Barbara Strauch

Schools alone cannot do the job. The burden of education must be shared by parents, neighbours, the traditional and digital media, the church, and other communal institutions.

A consortium of top international scientists has recently synthesized the main finding about teaching and learning….their report emphasizes the needs for school-family partnerships,. Engendering parent support for the core learning principles and parent involvement in the learning process is of the utmost importance.

Parenting in a society without television, toy stores, gas-powered lawn mowers, and sugar-coated cereals was easier by far. Technology has removed parent's need for children's help, the traditional means by which parents transmitted across generations the importance of work, and has left parents to guide their children as best they can through a maze of continuously available entertainment.

When they’re young, we drive them to playdates, fill up their time with organized activity, and cocoon them from every imaginable peril. We think we are doing what’s best for them. But as they grow into young adults and we continue to manage their lives, running interference with teachers and coaches, we are, in fact, unwittingly stunting them. By continuing to protect them from failure and disappointment, many of our kids are missing out on the “risk-taker’s advantage,” the benefits that come from experiencing manageable amounts of danger.