It always pays, no matter your age. It's all about outlook. As the granddaughter of a woman who "finally" completed her BA when I was 5 (after starting it at the more "traditional" college age, then married & raised a family before finishing) & earned her MS when I was 12 & she was a relatively new widow, I'm a firm believer that "age is but a number."
I wish I could get that truth--as well as the "good things come to those who wait" idea behind delayed gratification--through to more of the youth I work with on a daily basis. My own seem to understand. Though they can be impatient too, at least my daughters are seeing how a good work ethic pays off now that both of their older brothers are more than halfway through college (the older one graduates this August).
Some of the kids I work with may get it in theory, but the moment things don't go as they want them to, they lose patience, quit, and figure it'd never be theirs anyhow because it's too hard to obtain it (whatever "it" is, usually an education).
Any suggestions on beating it into these youths' heads...WITHOUT literally beating them? ;) (I'd never want to do that--they've had enough hard knocks already!)
No comments:
Post a Comment