Teaching my eldest boy reminds me that a big part of education is learning to focus. It is my job to help my children find their focus even when they don’t think they can.

It’s not easy, but once my son is in the zone, he learns so quickly. All kids are like that.

Sometimes they need to get up and run around for a few minutes to get the sillies out. Sometimes they need a drink of water or to draw something funny first, but when it’s time to sit down and do the work, that skill of focusing is what really translates the lesson.

My son LOVES math and hates English. This is frustrating for me since I write for a living and he’s great at reading and writing when he really hammers it out. Getting him to focus and trust his abilities is like pulling teeth sometimes. Then we get to math, and it’s a joy. We laugh, he aces it, and life is easy again.

Playing to his strengths is how I help him gain the confidence he needs to focus even when he thinks he can’t. THAT is a teacher’s job. Always.