“Parents have to be involved because we live in a culture that bombards us every day with messages that are antithetical to education. For example, and not to pick on one TV show, but I would tell my students that good behavior and hard work pays off — then these kids would go home and watch Jersey Shore and come back and tell me I had it wrong… 

The bottom line: Kids need to want it. We can’t want them to get an education more than they want it for themselves. All I can do individually is tell my children — and any kid who’ll listen — that the world they face will require their best. They’ll needskills to survive and thrive in this new world. I can make it my business to know what my children are watching on TV and on the Internet and be relentless in hammering home the importance of this bit of their lives.

We all have a role to play in this, but when I was in teacher orientation, I constantly heard that teachers must “engage” the students. After a year of teaching, it strikes me that what we really need are students to engage in their own education.”

Thanks Tony.