teachers who understand the concepts expressed by the writer of this article. And while we are very grateful and appreciative for their influence and impact on our sons, we also realize that it is not completely up to them. We as parents have a responsibility to show diligence in these areas as well. We have learned that it is ok for them to be uncomfortable or unhappy for the short term, in order to gain the long term skills such as self reliance and resourcefulness. It is not an easy thing to do, but it is necessary. Just as necessary as making them do their homework.

Below is the link to the article, it is worth reading.

What Students Really Need to Hear