1. Learning is Good for You
Learning improves our lives. Developing our intellect is a joy that adds quality to our existence. Learning is also exciting and fun. Students who work hard in school gain knowledge and develop skills that boost confidence and self-esteem.
2. Academic Success Prepares Students for the Future
Doing well in school opens doors to future academic opportunities. For example, excelling in elementary school leads to good grades in middle and high school. This consistent academic success increases the likelihood of earning admission into selective colleges and universities.
3. Hard Work Builds Good Habits
Working hard in school helps children develop lasting habits. In my classroom, I emphasize two important sets: “habits of mind” that predispose us to think and act in specific ways and “habits of character” that focus on study habits, social skills, and attitudes about our work.
4. School Helps Kids Discover Their Passions
Working hard can help children find their passion. Many well-known individuals discovered their future careers and areas of intense interest in school. Books, videos, and other curricular material expose kids to people, music, languages, endeavors, and ideas they might not have encountered otherwise.
5. Doing Well in School Helps Build Character
Doing well in school helps people establish themselves as individuals. The classroom is one of the primary places where we determine our quality standards. Students who work hard and do well in school learn to establish high expectations and expect great things from themselves.
6. Education Enhances Career Opportunities
Education helps us get the jobs we want. It is a simple fact that people who graduate high school earn more money than those who don’t, and those who graduate college earn even more. Throughout a lifetime, this difference in earning power is significant. Making money is not the only reason to do well in school, but it is essential.
7. School Maximizes Our Options in Life
Doing well in school maximizes our options in life. Education opens doors. Not only does it help us obtain higher-paying jobs, but it enables us to access a wider variety of jobs that offer challenges, interest, and the opportunity to contribute to our communities. Education also opens doors that are unrelated to our careers. For example, a track record of school success can help us earn worthwhile volunteer opportunities.
8. Education Makes Us Better Consumers
Working hard in school empowers us to become more effective consumers. In school, we learn the arithmetic skills that help us make correct changes, balance our checkbooks, and manage a household budget. Beyond that, we also learn the higher-level thinking skills that empower us to be consumers in the larger sense – consumers of news and information who can analyze issues critically and make intelligent judgments.
9. Education Empowers Us to Make a Difference
Education empowers us to make a difference in the world. The more we know, the more we can contribute to the lives of others. Working hard in school enables us to help people through formal roles, such as doctors and nurses, and informal roles, such as tutoring a neighbor or assisting a younger sibling with reading.
10. Education Prepares Us for Civic Life
Education empowers people to participate fully in civic life. Healthy communities need involved citizens. Voting, attending city council meetings, writing letters to the editor, and taking action on critical issues are necessary to preserve and strengthen our democracy. By working hard in school, we learn our country’s history and the responsibilities we all have as citizens.
