On the Right Road

The bad news: The right road is hard to find, and it always goes uphill.

The good news: No matter how long or hard the right road is, step after step gets you there eventually.

Beginners always start very slowly, and they need a lot of practice. Adult beginners need as much time and practice as children do when they have had no previous experience in an area of learning. Think about speaking French fluently, or figuring corporation tax, or winning a bridge game if you're just beginning. Learning something worthwhile takes a lot of persistence, a lot of walking along the right road.

It's much easier to keep climbing up, though, if someone else is climbing with you. This is why it's so important for parents to take an interest in what their students are learning and discuss it with them. Actually, many parents who start to read the textbooks find out that their children are learning a lot that they were never taught! Modern textbooks, especially in science, math, and social studies, cover many topics that most parents never heard of. Enterprising parents then have the opportunity to learn right along with their children.

Children whose parents take a lively interest in their learning are avid students because they are interested in class discussions and well-prepared for them. Parents whose children are highly successful in school often prohibit TV, video, computer or telephone chat, and computer games during study time before school days. That way, students aren't hurrying through homework and neglecting their reading in order to get their fair share of computer time or to watch some fantastic video for the nth time. Another way to encourage meaningful conversation is to have the student read out loud while we drive the car or work around the house.

Shutting off the media and conversing with children about meaningful subjects may seem almost impossible to some. Indeed, many families allow pre-school children to spend much time in front of the TV and computer screens, only to discover that older students have little time for these daily fantasy trips if they want to do the reading and study necessary for academic success. When that happens, students have to leave the wrong road of immersion in a fantasy world and start traveling the right road to academic success. Remember, the right road is long and hard, and it always goes uphill. But, be encouraged. Beginning is the hardest. The going gets smoother after that. Having a fellow-traveler or two makes it easier also. Let's not forget, either, that the deeply satisfying rewards along the right road make it all worthwhile.

How do we know which road is the right one? More about that next week.

What do you think? What are your experiences? Do you have questions about this article? Please contact me at newskill7@msn.com. Happy teaching.

Mary Sue Laing, M.Ed.
Resource Teacher, St. Ambrose School

by Mary Sue Laing, M. Ed., New Skill, Inc. Academic Tutor