#HomeRepairs #MoneyForHomeRepairs #RainyDayFund
It’s been said that if your (pick one: car, refrigerator, heating system) breaks down, you’ll always find the money to fix it.
That is true as long as you are prepared financially.
Erica Lamberg discussed preparing for costly home repairs in an article for GOBanking.com. It was also published in the Nov. 13, 2017, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Some people have a rainy day fund for such things. Others, who are not prepared, have to do without until they can come up with a way to pay for the repair.
As one can attest, it’s tough to live more than a few hours without your car, refrigerator or heating system.
Lamberg also talks about unexpected roof repairs. As she advises, though a roof is supposed to last 30 years, don’t wait that long to take preventative action. “A new roof, for an average-sized home – using medium-priced asphalt shingles – can cost at least $5,000 in most parts of the country, assuming that the sheathing is still sound,” Lamberg quotes Timothy G. Wiedman, a retired professor of management from Doane University in Nebraska.
She writes that Wiedman, who has bought, maintained, upgraded and sold several homes, said homeowners would be wise to start putting $600 to $700 a year into a roof replacement fund.
As for your heating system, Lamberg advises regular maintenance by a good local HVAC contractor. Twice a year, at the beginning of the heating and the beginning of the cooling seasons, is recommended.
“The proactive approach of being ready for the eventual changing of your equipment will save you money,: Lamberg quotes Gene Amick, with Climate Control Heating near Kansas City, Mo.
There are a number of things around your home that wear out over time. Sometimes, just regular maintenance helps prolong the life of those things. Other times, as in the case of your roof, or perhaps, your refrigerator, it’s best to have a fund that you can tap when replacement time comes.
Sometimes, having an income source that can help you pay for those things is warranted. There are a number of ways out there to earn extra money without having to get another traditional job, or begging your boss for raises. To check out one of the best – and you may find ways to save on new appliances and cars, too – message me.
Avoiding unexpected breakdowns is not just a money issue. It involves paying attention to things. The easiest way to get financially hammered by an unexpected repair is to ignore things. If you have a storm, particularly a hail storm, have your roof inspected. If you are lucky enough to have a good homeowner’s insurance policy, you might be able to get that new roof paid for.
Have your car regularly maintained. Regular oil changes over several years are cheaper than buying a new car. A good rule of thumb for vehicles is not only to get regular maintenance, but also to do the math on repairs. If the repairs become too frequent and expensive, a new car may be in order.
Most people do save for new cars, and plan their new-car purchases. But for those unexpected breakdowns, make sure you have a fund to cover the repairs.
Don’t let unexpected household repairs or purchases break you. Plan ahead. Have a source of funds readily available so you don’t have to do without for too long.
Peter
Author Archives: pbilodeau01
WORKING TO HELP OTHERS WILL ULTIMATELY ENRICH YOU
#success #HelpingOthers #BecomeWhatYouThink
It’s been said that one may be in business for himself, but not by himself.
In almost everything we do, others play a part.
We can choose to USE others for our own gain, to their detriment. Or, we can choose to help others succeed, hence we succeed.
“In helping others, we shall help ourselves. For whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us,” says Flora Edwards, a South African-born industrialist.
Edwards’ words are among the array of wisdom nuggets in the book, “The Power of Positive Doing: Getting Good at Getting Results,” by BJ Gallagher, with a forward by Ken Blanchard.
Too many of us have worked for people who depended on our success, but were indifferent about us. We, in essence, were a tool in their toolbox. THEIR success was all that mattered to them. If we became successful in the process, so be it. If we didn’t (read: we did the work but didn’t get paid what we deserved), it was of no matter to them.
Like any tool, if we left, or broke beyond repair, they replaced us.
The true situation we would all like to be in was working WITH someone who had a vested interest in our success. They would have so much of a vested interest, in fact, that they would do whatever they had to do to ensure our success.
Those folks, it seems, are few and far between.
But, as a person, one cannot focus on what others may do to you, or for you.
One must focus more on what one can do for others. Whom do you want to help? Whom do you want to succeed? If you begin to think that way, success will come to you in good time.
Success may not be instantaneous. Favors may not be overtly returned immediately. But the right attitude and subsequent action by you will bring the eventual results you are looking for.
OK, it’s nice to think that way, but, as a practical matter, how does one achieve what he thinks about?
