There needs to first be, and above all, a fundamental grassroots change in thinking in upgrading “potential achievement expectations”. The goal is not to make Johnny and Jenny happy. But rather to instead acutely make he/she aware of their potential and providing a challenging expectation and plan (path) with accompanying difficult, thoughtful and constructive feedback from time to time, to achieve that.
Read: Be a parent, not a friend.
American journalist Sydney Harris once wrote that "we believe what we want to believe, what suits our prejudices, and furls our passion”.
In other words and interchangeably, either “I only hear what I want to hear or tell me what I want to hear”. In this case, parents and teachers telling impressionable young minds what they think these children want to hear rather than what they need to hear, which is to be great by striving and delivering to one’s own individual potential.
”Great” is a relative term. Reaching one’s given potential is in fact achieving greatness for “that” individual.
To deliver that result requires the messaging delivered to be completely different than it is today. While it means saying goodbye to the “Happy Face et al” evaluation approach to advancing education mediocrity, it will be replaced by a new theme about achieving one’s own individual potential and therefore personal greatness. Indeed, a more difficult and challenging and at times painful approach. But then again, there exists proven merit in the “no pain, no gain” approach to achievement, growth and success. That goes for not only sports but just as importantly in learning life’s lessons and growing as a human being.
In other words, this individual specific, reaching one’s potential, driven attitudinal change requires a fundamental shift in parental and school thinking as to raising and educating children. Bottom line, the messaging must change in paradigm shifting magnitude from promoting mediocrity to driving personal excellence. That message embodied in and characterized as:
It’s “No Longer OK to be OK”. Rather, It’s “Unacceptable Not To Be Great”
Note: Call it the Lexus approach to any one individual’s personal and professional growth development and collectively the nation’s growth and development.
And in embracing this new “personal excellence expectation” theme, not only will today’s children and future generations in the aggregate be more fulfilled and successful in their adult lives, making society even better than it would without this change, but too some truly great “oh wow” Presidential candidates will emerge. Indeed, Presidential candidates our great grandchildren and generations following, will not only be delighted with and sincerely want (eager) to vote for, but too candidates that will put a great big “real” Happy Face on every proud American citizen.
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Closing Note:
A brief closing word on the related issue of $25,000 per year nursery schools for 2, 3 and 4 year olds, and the belief by these same parents there is actually $25,000 of value-add “educational enlightenment differential” more than a free public school or too necessary to get Johnny/Jenny into Harvard. Clearly its great cocktail party chitchat.
These parents above all need to embrace this new “Unacceptable Not To Be Great” theme more so than any. Why spend $25,000 for a three year old to attend a cutthroat nursery school to (think they) draw more colorful dogs and cats than a three year old in a suburban public school. Afterall, crayons are crayons and all they (megabuck tuition nursery schoolers) do is emerge into an elementary school Happy Face environment regardless of how hotty totty or not the particular grammar school is?
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