By Dana Sirotiak
If you looked into today’s classroom, what skills would you see being taught through the doors of a Kindergarten class? 4thgrade class? AP Science class? When preparing students to be college and career ready, schools normally focus on the skills students will be in order to be successful in a competitive 21st Century world. “Schools do a good job of teaching reading, writing, science, math and other “hard” skills that are both essential and valuable to performing well on the job” (Aricia E. LaFrance,Parenting and Career Coach). In order to prepare students both at home and at school, soft skills are also important traits to be included in daily interactions. La France (2013) defines “soft skills” as a complex system of traits and habits including: confidence, flexibility, honestly, integrity, the ability to see things from different perspectives, optimism, and common sense. These soft skills are habits that have been cultivated over time; starting in the home, then developed throughout time in school.
This week’s #PTchat will focus on how parents and educators can join together to help students cultivate soft skills both at home and in school. Join us this Wednesday, May 15th at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT, to discuss specific strategies families and educators can use to help students develop soft skills.