So, as we stand here on the verge of that new "habitation," I think it’s interesting to think about the following ten things and how they moderate and influence our common goals. See what you think. My colleagues wrote:

1. The majority of kids can take charge of their own learning—if we allow them to do so. Don’t overteach, or overparent. Give them time and space to take charge and they’ll be more resilient and competent for it.
2. Children should feel rewarded by learning itself. External rewards to stimulate good grades thwart feeling long-term joy and power as the result of hard work and accomplishment.
3. The eye of the beholder.... Kids see things from a kid’s point of view. Parents and teachers should be journalists: get several sources for objectivity and accuracy when kids report on their school day. And “the story” keeps evolving long after “publication.”
4. The mother of invention. Focus on good grades alone loses sight of the great positive potential in deciphering a low grade. Failure can be far more instructive than success. Deep learning takes place out of reach of what a grade can ever measure.
5. Collaboration. Crucial life skills come from the struggle implicit in working with others, and wrestling with unfamiliar challenges. Adults want to spare kids discomfort. Better to welcome discomfort and help to guide them out of their discomfort zone!
6. “Little by little the bird makes his nest,” as the saying goes. Today’s lesson builds toward future lessons and accomplishments. Wise, steady, daily challenges are the golden thread of progressive education.
7. Character. There are no assurances about the exact skills necessary for life in the future. To be forward-looking, teachers must prioritize the concepts that are guaranteed to be at the heart of unforeseeable futures: improvisation, comfort with chaos, skilled questioning, integrity, and ethical character.
8. Balance. Kids need help balancing priorities. Piano lessons getting in the way of homework, or homework getting in the way of piano lessons? Both might be reasonable conclusions... depending on the child.
9. Coach, don't cushion, during homework time. Bring problems and questions back to school. Don't deny the teacher the chance to understand how a kid experiences their homework—especially if hit the wall and they can't do the work.
10. Don't miss school. Work can be made up, but not the contact, texture, and experiences of school.

I’ve come to feel that this list does a good job of encapsulating the deeper equations for learning, fulfillment, happiness, hopeful lives, and resiliency. The problems on the quiz last Friday or the projections about term grades are vital, but so is the larger concept of proportion, which will support that architecture unit across the hall in history or friendship triangles.

Parents and teachers share the vision and guardianship of long-term learning as well as its daily tasks. It’s the primary partnership for raising effective and resilient kids.

Todd R. Nelson
toddnelson@hughes.net

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