What should we teach our children?

If you lived in rural China as a farmer in 1820 when the average life expectancy was 40 years, you needed to enable your kids with the skills and knowledge on how to survive and prosper. 

If you grew up in the “Roaring Twenties,” you needed a whole set of new skills.  This decade had unprecedented economic growth, Jazz music flourished, Americans began purchasing automobiles, and women got the right to vote. 

Like many of you, I grew up learning about the all-important “3 R’s” of education – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Predictors for emotional wellness and academic success include feeling a sense of connection to peers and teachers. Sports plays a key role in learning how to compete, what it means to win and how to lose. There are many helpful books like Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph, Make Your Bed by William McRaven (the benefits of discipline) and even Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete book of Etiquette.   Equally important is parents teaching fairness and thanking their children as they progress.

Fast forward to the current times, in addition to the 3 R’s you must also learn the 4 C’s.  Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication.  A growing percentage of us work online and interact in ever evolving ways.  To compete in a global economy, reap the rewards of teams and connect with our peers, we need these important skills.  Each one must be developed to be successful. 

My point is that learning and personal growth must always continue.  I’d like to credit 21 Lessons for the 21^st Century by Yuval Noah Harari for the 4 C’s.  I have two boys in college, I think the pace of change is accelerating and the roles my kids will choose to play don’t exist today.