Perhaps your current job doesn’t allow you the flexibility to help the people you want to be successful.
There are several vehicles out there that, with a little part-time effort outside of your job, you can help others achieve success, and you, in turn, can be successful. To check out one of the best, message me.
Gallagher’s book focuses on not just thinking right, but taking the action needed to make what you are thinking happen.
Too many folks have the right ideas, but are afraid to act on them because, for example, they were raised to look for security, rather than take bold steps toward their dream.
Others fail to act out of fear of what others may think of them. As most successful people will tell you, being successful may require you to be different from the rest.
So, go forth and help others. Your rewards may not be immediate or obvious, but eventually, they will come in abundance.
Peter
RURAL AREAS NEED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT …
#RuralAmerica #EconomicDevelopment #jobs #employment
Rural areas want to boost their economy.
They want to attract companies/employers who can employ lots of people who are now out of work for a variety of reasons – not the least of which is where they live.
Kyle Wingfield, a columnist for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, took on this issue, as it applies to rural Georgia, in an Aug. 27, 2017, column.
“There are a lot of different factors that affect the quality (of the workforce),” Wingfield quotes Amy Lancaster, director of workforce development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “The education system is a big piece of that … but the opioids (epidemic), criminal justice reform – all those things have a big impact, so it’s hard to limit or confine it to one issue or agency,” the quote continued.
Regarding the education system, Wingfield discussed the community college system with Lancaster. “The course offerings may not be aligned with local demand, at least not from the employer side,” Wingfield quotes her. In other words, what the employers want the students to learn is not what the students themselves want to take.
She told Wingfield that there are no incentives for colleges, either two-year or four-year, to offer what the employers really need students to learn.
Let’s break this down further. Rural areas, be they in Georgia or any other state, have a distinct disadvantage to urban areas in terms of attracting employers. It’s difficult to attract the type of talent employers seek because the workers they want to attract, usually young and fairly educated, don’t want to move to a rural area. They look for the multitude of life options urban areas provide in abundance. And those workers already living in rural areas may not be the type of workers Company X needs.
Secondly, though there is relatively high unemployment in rural areas, it doesn’t appear that people are willing to do what it takes to become more employable. In other words, if a company needs, say, welders, and people are not willing to take the necessary training to become a welder, there’s a mismatch between the supply of employable people and the demand for the needed skills.
From the worker’s perspective, he may think, “is it worth my time to get the extra training that Company X wants me to have, only to find that a year or two later, the employer demands something else – or needs to reduce staff — and I’m no longer needed?”
Many workers who thought they had secure jobs have lost them, so it’s easy to figure out why they would ask whether the extra training and effort would be worth it in the long run.
An example might be truck driving. Would a prospective new truck driver want to go through all the training that it might take, only to discover a few years later that his company will be going to driverless vehicles?
Welders may be in demand now, but will they be replaced by robots later?
It’s a tough position all around. But, if you are a prospective worker who is examining what to do with your life, you might want to think outside the box. There are plenty of ways out there to make a potentially sizeable income, without a W-2 job, if you are open to checking them out. To learn about one of the best, message me.
If you are an employer, consider that workers willing to be retrained for the skills you need now will want some assurance that they will be able to adapt as your technology changes. And, in fact, that they will still be welcome as needs change. So, it’s not only the educational institutions that need incentives to offer courses in skills employers need, the workers, too, need incentives that a decent future awaits them, if they make the effort to be retrained.
It’s not just technical skills that employers look for. The so-called soft skills – being able to work as a team, being friendly and attentive to customers etc. – can be just as important to employers.
It’s a tough world. Good things come to those willing to adapt. How you adapt – and how you think about the future – could make all the difference in your success.
Peter
TURNING YOUR THINKING AROUND; PROBLEMS BECOME SOLUTIONS
#problems #solutions #PinkBat
Has a problem arisen for you? If so, do you just acknowledge it as a problem, and try to adjust accordingly?
Or, do you try to turn the problem, or problems, into a solution? It may require some creativity and imagination, but it will definitely require an open mind.
Michael McMillan discusses this concept in his book, “Pink Bat: Turning Problems Into Solutions.”
The Pink Bat has become McMillan’s metaphor for a solution from a perceived problem. As a boy, he and his friends were looking for a way to play backyard baseball without breaking windows of their houses. They replaced a hard ball with a rubber ball. Then, McMillan remembered a gift he got as a child – a pink bat, designed to help toddlers learn baseball.
