You, Your Child, and School: Navigate Your Way to the Best Education by Sir Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica

Depending on your child’s talents, interests, and character college may not be the right choice so consider one of the many vocational programs currently available. Also, make sure to keep an eye on the kind of jobs that might be soon automated. While many students will find their passion in the school curriculum, others may find it outside of school in places you might not suspect. The key is to support any passion they find. Avoid judgment and do what you can to promote optimism. In essence, you are a liaison between your child’s talents and the world around them.
On the average, people with college degrees earn more, but there is no guarantee. The last thing you want is a lot of student debt and a degree that doesn’t lead to a reasonable career or no degree at all. About a third of current job openings in the US require noncollege professional training. Look for opportunities in school and at home for your child to create work that they can exhibit. Apprenticeships can lead to high paying jobs in trades like plumbing. For some students, a gap year prior to college can help to find some focus to their lives, but don’t do it without a plan. Online courses can be inexpensive and worthwhile, but watch out for scams. In closing, I wish you good luck with your parenting adventure and I thank Ken and Lou for this fine book.

Sir Ken is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human resources. He is in high demand for speaking engagements worldwide and has many of the most watched TED Talks. He is professor emeritus at the University of Warwick in the UK. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II is 2003. His best selling books include The Element: Finding Your Passion Changes Everything and Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life. He was born in the UK and now lives in Los Angeles, California. Visit his site at http://SirKenRobinson.Com and follow him on Twitter @sirkenrobinson.
Lou is the author of several novels and coauthor, with SIR ken of The Element, Finding Your Element, and Creative Schools.

Book Summaries