Raising "Nerds"

I have a goal for one of my students to LOVE school. I loved this editorial because it points to some of the reasons we need to really positively re-enforce the value of school...not just as something we should do, but something we want to do. That mentality will help students become life-long learners. To me, that is true success.

"We also don't believe in the value of education, culturally -- we just like to say we do because as citizens of an industrialized nation, we're supposed to. But we can tell our children that school is important until we're blue in the face, they're not stupid.

They see the loudest applause is for the kids on the field. They know teachers are paid poorly and don't drive fancy cars. They know people plan Super Bowl parties but mock the National Spelling Bee.

In other words, they see the hypocrisy, and we can't expect society to correct itself.

If we want to have any lasting influence on the way our kids approach education -- the way future generations approach education -- then we have to grab our pom-poms and paint our faces and celebrate intellectual curiosity with the same vigor we do their athletic achievements"

Full editorial:

Why I'm raising my son to be a nerd