To condense a longer story, the pink bat broke from use, and the boys, with the help of one neighbor boy who didn’t usually play ball with the rest, came up with a new baseball-related game, using the broken pink bat.
“We’ve all heard the expression, ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.’ If (the neighbor boy) could take a discarded bat (perceived problem) and turn it into an exciting new game (solution), then what’s stopping you from doing the same?” McMillan writes.
He goes on to write that subconsciously, our brain chooses what we believe is possible, plausible and “real,” while ignoring or blocking everything else. He gives the example of a person listening to others’ conversation, when he hears his name mentioned. His brain filters automatically tell him that his name is important, thus he listens more intently.
He cites a bunch of examples of “problems” turned into “Pink Bat” solutions. They include turning waste vegetable oil from restaurants into motor fuel, and turning the methane gas from cattle waste into fuel gas.
His point is that problems become solutions by different thinking. It’s been said by many experts that we become what we think about. If you see your life as a series of problems to endure, rather than solutions to help you thrive, you will be less happy and less prosperous.
Pity pots can be comfy, but they get us nowhere. Sometimes, we have to delve into what’s not comfortable to change our lives.
McMillan says every problem is a solution, waiting for the right person to find it. If you become a person willing to look, eventually you’ll turn a problem into a solution – for you and perhaps many others.
If you’re situation is not where you want it to be, and you see yourself as a solution finder looking for something good to check out, message me.
“You can live each day in a world filled with ‘problems,’ or rise each morning and embrace a world filled with unseen solutions … eager for you to find them,” McMillan writes.
So get up. Swing your Pink Bat. Rather than see the world as a group of unsolvable problems, look at ways YOU can create solutions from those problems. Be willing to look at things you never would have thought you would look at. You might be amazed at what you find.
“For every problem, there exists a solution … or at the very least … an opportunity. But it takes an open mind to see it … and intelligence and imagination to create it,” McMillan writes.
Perhaps it’s the outsider who sees something others have missed, he continues. Perhaps being an outsider, or going outside your comfort zone, may help you see what YOU might have missed had you not looked.
Peter
WORKING LONGER WILL MAKE YOU SICKER
#RaisingTheRetirementAge #retirement #WorkingLonger #disabilities
The government continues to raise the retirement age.
People are working longer.
Yet, their health continues to decline.
Ben Steverman discussed this in an article for Bloomberg News. It was also published Oct. 24, 2017, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“The age-adjusted mortality rate in the U.S. rose 1.2 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to the Society of Actuaries,” the article reads. “That’s the first year-over-year increase since 2005, and only the second rise greater than 1 percent since 1980,” the article says.
So, Americans are retiring later, dying sooner and are sicker, the article says.
Almost one in three Americans age 65 to 69 is still working, along with almost one in five in their early 70s, the article says.
Americans in their late 50s have more serious health problems than people of those same ages 10 to 15 years ago, according to the article. To boot, cognitive skills have declined. Those with a retirement age of 66, 11 percent already have had some kind of dementia between ages 58 and 60, the article quotes a study by University of Michigan economists HwaJung Choi and Robert Schoeni.
Experts say obesity, high rates of suicide, drug overdoses and alcohol abuse have been cited as causes, the article says.
The higher death rates are good news for pension plans, the article points out.
“Americans may have already seen most of the benefits from previous positive developments that cut the death rate, such as a decline in smoking and medical advances like statins that fight cardiovascular disease,” the article reads.
So are you among the group that feels worse than you think you should for your age? Has the economic downturn of 2008 got you working at a job you hate, when it’s high time for you to retire?
Perhaps a solution to the latter problem may relieve the difficulties of the former. There are many ways to make money beyond a traditional W-2 job – especially one that you hate, or that is making you sick. To check out one of the best such vehicles, message me.
And though pension plans may like this news – the Society of Actuaries calculates a typical pension plan’s obligations could fall by 0.7 to 1 percent , the article says – not everyone is fortunate enough to have a pension.
That puts the onus on every worker to make sure their retirement is not only survivable, but potentially prosperous.
This may entail some thought outside the proverbial box, especially if your employer is not providing you a pension.
If you’re young, start saving your money sooner. Cut out that extra coffee-shop visit or extra meal out, and put that money toward your retirement.
