Dear Moms Everywhere,
So you're expecting a precious, beautiful, colicy bundle of joy? What a wonderful and exciting thing this must be for you! I imagine it's somewhat like the feeling I get when I find out who is in my next year's class. (x 1000 of course, because you have to [get to, excuse me] keep this kid for life.)
Do you have plans for your kid? Do you have dreams of what they'll do and who they'll become? I hope you do. Dreams are a good thing. We should all have dreams so that we have something to shoot for.
I assume that you'll be sending this kid to school? That would probably be a good first step to making those dreams come true. I'm not going to get into the discussion of which school you should send your kid to. (That's a whole 'nother letter for a whole 'nother time.) But whether you send your kid to private school, charter school, or public school, allow me to give you the how-to on helping your kid succeed in this constantly changing and challenging world. The list consists of two things:
1. Teach your kid to work hard.
2. Teach your kid to be kind.
I think I'll dedicate a whole 'nother letter to each of these points, but moms of future grade school children, please know this:
Students who have grit do better in life. No, not in school. Not necessarily. I can't make that promise. But students who have grit do better in life.
And kids who are kind? They make their teacher's life easier. (And unless your kid's teacher sucks really bad, then you'll probably want to make his or her life easier.)
Thanks for reading this unsolicited advice from a teacher who just wants to give every mom (and kid) the best shot in life come grade school time.
Sincerely,
A teacher of grade school children
