A primary directive of any teacher is to help prepare students to meet the challenges they will face in their daily lives. Many of the high school and college students we teach have had so much “handed to them” and assume this will continue with little or no effort on their part. Members of this “me” generation are encouraged by everything around them to focus more on relationships, social status, and physical attributes, receiving less encouragement to focus on their intellectual development and preparation to compete in a global economy. The recent economic woes of the country may serve as a wake-up call to our students and their families, giving us the support we need to ignite a passion for learning in our students.

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