If you are older, not only must you think about how long you WANT to work, but also how long you will BE ABLE to work. It may not be an illness that gets you. You may be one bad manager or one reorganization away from a dead career.
You may not be able to solve health problems, but money problems can be conquered. You just have to have the best life you can, and try to live as long as possible.
Peter
HOW ABOUT ANYONE DOING ANY JOB?
More men are expected to be attracted to “women’s jobs” in the coming years.
However, the reverse is not proving to be a trend.
That’s according to research by Jed Kolko, economist at the job-search site Indeed. His study was quoted in an article by Ana Swanson in the Washington Post. It was also published in the April 23, 2017, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kolko concludes that less-educated men may especially face challenges in the job market of the future, the article says.
“In recent decades, fields that are dominated by men and by women have not fared equally. Many men have fallen out of work as increased mechanization has allowed the U.S. to produce more agricultural and manufacturing goods than ever, with fewer people than before,” the article says.
“Jobs that are dominated by women are projected to grow nearly twice as fast as jobs that are dominated by men,” the article quotes the Kolko study, based on figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Fast-growing ‘male’ jobs that require lots of education don’t really help men without a college degree who have been in traditionally ‘male’ jobs,” the article quotes Kolko.
We all have an idea what a “male” job – construction, manufacturing, mining, farming etc. –or a “female job” – nursing, administrative assistant, etc. –is. The article says that computer programming was once dominated by women, but is now heavily male.
It’s been reported many times that men fared worse in the Great Recession than women. The good jobs done largely by men went away more quickly than those done mostly by women.
Kolko points out that some “female” jobs, such as telephone operaters and textile workers, also have been automated out, according to the article.
The broader trend is away from manufacturing and more toward services, which could draw men into jobs traditionally dominated by women, the article says.
So let’s step back and examine this. Good jobs in general are disappearing quickly. Lots of folks, if they are lucky to find new jobs, generally are getting paid less than their previous jobs paid them. Many are not using the skills they were trained for. Those skills, largely, are being replaced by machines. There’s nothing a person can do to stop that!
But what a person CAN do is think about other ways to make money. There are many such vehicles out there for those willing to step out of what’s comfortable, and look at something different. To learn about one of the best such vehicles, message me.
The economy, the recession, downsizing – however you wish to think about it – is not something that will, or can, go away. So, if such circumstances hit you, don’t beat yourself up. Sure, those circumstances will hurt, but by further beating yourself, the pain will be worse.
Americans can be very resilient. Sometimes, tough circumstances require bold action. Sometimes, one has to think differently to better himself.
If you view yourself as a hard-working person, and most do, don’t expect someone to give you something. You may have to look for other opportunities, perhaps completely unrelated to what you’ve done before.
So whether you’ve been doing a “male” job, or a “female” job, and it has gone away, remember that someone you know, or may not yet know, may introduce you to something you may have never heard of. Listen. Don’t dismiss out of hand. You could be hearing about the light at the end of your tunnel.
Peter
HAPPY NEW YEAR! MAKE ’18 GREAT
#HappyNewYear #Make2018Great #joy #prosperity
Another year is about to begin.
We can look at it, to borrow from the song “Sixteen Tons” that Tennessee Ernie Ford helped make famous, as “another (year) older and deeper in debt.”
We can look at it as “how am I going to make it another year?”
Or, we can look at it as, “it’s going to be the best year ever.”
It’s not just how you think about the new year, it’s how you are going to MAKE the new year your best ever.
You may think, “how am I going to make the new year great, if things aren’t going great now?”
Well, you may have to look for something better. You could even be lucky, and something better will just serendipitously come along to make your life better. If that happens, you have to have the wherewithal to recognize it.
In other words, you have to be open to new things, even if they are things you’d never dreamed would be part of your life.
Pessimism partly comes from pigeon-holing your life. You may have even been taught that “this is what you were destined to do.” When that destiny disappears, you may think your destiny has gone with it.
Optimism partly comes from knowing that you deserve something better in your life, and making yourself available to it. It’s been said that good fortune comes to those who prepare for it.
If you are open to making your 2018 great, and are looking for a vehicle to help you do that, there are many such vehicles out there. To check out one of the best, message me.
Meanwhile, take stock of what is good in your life. How can you use what is already good in your life to make your new year even better?
How can you take the turning of a calendar and turn it into the life you’ve always wanted?
