Rule 3: Don’t Worry About A’s

Schools Don’t Always Nurture Entrepreneurs

Some children who grow up to become entrepreneurs have habits that most schools don’t value. They question the rules and challenge authority. They want to do things their own way. They get bored and lose focus when the task at hand doesn’t interest them. And what does that mean?

• It means they often aren’t happy in school.
• It means some teachers may not like them very much.
• It means nobody at school is mentoring them, because they don’t see how special they are.
• It means they aren’t getting a lot of positive feedback at school.

Schools, of course, teach necessary academic and social skills, but to some extent they also reward behavior that is diametrically opposed to what’s needed for entrepreneurial success. And, as one mom I talked with pointed out, schools often put more emphasis on remediating kids’ weaknesses than they do on finding and supporting kids’ strengths. That approach can be devastating to a youngster with an entrepreneurial mind-set, a kid who learns in ways that are determined by her passions, not by an academic schedule, a teacher’s checklist, or a standardized test.

Some children do have … Continue reading..