In raising children, the greatest asset we can give them is simply to prepare them to be an adult. I want my children to be contributors to their society, to be lifelong learners, to magnify their talents and gifts in every way and be happy. I often seek the advice of other parents and professionals about what they believe are the greatest assets and characteristics or traits which will help them throughout life.
So, what are some skills that employers are searching for? 
- work ethic
- communication skills -both verbally and in writing
- collaboration skills with others or the ability to work both alone and in a team
- knowing where to gather information
- understanding quantitative information (statistics and numbers)
- problem solving
- asking questions
I quickly wrote down each of these skills and pondered them. Each of these skills could be taught as children and expounded upon as they got older. How can we teach these skills? First, simply live the example of each one. Strive to be the embodiment of these skills.
By Tracy Atkinson
Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and a master’s in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners. She has published several titles, including Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8 and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.
Comments are closed