Don’t let a good cup of coffee, or whatever your favorite beverage is, just sit and get cold. Drink it while it’s hot, or at its best. Propose a toast that your new year will be filled with the joy and prosperity you deserve.
If things aren’t what you want them to be, the change must begin with you. To borrow from a spiritual song, “let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.”
The world is filled with issues and circumstances that could lead one to think there is little to celebrate. You may even have personal circumstances that can allow you to believe that struggle is just part of life.
Struggle CAN be part of life, certainly, but it doesn’t have to run your life.
So make a resolution to let 2018 be a great year. Then, make a promise to yourself that you will not just LET it be a great year, you will MAKE it a great year.
Peter
DEFIANCE VS. CHALLENGE: THE SIMILARITIES MAY SURPRISE YOU
#defiance #challenge #complacency #acceptance
When we think of defiance, we think of fighting back against someone or something in authority. People defy dictators. Children defy parents, teachers etc.
In other words, we think of defiance as a bad thing. (We certainly don’t want to raise defiant toddlers).
When we challenge something, we take on the status quo. We stand up for what’s right, against what’s wrong. South Africans challenged apartheid. American blacks challenged racism etc. We think of challenge as a good thing.
As adults, we defy evil and challenge for the good. Perhaps we challenge ourselves to defy those things that are keeping us from being the best we can be.
The opposite of defiance is complacency. The opposite of challenge is acceptance.
The question, therefore, becomes: are we too afraid to defy what is, even though it’s not doing right by us? Do we dare not challenge ourselves to go over or around what is, to make our lives better?
We all have different situations. Some of our situations are good, and worth maintaining, like a good-paying job we enjoy.
For many of us, our situations need, or require, change. Perhaps we’ve let change happen to us, thinking, although we don’t like what’s happening, there’s nothing we can do about it. We accept, rather than challenge. We become complacent, rather than defiant.
Very likely, in whatever situation you are in, there is SOMETHING you can do to change it for the better. You don’t have to wish for better circumstances to come your way. You can create better circumstances by challenging yourself to be a little defiant.
Too often, we are taught by our elders not to challenge, not to be defiant. You’ve all heard the expressions, “keep your nose to the grindstone,” or “keep your head low,” or “don’t make waves.” If you do those things, you’ll stay out of trouble.
Today, however, particularly in the workplace, that advice can produce no fruit. Some very hard-working people may wake up one morning, go to work as usual, only to find they are suddenly out of a job.
The complacent ones, those who accept what is, pack up their things, go home, complain, cry etc., and start to think that life as they knew it is over.
Defiant ones, those who’ve challenged themselves, have not only anticipated that circumstance, they’ve prepared for it. Perhaps they’ve spent some part-time, off-work hours creating a secondary income – perhaps even one that dwarfs their salaries.
There are many vehicles out there that will allow you to do that. To check out one of the best, message me.
The lesson here is perhaps that many people accept what is, and become complacent. When change occurs, they don’t take it well and long for the old days that will never come back.
Defiant ones realize that change happens often. They prepare for the day when their good situations disappear, or change for the worse. Perhaps they don’t know when it will happen, but they realize that someday it will. When it does, they challenge themselves to become even better than they were.
Defiance in young children may not be desirable, but you may want to raise your children to become defiant adults. You do that by being defiant yourself. Let the children watch you overcome obstacles. Let them watch you challenge yourself to turn a bad situation into something that makes you better.
If you challenge yourself to become defiant, you may find yourself in a great situation you had never believed possible.
Peter
QUANTIFYING THE BENEFIT OF A GOOD ATTITUDE
#atttitude #GoodAttitude #QuantifyingAttitude
No rah-rah speeches, please.
That’s what Sam Glenn, a worldwide expert on attitude, was told by a company representative who was considering hiring him to give a speech.
So Glenn tells the story of how much a good attitude is really worth.
Glenn was going to buy a TV, but only had $500 to spend. The store clerk says $500 won’t cover that. Glenn asks to speak to a manager. When the manager comes over, his first response, rather than “may I help you,” or something akin, was, “what’s the problem?”
When all was said and done, the manager could do nothing for Glenn, so he took his $500 and walked out of the store.
“That unhelpful attitude is reflected in the level of work they do in the workplace,” Glenn writes in his book, “The Gift of Attitude: 10 Way to Change the Way You Feel.”
