We Need to Teach Our Children...

"We need to teach our children that it's not just the winner of the Superbowl that deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair."
                                            - President Obama, State of the Union Address


This statement was one of the many remarks President Obama made during his State of the Union address earlier this week. It brings to light something that I talk about often to both young people and adults alike. We need to TEACH our children that success can and should happen in the classroom as well as in the spotlight. 


There is value in both kinds of successes, of course. 


The reality is that the majority of those athletes who will play in the Superbowl in a week and a half will have worked INCREDIBLY hard to earn a space in the spotlight. You don't get to the Superbowl just by showing up and being mediocre. And that's a good thing for our young people to see and understand.


But we short-change them if we leave it at that. We also need to talk about what it takes to succeed academically. Because, really, many of the same successful habits that top-notch athletes use - day in and day out - are the same ones that successful students use. 


Most successful students show up. Everyday. They work hard. Everyday. They're not afraid to take some risks, ask some tough questions, and challenge themselves in new ways. Everyday. They believe that the hours and hours they spend on homework and studying and reading will pay off. Someday. And they know that often they have to delay immediate fun (like going to the mall, maybe) in exchange for their long-term dreams (like being the first in their family to attend college, maybe). 


So if you are one of the millions who will sit down on February 6th to root one of the two competing football teams to victory, if you are one of the many who will jump up and scream and celebrate a good play, also remember to root for the children in your life everyday. Jump up and celebrate THEIR successes. Cheer them onto victory. Because, for many of our youth, it takes just as much courage to walk into a classroom, pull out a textbook, and ask a question they're afraid to ask as it does for some of those professional athletes to walk out on the field in front of millions of fans. 


And we should celebrate courage alongside success always, even if it looks different than what our society might traditionally recognize.