How do I get my four-year-old into The Ivy League?
Raise your hand if you ever, if only for a millisecond, believed you could manufacture the ‘Perfect A’ child? Ok. I’ll take the hit. Guilty. Banish me to ‘good-intentioned Mommy’ prison. And don’t disregard the fact that, as a professional educator, I should have known better. By default, ‘child experts’ are the worst offenders here. We’ve hypothesized, theorized, researched and defended our way right into a resilient web of delusion. On paper - a flawless plan of action. Live and in color - not so much.
Here’s what professional and personal experience bears out. Balanced and equipped university candidates are resilient AND imperfect.
Notice I didn’t say, ‘smart’.
Academic excellence is merely one gauge of success; and a lesser indicator at best. Look around you. Our society values talent. We exalt ambition. We herald risk-taking. If we possessed the power to build a Perfect ‘A’ child, would we? What’s the pay-off? Quantitative scores are indicators of quantifiable proficiency.
Are you prepping your child to be exam ‘ready’ or exam ‘dependent’?
Control the environment. Not the child.
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