Why is this so? The home and school environment do not encourage children to hypothesize, invent,and play. Instead, the prized way of learning is through tests that require memory and repetition. Recognition if often given to the child who does well in these kinds of tests, rather than to the most inventive or creative.

Different strokes for different folks. Each child is different. Note that while one child would sit and read a book, a sibling would use the book as a roof of a building an pretend play using her fingers as little animals crawling.

These are only a few of the comments I get from parents who already have plans for the future academic life of their child. Then there are parens who are not so concerned with the academic performance of their child, but take time to read to them, do house chores together, go out with them to movies and visit museums. With the number of children having gone through preschool, on to college, and the work world. I’d safely say that the kids wh are most balanced and eventually succeed in their chosen careers come from second group. They are nutures not by expectations of good grades and obedient bahavior, but by a happy, even playful, home and school atmosphere.

Play is so essential in the development of young children. When children play as in outdoor play, parlor games, tinketing with toys, pretend play especially when they are in small groups, their thinkin and creative skills are honed. They ask questions in their minds, sucj as ” Will this look better than this?, What if . . .”, or “If I did this, what will happen?” These are the beginnings of discoveries and who knows, even new inventions.

You can now have the eyeglasses that you needed as you study your lesson. Have the High Five to Zenni Optical and be ready for your school days to come.

Self identity is not whose child you are, where you were born, what your qualities are. It is the ultimate information about you. It is the record of who placed you in this universe and why, and how far you are responding to that destiny.You may be the child of the very famous or wealthy parents, you may have many outstanding friends, you may be a decorated student. But if you do not know your true and ultimate identity in the world, everything else you think you know is useless and empty. All that information must be based on, and draw its significance only from, your fundamental identity as a creature of an Unseen, mighty and loving creator.

Each person wants to belong. That sense of belonging is a powerful identifier. You behave according to who and what you feel ( or have accepted that) you are, and according to how your peers expect you to behave. But what your self reactions tells you are not always true. These self reactions are only your responses to situations of hurt, rejection and frustration, not your objective mind revealing the truth that lies inside, but buried in these dynamic self reactions. Maybe you didn’t even know there is a difference between your self reactions and the truth that is in you. You didn’t know you could be much better and do much better.

Your peer’s opinion is compelling at this age. It is especially at this time that you need support, guidance an a feeling of being accepted. Your peers seem to give you these at this all important stage, and only because they themselves are going through the same experience, Now, realize that. But if your peers are as much in the dark about what to do, where to go and how, then getting directions from them is like the blind leading the blind. You should know better than depend on them for wisdom.

You want to study effectively and succeed as a student so that you will be a success in adulthood. If your peers have this same desire, you will encourage and support one another. But if they are not as motivated and decided as you, they are likely to reduce or delay your success.

Meanwhile, you must continue wrestling with your own enemies within; the innate tendency of human nature towards idleness. That fight is something you must put up with at every waking moment. One pause and you lose. You are waing a steep war with nature, where giving up is easier than fighting on and discouragement abound around you.

When you look out of yourself on the other hand, you find lazy or indifferent friends battling against your desire to perform diligently in class. They think you are corny. They make fun out of your struggles and your principles. And your sense of belonging ( to your peers) is thus threatened.

It boils down to your having two invincible forces within and without tha of giving up out of exasperation or sheet fatigue and that of taking a risk of turning your peers off and losing your self identity thtis grafted to theirs.