How to prepare your child for high

school, college, and the real world

ahead
Parent queries
ES: What kinds of classes,
extracurricular things should I
get my chidren in to at this age?

MS: How should I prepare my
children for high school? What
types of tutoring, opportunities
should I expose him/her to?

HS: How do I make sure my
child gets in to a good
college?

Pre-College: What are
things we should consider
when choosing colleges,
picking majors, etc.? How
do I ensure my kid gets in
to medical school?

Truthfully, there are no ideal answers to the questions
asked above.
21
st
century workforce
World economy doesn't pay you for your knowledge (since you can Google just
about anything), it's about what you do with what you know." - Andreas, PISA guy
- Forbes Magazine, Article on Leadership
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/11/the-10-skills-employers-most-want-in-20-something-employees/
21
st
century workforce
Confidence
Adaptable
Perseverance
Tact
Meticulousness
Humble
Ambition
Relentless work
ethic
Thirst for knowledge;
curiosity
Passion
Grit
Ability to overcome
adversity
Innovative
Malleability
Use initiative
Courageous/Risk-
taker
Flexible
Willingness to
receive and grow
from feedback
(reflectivity)
Strong verbal
and written
communication
Ability to
problem solve
Ability to assess new
info and critically
think about it to
form own opinions
and assertions
Determination
Interpersonal
awareness
Cognitive ability
Teamwork
Organizational
skills: managing
and prioritizing
*Survey results collected from individuals currently engaged in professional careers: teaching, consulting, business, medicine, law, engineering and graduate school: medical school, law school, etc.
Top traits and skills
Relentless work
ethic
Thirst for
knowledge and
willingness to
take risks
Adaptability

Traits
Strong verbal
and written
communication
Organizational
skills: managing
and prioritizing
Ability to assess
new information,
critically think
about it, and form
own opinions and
assertions
Skills
Define: underlying
personality, values,
beliefs

Define: things you can
develop through practice
and refine
How do we cultivate traits and skills?
TRAIT: Relentless work ethic

Im not afraid to die on a
treadmill. I will not be
outworked. You may be
more talented than me. You
might be smarter than me.
And you may be better
looking than me. But if we
get on a treadmill together,
you are going to get off first
or Im going to die. Its really
that simple. Im not going to
be outworked. Will Smith
Source: http://www.thirdminds.com/will-smiths-formula-for-success-in-just-10-minutes/

Create challenging environment for your child and if
need be, allow them to fail
Ex. Encourage a shy child to try out for a play or join
debate class

Make them work hard not just for grades, but for
everything
Ex. Becoming best basketball player on team through
practice, summer employment

Hold high expectations for themselves and make them
accountable for their actions
Ex. Allow them to make their own goals and hold
themselves accountable Practicing tabla for 45
minutes/day for six weeks prior to performance
TRAIT: Thirst for knowledge, take risks

How do we cultivate traits and skills?
The important thing is not
to stop questioning Never
lose a holy curiosity.
Albert Einstein

Curiosity in children, is but
an appetite for knowledge.
The great reason why
children abandon themselves
wholly to silly pursuits and
trifle away their time
insipidly is, because they find
their curiosity balked, and
their inquiries neglected.
-- John Locke


Exposure to new and different things
Ex. Museums, newspaper, various types of literature, new
cities/countries, cultures, religions, opinions, current
events and news, PBS World Report, CNN

Encourage curiosity at all times
Ex. Allow them to ask lots of questions; What, why, how,
where, when?; daily dinner time ideal

Ask them questions about their thoughts, perceptions,
and feelings and encourage them to view ideas from
different lenses
Ex. How do you feel about the Malaysian Airlines plane
going missing? What do you think happened? How do
you think their families feel?
TRAIT: Adaptability


How do we cultivate traits and skills?
It is not the strongest of
the species that survives,
nor the most intelligent
that survives. It is the one
that is the most
adaptable to change.
- Charles Darwin

Place your child in a foreign environment
Ex. Enroll them in a summer debate/band/Hindu VHP
camp; summer trips; foreign study abroad
Allow children to continue to meaningfully explore
technology and new developments
Ex. To survive in this day and age, this generation will
need to continuously learn new things and adapt; iPad
and iPhone interaction, building own Apps (using
GoogleApps builder); create own website (Wix.com)

Find opportunities for your children to meet and engage
with new people
Ex. Develop inter- and intrapersonal skills; different
playgroups, groups of friends
SKILL: Strong communication,
verbal and written


How do we cultivate traits and skills?
Public speaking: helps develop confidence and self-esteem
Develop at home Allow them to voice their opinions from
early age, ask them probing questions
Develop at school/outside Debate and public speaking
course, leadership opportunities, Toastmasters

Writing skills: reflection of intelligence and cognitive
aptitude
Develop at home creative writing prompts, group
blogging/journaling
Reading Comprehension skills: important for high school
and college
Develop at home reading all sorts of things, a lot!; group
reading time and discussion; reading on Kindle
SKILL: Organizational skills: managing and
prioritizing tasks

How do we cultivate traits and skills?
General organizational skills
Develop at home: upkeep of notes in binders/folders for
each class, daily check-ins; keeping and maintaining agenda
Making action plans and timelines
Develop at home: starting at MS, courses and electives
student will take to reach certain goal; meet with counselor
Managing and prioritizing tasks
MS, HS, college lots of activities, tasks
Develop at home: allow to practice this skill in safe
environment, develop into habit
Pre-Algebra Algebra Geometry Algebra II Pre-Calculus Calculus Statistics, Calculus II
SKILL: Ability to assess new information,
critically think about it, and form own
opinions and assertions

How do we cultivate traits and skills?
Assess new information
Develop at home: read new things together, ask questions,
watch videos
Critically think about it
Develop at home: Ask questions that will make child think
outside of the box (lot more how and why?, explaining
process, rationale); utilize online resource programs,
KhanAcademy.org
Form own opinions and assertions
Develop at home: talk about it, write about it in a fun way;
home debates
Resources:
KhanAcademy
Readworks
DiscoveryLearning
CNNKids
BrainPop

MOOCs
TedTalks

My general suggestions
Elementary
School
Middle
School
High School College
Exploration of
everything
Develop good
habits:
organization,
asking good
questions, ability
to communicate
and adapt to new
environments,
asking for help
when need it,
sense of
responsibility and
accountability

Identify generally
what kids interests
are
Continue to cultivate
and refine time
management,
organization,
prioritization skills
Spend summers
building skill and
knowledge (debate,
summer internships,
VHP cultural and
religious awareness)

Focus in on 2-3
things, get really
good at them
Start developing
resume for college:
do internships to
explore career
options
Spend summers
doing career
oriented internships
or taking
courses/going to
camp to develop
skill/knowledge

Design a plan for
four years
Explore: study
abroad, internships
in new cities
Study what you like
and excel at it
Spend summers
doing career
oriented internships
Build resume, learn
interview skills
Learn how to
network, give a pitch
on oneself
Final remarks
1. Help your child find what they
are interested in by exposing them
to everything
2. In the process, help cultivate
essential traits and skills that are
important for the 21
st
century
workforce and allow them to take
ownership of key decisions
3. The childs passion and interest
will drive them towards success
6 skills and traits

Relentless work
ethic
Thirst for
knowledge and
willingness to
take risks
Adaptability

Communication
skills
Organization
skills
Critical thinking
skills