Your daughter didn’t do her homework… again! She’s also not participating in class, and her teachers have told you multiple times that she’s arrived late. When you confront her about school, she’s apathetic. Then her grades start slipping, and you start to get seriously worried that she won’t snap out of it. No matter what you try, though, you just can’t get her to care about school!
This is a scary situation for any parent to deal with, but with school becoming more and more demanding each year, it’s easy for teenagers to burn out. You don’t want your teenager to feel like they’re destined for failure, and you also want them to stay on track so they learn what school has to offer. Teachers, parents, and adult role models of all kinds play a vital role in encouraging teenage students to pursue their interests, but it’s often times easier said than done.
To learn more about techniques role models of all sorts can use to help wayward teens find their passions and succeed in school (and life!), I talked with accomplished education researcher and teacher Tony Wagner. Himself a two-time college dropout, Tony nevertheless hit his stride and found a way to get his PhD from the Harvard School of Education. In his memoir, Learning by Heart: An Unconventional Education, he shares his own educational journey that helped him become an incredibly successful student, researcher, and eventually, teacher.
In our interview, not only does Wagner walk me through some of his hilarious personal stories (all the way from a conservative all-boys boarding school to San Francisco in the late ‘60s), but he explains how the most impactful parts of his education were often unconventional. Taking classes for no credit, having options as to what he would study, and being given the freedom to explore his own creativity were all motifs throughout his journey. These experiences are in stark contrast to the typical cookie-cutter school system where all students are asked to prepare for tests and perform rote tasks. Wagner, like so many modern students, failed in this stifling school environment!
Now a successful expert in education, Wagner knows exactly why he and so many other growing men and women feel unfulfilled in America’s educational system, and he gives excellent advice on how to foster curiosity, support struggling students, and reframe education to be about developing human potential rather than limited skills. In this interview, listeners learn all about: How teachers, coaches, and parents can push their child’s potential
The importance of discipline and concentration--not just interest
How schools have fallen into the ‘time spent’ trap
Why we all need to rethink the purpose of education
Wagner’s advice is especially relevant in the classroom, but parents are perhaps the most vital teachers to their teenage children. Whether you’re a teacher yourself or if you’re a parent worried about your child’s educational journey, give this episode a listen! I know Wagner will have you feeling optimistic about your teen’s potential, and you’ll come out with a few strategies of your own.
This week’s sponsor is Prompt, a company whose mission is to help students be more prepared for AP exams. Use the code TEENS at checkout for $10 off.
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