Good attitudes have a benefit that can be quantified. If one customer per day leaves a business without spending money, because he doesn’t like how he was treated, that’s real money, Glenn asserts. Multiplied over a week, month or year, you can see the cost of a bad attitude.
The book also talks about attitude “warriors,” people who make it a point to ALWAYS have a great attitude, and attitude “termites,” those that eat away at people’s good attitude.
So, the question becomes, are you a warrior or a termite?
If you are a warrior, you probably are intentional about how you feel. You insist on not just displaying a good attitude, but genuinely creating one. If you are a termite, you work diligently to make happy people miserable. But, if you run into a warrior, chances are the termite tactics won’t work on that person because he or she has made it a point not to let a termite taste victory.
Circumstances differ day to day in most workplace settings. Warriors don’t allow those circumstances to affect their attitude. They make good situations great and bad situations better.
They treat everyone as if he or she is special.
If your (pick one: work, financial, personal) circumstances are causing you to be an attitude termite, think about what’s good in your life, and try adjusting your attitude using those things.
Think about ways to help others. If you are looking for a vehicle to make your life better, and help others, there are many such vehicles out there. To check out one of the best, message me.
If you are an employer, devote a priority to an employee’s, or prospective employee’s, attitude. The right attitude can yield real productivity. The opposite is also true. An employee’s bad attitude can really cost you.
If you are an employee, make sure you create a good attitude going into work. A good attitude reduces stress and allows you to better deal with any circumstances that cross your path. You may not solve every problem, but you’ll find many more possible solutions – or create a solution.
If you are having a bad day, and it’s affecting your attitude, think about a time when you were treated badly by a store clerk, or some other person you were hoping would help you solve a problem. You do not want to be like that person. You want to solve your and others’ problems.
Leave home thinking you’re going to save the world – one person at a time – by treating that person the way you would want to be treated.
Peter
WHY ASIAN PARENTS HAVE THEIR KIDS’ BACKS IN SCHOOL
Why do students of East Asian descent do so well in school? Because parents are the primary educators.
So concludes Maureen Downey, education columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Her column on the subject was published July 31, 2017.
While American parents are concerned with how engaging their child’s teacher is, how much homework their child will have and whether their child will be able to balance school and other activities, such as band or soccer, in East Asian countries, parents are worried about one thing: whether their child will learn, Downey writes.
The Asian children’s success will depend not only on their own effort, but that of their parents, she writes.
That difference may explain the performance gap between American students and those from East Asian countries, Downey writes.
According to a research scholar on East Asian education, this lagging performance by American students will not change unless we upend two beliefs: teachers are responsible for student achievement and parents play a supportive, rather than primary, role in their child’s education, Downey writes.
Cornelius N. Grove, author and researcher on East Asian education, has challenged the assumption that school performance is determined by innate aptitude, Downey writes. He says children bring – or don’t bring, in the case of some U.S. students – a receptiveness to learning and a moral and cultural imperative to excel, Downey writes.
Students who fail an algebra test here might say, “I’m just not good at math,” Downey quotes Grove. East Asian students use failure to figure out what they don’t know and redirect their study plan, Downey quotes Grove.
One could argue that while education is important, so are other things in life. The balance American parents look for in their children is a worthy endeavor. We want children to have a life, to do things that kids do, to enjoy growing up and not be put in a pressure cooker.
On the other hand, some parents can be too loosey-goosey, fret about the child’s self-esteem, etc.
Those old enough may remember when parents sent kids to school, let them figure out what to do, perhaps had one or two conferences a year with teachers and that was it. Some parents were disinclined, or perhaps even incapable, of helping with homework.
Still, “we have masses of young people (In the U.S) who aren’t able to do simple math, who have trouble reading a sentence,” Downey quotes Grove.
Yet, she quotes him, “we are not short of entrepreneurs in this country.” If your child is an entrepreneur, and is looking for something to apply that trait that could earn him potentially a lot of money, there are many vehicles out there that may fit him or her. To check out one of the best, message me.
The bottom line is that parents have to find the happy medium in which their child can excel in school, and still be a kid. The parents have to devote a higher priority on education, and not leave everything up to teachers and schools.
The children have to want to learn. A parent who cultivates a child’s desire to learn is parenting at its best. So let your kids be kids, let them do what they enjoy, yet still have focus on education. Perhaps the parents can take a leading role in increasing school performance of American children.
Peter