Printer-friendly versionWhat we teach in elementary school matters to students now and when they go to college. I’m not just talking about fundamental reading, writing and arithmetic. But rather six principles I stressed years ago when I was a fourth-grade teacher in Westwood, Mass. Turns out that the basic concepts about life I taught were critical for their advancement in higher education.
Now that I’m teaching writing and literature at the college level in Rhode Island, the connections are clear. The life skills that I emphasized to my 9- and 10-year-olds more than four decades ago, I today stress repeatedly to my computer-savvy, somewhat sophisticated 19-year-olds in college. I earned a doctorate in the intervening years, but my early teaching experience in elementary school classrooms also helped me prepare older students for our complicated world.
So here are the six principles I’ve found that young children need to know for success later in life.
1. Come to every class meeting and show up on time. Whether you are 10 or 20 years old, the secret to advancing in school is participating in the lessons being taught. You must attend class to learn.
2. Pay attention to the teacher. Writing notes to your friends, daydreaming, or whispering in class interferes with your learning and can be distracting for classmates. You must focus on what is being taught if you want to learn.
3. Listen to the class discussions. You can learn from other students as well as the teacher. To listen you must follow what the teacher and your friends say and think about how their ideas relate to your own. Integrating what you know already with new ideas is how you grow.
4. Join the class discussion. To learn in school you must be part of the group and care about what’s going on. You need to raise your hand, offer your ideas and speak up when you don’t understand something. Don’t let life pass you by. Participate.
5. Do your homework. Learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door. You must learn at home, too. Homework is your responsibility. It is how you grow outside of school. If you do not study at home, you will limit yourself from remembering and absorbing important skills you need to apply in the classroom. Taking responsibility for your learning is how you get ahead in the world, regardless of your age.
6. Debate or challenge the teacher. Wrestle with new ideas. Your teacher is your coach and guide to the world. She will help you navigate what is happening around you.
Today as I interact with college students, I am still struck by the simplicity of these principles. But isn’t life really all about showing up prepared for the task at hand, whatever age we are?
Franks is an adjunct professor in Rhode Island.
