Practice Leads to Perfection

The lessons learned and practiced as a child are carried with them for a lifetime.
 

The more things change the more they remain the same. When I was a kid in the 50's, Negro people would say, if you can't sing or dance, you can't be successful in America. Today, nearly 60 years after the marches for civil rights and human dignity ended segregation, if you are Black/African American and you can't entertain, and you can't express yourself well in writing and communicate in standard English, you aren't going very far.

It is imperative that we know how to write and communicate well to change the social and economic circumstances of African Americans. In order to unleash the power of our voices; in order for us to truly be heard; in order for us to make a difference; in order to improve our circumstances and become leaders, we must invest in education at the level of the family. We must take time to nurture and support our children's learning, to let them know we care about their future and that we will do our best to help them succeed. Let's begin encouraging parents to insist that their kids practice at home what they learn in school. Only by practicing lessons learned in school can they become second nature to their being. As the saying goes: "Practice makes perfect."


Were it not for an aunt who would always question my sister and me - “How did you learn to say that sentence in school?” - I wouldn’t sound like I learned very much English grammar today.

Children should be encouraged to practice at home what they've learned in class and given the freedom to share what they've learned; even if it means correcting you. Give them the space to grow.  To ensure preparedness for their future, let's encourage our children to practice the lessons learned in school.