Do your children have an academic motivation to be the best? In this just for kids episode, Felice once again talks directly to the kids to encourage them to take education in a way that matters.

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If I told you you could win the greatest prize that even money couldn’t buy, would you be interested? This prize will open up the world to you in a way that no one can take away from you. Listen in as I share the answer to this question at the very end.

Who is in charge of your learning? Did you say your mom, dad or teacher? Wrong.

Usually, people say there are no right and wrong answers and that might be true. Maybe. But, if you have a math assignment and answer the questions any way you want to without figuring them out, then yes, it is going to be wrong.

In this same way, thinking someone else is in charge of your learning is not a good way to think. Why? Because you should be in charge of learning and when I say in charge I mean having a good attitude to learn. You can’t possibly teach yourself something you do not know, but you can be open to learning something you do not know that your parents or teachers are trying to present to you. This is important for so many reasons. One way is to be a detective.

A detective looks at the mystery and tries to solve it looking for clues or evidence. You can be a detective and do this and start with your parents. Ask your mom, dad or both what they wish they had learned when they were going to school. You will be surprised. You can ask your grandparents this question as well. Often they wish they had learned more about a specific topic because they realized that they were interested in the topic or maybe the job attached with the topic.

Psychology is the study of the human condition or how the mind works and why people do what they do. For example, if someone bumps into you what do you say? Do you say, “Oh, careful there you might hurt yourself?” No? Maybe you say, “I’m sorry I was in the way.” No, again? Maybe you bump or shove them back and say, “Watch it!” More like it right? We do things because we want to take care of ourselves, especially when you are younger what you want and need – you think – is more important than what your mom, dad, brothers, sisters, or anyone else in your family needs. Is this true? For some people it is… that is why a little child screams when they want to get their own way. The more noise they make the more everyone trips over themselves making them stop screaming! It is actually rewarding bad behavior.

Well, the same thing goes for learning. Who should be more interested in learning you, or your mom or dad? The answer is you! More than likely that is not a true statement because your parents are more interested in your learning than you are, and in fact, you may think school is — boring! Everything you learn goes into the treasure chest of your mind. Learning is like finding a treasure that only you can spend and use. Think about this.

How can you have academic motivation and what does that mean? Academics has to do with learning, learning different subjects, behavior, and even learning how to survive in a home and do chores as well as get along with your family members. Motivation means to want to do something. Academic motivation in this sense is wanting to learn.

Who benefits from you learning. Do I get smarter because my kids learned how to read, write, and understand history and science? I may have learned something I didn’t know or forgot that I learned as a kid, but I am not the one who is taking the test or going on to get a job or college. No, the person who gains the most is the person learning.

Learning opens up the world for you, it helps you to get a better job or the job you want. Learning opens your mind to new things and helps you focus on what is important to your future. People who are not educated will not get ahead in this life, they will be stuck doing jobs they do not enjoy. Some people say there is a way to never work a day in your life. How do you do this? By doing a job you enjoy. If your work is interesting and you get paid for it, that is the best type of job and it does not feel like work.

How can you be self-motivated to have academic motivation?

1. Think about the benefits. Why is learning important?
   
2. Realize that when you learn that is your information forever. No one can take it away.
   
3. Every new thing you learn is added into your treasure chest. You can cash this in at some point in your life.
   
4. Learning is a way to get a good job.
   
5. Learning is a way to never have a job (that means having a job you enjoy)
   

Can you add to this list? What are some ways you can motivate yourself to learn?

Remember the question I asked you at the beginning of this podcast?

If I told you you could win the greatest prize that even money couldn’t buy, would you be interested? This prize will open up the world to you in a way that no one can take away from you.

Do you know the answer? Did you say learning and the motivation (wanting) to learn? Then you are right. Wanting to learn is a wonderful way to get ahead in life and with a little bit of focus you can make it happen with the help of your parents and educators.

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