[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by ZOOMiata

I'd be the first to argue that one can be a master teacher, and not necessarily have a mastery of grammar. Even an English teacher. Teaching is far more about student engagement and achievement than subject knowledge.

I'd done a little bit of teaching over the years, mostly technical training.
Presenting the material clearly and in an organized fashion and being an SME is useless if the student is not motivated to learn.
The best teachers I've ever had were the ones who could motivate the students to learn, make them want to learn.

Get them excited, explain why it's important, emphasize how the student will benefit by learning something.
That's the most important part.

My kids know the speech by heart, they've heard it too many times:

You'll be on this planet for a long time.
You can take it easy and have fun for a little while but you'll pay for it the rest of your life. If you work hard and stay dedicated for the first 20 years, the remaining 60 or 80 years will be much better, more fun, and easier.
You'll have the opportunity at a career that pays very well, is more enjoyable, and provides more satisfaction. It will also mean less demeaning mindless labor and being looked down on like you're not as good as other people.
It's your choice: do you want to live a life with relative luxury, enjoyment, and freedom from financial worry OR do you want to go through life scraping to pay bills, driving an old beater car that barely runs, living in a crappy apartment with crappy neighbors, and working at a low paying job with your name on your shirt?

Your brain is a muscle.
Just like working out and lifting weights, the more you exercise a muscle the stronger it gets. Learning something you don't think you need to know is still important because it builds up the muscle between your ears and makes it stronger.
How well you do in school is what will make the difference in the rest of your life.
Work hard for a little while and you'll have a good life for a long time. Take it easy for a little while and you'll have to work a lot harder for a long, long time.

BTW both of them are doing very well in school.