When students understand the connection between school and the larger world of future income, they do more homework!

In a University of Michigan study of 600 high school students, it was found that when students were asked to consider what they wanted to do in the future before they were given homework, they were much more likely to do that homework. night.

The researchers also found that students who viewed a college education as part of their career path fell short. Eight times they are more likely to do additional tasks if they could get additional credit for them.

Obviously, high school students can make the connection between school work and future earnings, and they only need to be reminded of this connection to be more motivated to learn. With younger students, the connection may not be so obvious, but there are other connections that can be made.

For example, younger students can be told that if they want to be like one of their action heroes, they must work hard in school. Most sports personalities (not all!) Are great role models for young children and often function in schools to encourage children to learn and perform well.

But how often do we make sure that children understand the connection between school and life? Too often, teachers and parents focus on short-term goals (the next test, the next learning benchmark) rather than giving children a bigger picture of why they are in school.

I used to ask the children why they had to learn to read. The responses I got were amazing. Some children said they had to learn to read “because the teacher says so”, or because “my parents want me to read.” He spent time telling and showing them that teachers didn’t make them learn to read just for the sake of reading, but so they could learn more and be smart enough to get a good job when they left school. I remember they were quite surprised and this new way of looking at the reason for learning to read and most of them were more motivated to learn as a result.

So parents, if you want your child to work harder, do more homework, make sure they understand the connection between school and the world at large. Point out what it takes to be successful in this world and what they must do to achieve it.

Do this in a smooth way, the future and the amount of work students have to do to secure their future can be overwhelming and you don’t want to scare them. Let your child know that although the road can be long and difficult at times, you will always be there to support him when he needs your help.

But give them a very good reason to be in school, give them something to aspire to and the means to get there.

Isn’t that what we all need?