Parent Talk: Succeed in Life (1 of 5)

Frequent Discussion with Parents and Takeaways from the Type A Parents Conference

Our booth was buzzing at the Type A Parents Conference 2014 in Atlanta GA.  Parents were huddled around our display monitors sharing their concerns:

1)   How do I give my child the best chance to succeed in life?
2)   How can I be more impactful on my child’s learning process?
3)   How do I help my child who is struggling in math?
4)   How do I challenge my child who excels in math?
5)   How do I get my child more interested in math?

Parents feel helpless and they want more control of their child’s education.  They fear that they are not doing everything they should.  They want to make sure their child is not at a disadvantage.  They want to make sure they are setting their child up to succeed in life.  These are feelings we all share as parents.

Although the questions are the same, parents struggle to find answers to these questions.  Today, I will share my answers to the first question and I will answer the other four questions in future blogs.

Parent Talk

TOPIC 1:  How do I give my child the best chance to succeed in life?

Success means different things to different people.  There is one thing I know to be universally true about success.  People who pursue the things they love tend to succeed more often than those who do not (either because they are happier, earn more money, have more job security, or all of the above).  But how does one know what they really love?

My daughter is nine years old.  Watching her do her homework the other night made me reflect on when I was nine.  I had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up.  Many of the jobs that exist today did not exist when I was nine.  I would have had no ability to say, “When I grow up… ‘I want to be a computer programmer’, ‘I want to be a technology entrepreneur’, or ‘I want to be a biotechnologist’.”

A strong education provides a bridge to the jobs of tomorrow.  And when it comes to education, parents can give their children no better gift than a strong foundation in mathematics.  Strong math skills give students the ability to rapidly learn other subjects  (e.g. science, computer programming, biotechnology, etc.)  By 2018, 75% of the fastest growing occupations require significant mathematics or science preparation. (adeccousa.com).  By 2018 there will be an expected 2.4million unfilled job vacancies in these most influential occupations. Workers with associate’s degrees in STEM fields out-earn 63 percent of people who have bachelor’s degrees in other fields.  Almost half of workers with bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields out-earn workers with Ph.D.’s in other fields, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

At Great Parents Academy (GPA) we have built our technology to address the many barriers that stand in the way of children gaining math mastery.   Whether your obstacle is knowing where to start, knowing what to focus on, structuring better conversations with your child’s teacher, or motivating your child to learn math, GPA’s gamified math platform can help.   If you want to give your child the best chance to succeed in life, give them a solid foundation in math. Give them a subscription to GPA.

TOPICS 2-5: Coming soon

How can I be more impactful on my child’s learning process?

How do I help my child who is struggling in math?

How do I challenge my child who excels in math?

How do I get my child more interested in math?