Get Smart: Prioritize Education on Cincinnati Family Magazine

Even with the economy in the dumps, we still have to keep our heads about us. In fact, we have to keep our heads about us more than ever before. We’re watching grocery bills mount, we’re hearing about lay-offs and foreclosures and we’re feeling the grinding down of our affluent world as it screeches to a halt. I know that sounds grim for the new year, but we have to keep our eyes open … we have to look at this square in the face … because we have kids. We have to keep going. And we have to lead the way for them. Remember in our graduation speeches when we got out of high school? We were told we were the promise of the new generation. Now it’s time to make that count. We have to be the promise for our kids.

    We have to think about our children’s education and where they are going in life because they will have a future that looks a lot different from what’s going on right now and they need to be ready for it. They are now the new promise of tomorrow and they come up with unique gifts to work with as they grow up. The only way to bring out a child’s gifts is through education. Whether it’s in home, public or private school, what your child learns day in and day out, will profoundly impact his future. Even as we live through this most unusual period of economic uncertainty, one thing remains constant: that child of yours is growing and his future is on the line with every experience he has. So let’s build.

    As we move forward through 2009, we will be asked to prioritize our lives. Out of necessity we will be forced to determine what we can let go of and what we must keep. Keep your children’s education at the top of your list. If your kids are not of school age yet, you can enjoy learning about educational options for him in our area without spending a cent. Attend private school open houses happening this month (see page 38) and learn what your options are for your child. Do your homework when it comes to what kind of teacher, mission, curriculum and environment you want your child to learn in. At home, you can build on your child’s interests (again, without spending a cent!) just by talking about the things that he enjoys. You can read books, go online and play educational games, play music and sing songs (read about how valuable that is to learning ability on page 22) and live through this period of time together astutely, importantly … and educationally. You can help your kids understand what’s happening to your family economically (page 26) so that they have an awareness of wants versus needs.

    It’s time for all of us to wisen up and what’s happening in our world right now is going to make that happen. We’re all being asked to make new kinds of sacrifices – just don’t sacrifice the educating of your children.

    Oh, and be sure to build in lots of fun for your family this winter. Check out our awesome round-up of FREE wintery bliss starting on page 15. Life goes on, after all.

    Happy New Year!