What is an adult to do

A curious dilemma is occurring. How do you convey to an adolescent that the school decisions he makes in 8th grade will in a weird, six degrees of separation kind of way affect his future? Also, how do you convince a rebellious, testing the boundaries of authority kid, that his battle with a teacher will never be won, regardless of right or wrong, particularly over homework. Not having children and not being part of their day to day activities puts the objectivity at a disadvantage, however it is interesting to straddle the line between understanding and preaching when trying to impress upon said children to choose their battles wisely.

It has certainly taxed my brain to see how children in general view school as an annoyance, when many adults I know are now returning to school to re-immerse in the learning process. I had the privilege of going to a great high school and a great college. My academic life was always fun and interesting, but then again I am a geek at heart. My degree is in chemistry and biochemistry, do I use them in my current line of work, no. However, what school teaches us is how to learn and to be curious, it oils the cogs of the brain. At work, there is a parent with 4 kids, all of them failing at least one class, all of them having issues with a teacher. Incredibly, one is failing Jewelry, make the necklace and move on, I say. There are more important things to deal with.

I would like to take all these children and say to them; it is not what you learn, it is how you learn it and how you connect the dots of all this knowledge that is important.

Yikes.. enough preaching. Back to knitting