When it comes to education, we sometimes have a tendency to step back and leave it to the “experts”. Depending on our own education level and experiences with school, we may even feel a little intimidated about voicing concerns or making demands.

But, what happens when the so-called experts are wrong or the system is failing? You have a duty as a parent to step in and demand better. When that isn’t possible, you have to find new ways to take up the slack.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to do whatever you can to ensure that your child has the best chance to succeed in a future that’s likely to be dominated by profound change and uncertaintity.

However, that doesn’t mean people will become irrelevant and useless. It’s just that their usefulness will shift to other areas than production and service.

The occupational skills that will allow our future generations to remain marketable and competitive have been studied and written about widely.

Experts may not agree entirely about what the world of tomorrow will look like or how it will function, but there are some things that are universally acknowledged by all. Our children will need to know how to merge technological prowess with finely tuned people skills in a seamless, intuitive manner. To put it simply, your child needs to become robot-proof. 

There was a direct correlation between those with highly developed social skills and success later in life. The kindergartners who displayed a high degree of emotional intelligence were most likely to show empathy and compassion without being urged to do so, and they were more likely to be in college or employed 20 years later.

This will be equally true for many white collar professions and almost every entry-level or production job currently in existence, provided any survive.

The majority of occupational knowledge in all but highly specialized fields is absorbed through performing and observing.

That means adaptability and soft skills like cooperation, creative problem solving, and critical thinking abilities will get you further in the future than formal training.

When studies showed that American kids were falling behind other developed countries in certain subjects, there came a push toward developing programs and curricula that were concentrated around math and science.

The results were mixed, as they always are when the powers that be can’t get together to decide what to implement or how it should be done.

Rather than re-vamping public education altogether, they decided to cut large chunks of it and force-feed enough information to bolster test scores.

It’s hard to break old habits when public primary education was engineered by design nearly a century ago on a model of mass production. Schools that didn’t make the cut faced losing accreditation and funding.

Then, someone noticed that the most vulnerable communities were in danger of being left behind, and that was something the government under George Bush decided should happen to No Child. It was even mandated via an act of Congress back in 2001.

Private entities, in conjunction with the government, helped fund the creation of charter and magnet schools that were also modeled on a STEM framework.

The intentions were good, but two problems surfaced. One was an issue of access. The locations of the schools and space availability still meant that only the most motivated families were able to gain much advantage.

There were also cases of children not having access to the same technology at home for completing projects, enrichment study, and something as simple as doing their homework. The second problem was one of effectiveness.

They also audited 30 STEM high schools in New York City. This investigation found that, although scores were better than those in high schools with a more traditional curriculum, the kids doing better were likely to do well in school regardless.

This was based on an examination of their previous academic performance and test scores. These findings were also replicated in STEM schools in Arizona and other states.

It needs to become the primary learning environment in all public and private schools. That will require a cultural shift in thinking and a system-wide overhaul. It will also take time, which is something our kids are running out of.

You don’t have to do anything as drastic as pulling your child out of school and homeschooling. Most parents are working too many hours just to get by to make that viable or realistic. Most education is achieved through natural, passive learning that starts in infancy and hopefully continues throughout our lives.

Those of us who were children of the 70s can probably still sing all of the ditties from School House Rock, and the animations will run through our minds while we do it.

Ironically, art and music are two subject areas that are sidelined in most public schools, especially on an elementary level. These are also two of the easiest learning aids to work with at home.

2). Invent a problem and direct them to improvise or write a short skit with a sibling or friend about how to solve it.

3). Go for a walk, encourage your kids to ask questions, and take the time to answer them. If you don’t know the answer, say so and find it together.

4). Have your child write down things that make them feel angry or frustrated. Ask them to invent something to solve some of those problems. They can try to build it out of Legos or draw plans for it and explain how it would work.

Many countries have cities and many smaller municipalities have local museums, free events in parks, and kid-centered activities to help visitors learn more about their local community, details behind a new exhibit, and subjects like history or science.

These are all simple suggestions that cost only time. You may even rediscover your own creativity and love of learning in the process.

Kids are more adaptive and resilient than we realize. In fact, they’re probably better at pivoting and rebounding than we are. They also take their cues about how to view the world and respond to situations by watching us.

If we’re fearful of technology or meet it with resentment, they may learn to avoid it also. You can’t count on the world to wait for your child to catch up.

By building a strong foundation for learning from infancy, encouraging curiosity and creativity, and making a commitment to remain involved and engaged in your child’s formal and informal education, you’ll be providing them with the skills and advantages they’ll need to face the future with confidence.

You will be preparing your child for the future and, as a parent, that is the most you can wish to do.
 

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