A Parent's Letter to My Children in School
Jeff Thredgold

With your focus on education, I often find myself thinking about how much the world has changed since I was in your shoes. The world is now a much "smaller" place-people of all cultures can communicate and travel with ease. You face great challenges today...just as I did...just as my parents before me. These words of advice might be helpful:

•  Recognize that the only limits you face are those you set for yourself

•  Be the BEST that you can be

•  Recognize that YOU are responsible for your successes and failures

•  You must earn your way

•  Strive for excellence...not perfection

•  See the glass as half-full, rather than seeing it as half-empty

•  Focus on positives, rather than on negatives

•  Look to praise, rather than to criticize

•  Look for ways to succeed, rather than excuses to fail

•  Commit yourself to constant improvement

•  Understand how important education is to success

•  School is the key. Technology rules. You need better skills to succeed

•  Learn what is being taught, but most importantly, learn "how" to learn

•  Develop other information sources to verify, or challenge, what you are being taught. "History" is routinely twisted or rewritten to support a particular point of view. Get other ideas

•  Treat teachers, administrators, and fellow students as you would like to be treated

•  Be the first to say "Hello"

•  Develop your mind in school, but also develop other skills and interests, including music, art, and physical fitness. This is where teamwork develops its roots

•  Be a well-rounded person

•  Resist taking "easy" classes

•  Dig into math, the sciences, and computers. These form the technical foundation for future success

•  Study language

•  Speak and write English correctly

•  Appreciate other cultures by learning another language

•  Be honest in your approach to learning

•  Resist the temptation to cheat-you only hurt yourself

•  Develop a keen interest in the outside world

•  Pay attention to the "news." The "real" world can be very different from the student world you live in today

•  Avoid the temptations of alcohol, smoking, drugs, gangs, and irresponsible personal behavior

•  Understand the steps you take today have lifelong implications

•  Choose your friends wisely

•  Do what you can to make a teacher's job easier, not harder. Teaching is one of the most important, most difficult, and most underpaid professions in the world

•  Participate-but don't be a pain!

•  Be a friend to all. Extend a hand of friendship to all other students, regardless of race, creed, or color

•  Make a special effort to be a friend to those less fortunate than you

•  As you mature and face new challenges, don't hesitate to discuss with me what is on your mind. You might learn from the mistakes of others

•  Don't forget to have fun!!

•  School can be a great time in your life

•  Experience it

•  Live it

•  Enjoy it

Many of these suggestions will be useful throughout your life-learn them well. I wish you the greatest success in your efforts and hope you find school both rewarding and enjoyable.

Love,