One of the goals as a parent is to watch your child accomplish many wonderful things. My son is only 3, but I can already sense that this overwhelming pride I have for him will be present for the rest of my life. Besides being kind, I want him to find something in his life that he feels passionate about. As a teacher, I've seen that passion can facilitate hard work, but raising a hard-working child is about more than that.
A child who is hard-working has the tools they need to put in the kind of work that helps them be successful. A hard-working kid understands that things don't come easily or get handed to them. In truth, as a teacher, I would always rather have a classroom filled with hard-working students than geniuses. People can learn the things they need to do well in the world, but appreciating hard work is more difficult to teach. Getting kids to the point where they appreciate putting in a little elbow grease and a willingness to roll up their sleeves requires constant commitment to these six basic tenants.