You Are Their First Teacher: Why School Isn't Enough

Learning doesn't start and stop at the classroom door - it's a 24/7, 365-day job that begins with you

Here's what I know from growing up in Western PA: The best lessons I learned didn't come from a textbook. They came from watching my parents work hard, treat people with respect, and never give up on what mattered.

We need to take responsibility for our children. You are their first teacher.

What Schools Do (And Don't Do)

Let me break this down in simple terms: School is not the source of your child's manners. Schools are not teaching your family values.

Schools teach math, science, English, reading, and history. That's their job, and they need to do it well.

But if you want your kids to learn other things - respect, work ethic, integrity, how to treat people - that's on you. And I encourage that. I encourage learning that doesn't start and stop in the classroom but becomes a 24/7, 365-day process for all learners, from young ones to seniors in high school and beyond.

The Real Investment

As a parent and advocate, I see this every day: We need to ensure we give our children the very best we can give them. And I'm not talking about Nike shoes or $80 polo shirts.

I'm talking about time. Attention. High expectations. Real conversations about what matters.

We want them to have things that we did not have - not material things, but opportunities. Character. The confidence that comes from knowing their parents believe in them enough to invest in their education, not just delegate it.

Learning Never Stops

When I was on the golf team at Franklin High, the real learning happened outside of practice. It was my mom asking about my round, talking through what went wrong, celebrating what went right. It was understanding that improvement was my responsibility, not just my coach's.

That's the mindset our kids need today. School provides the foundation, but we build the house.

Your Role as Chief Education Officer

You don't have to have all the answers. You don't need a teaching degree. But you do need to be engaged.

Ask questions about what they're learning. Challenge them to think deeper. Connect classroom lessons to real life. Show them that education matters by making it matter in your home.

When your kid comes home talking about a history lesson, don't just ask "How was school?" Ask "What did you think about what you learned? How does that connect to what's happening today?"

The Standards We Set

This isn't about being a helicopter parent or doing their homework for them. It's about setting the standard that learning is important, thinking is valuable, and their education is worth your time and attention.

It's about teaching them that success isn't measured by the brand on their shoes, but by the effort they put in and the character they develop along the way.

Building What We Didn't Have

Most of us want our kids to have opportunities we didn't have. But the best opportunities aren't handed to them - they're earned through hard work, supported by parents who refuse to let their kids settle for mediocrity.

We can't control every teacher they'll have or every lesson they'll learn in school. But we can control the culture we create at home. We can control whether learning is valued, whether effort is celebrated, whether our kids understand that their education is their responsibility, not something that happens to them.

The Choice Is Yours

You can drop your kids off at school and hope for the best. Or you can recognize that their most important classroom is your home, and their most influential teacher is you.

School teaches subjects. Parents teach life.

Both matter. Both are necessary. But only one is your responsibility.

The airplane takes off, but you're the pilot of your child's education journey.

Time to take the controls.