3 Career Success Tips I Stole From My Son’s Kindergarten Teacher

I have been receiving a lot of emails lately — copious emails with a lot of information and some important tips as well as important emails that I’ve taken pains to read carefully and follow directions on precisely.  They aren’t work emails. They are emails from my son’s new Kindergarten teacher.

I’m trying to make a good impression by following instructions correctly and completely and adhering to guidelines: Don’t park on the left side of the street for drop off.  Don’t send sweet snacks in your child’s lunch until yellow jacket season is over.  Make sure your child’s bus pass is in the front pocket of his backpack.  Fill out the card that says what your child’s after-school care and pick-up situation is for the next three weeks.

I’m trying to be a good mom. I’m not going so far as to be a PTA-material mom, just the kind of mom that teachers can rely on, the kind that doesn’t forget the permission slip and doesn’t send her kid with a lunch box filled with walnuts when school is a nut-free zone.  Not that I ever did anything like that in pre-school. This is real school, though, and I’m doing my best. This year is the foundation for my child’s educational career. As I read the instructions parents were given to follow for their Kindergarteners this week, I realized that these tips aren’t just about success for starting a child’s educational career. They apply to success in any career.

So, here you go, thanks to our Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire:

• Get to bed early! Kindergarteners need good sleep to learn, but so do grown women!  Not getting enough sleep not only jeopardizes our brain function and productivity, but the things we do to combat our sleep deprivation and afternoon lulls may be unhealthy: sugary boosts and caffeinated pick-me-ups might not only deter your healthy diet but also may keep you up later in the evening, continuing the vicious cycle.
• Start the day on a full stomach. My son, like me, isn’t much for morning eating, but as I force feed him breakfast, I realize that I, too, could probably benefit from a morning energy boost.  Making breakfast ahead of time to take to-go (i.e. hard-boiling eggs) is an easy way I can make sure I have breakfast even if I’m in a rush.
• Be responsible, be respectful, be a learner. This is my son’s school’s motto.  At work, these tips still apply.  Be accountable for your work, and do your best in its execution. Be respectful to your colleagues and clients, which can only boost your credibility and your reputation.  Be a learner, not only of innovations in your field, but also be a learner of new means, alternative methodologies, and be open to diverse ideas.

Teaching these skills and creating these habits for a Kindergartener is not only essential for the student he is but also for the adult my son will eventually be.  I love that responsibility is first and foremost.  Being responsible applies to so many things, and recognizing responsibility early with student behavior will encourage responsibility later. It also reminds us adults of ours.  Complete our work assignments on time with respect to colleagues’ and leaders’ time.  Pay our family’s bills on time. Take care of the essential duties of the household. Be a reliable employee, mother, wife, partner, daughter and/or friend.

Being respectful and open to learning are also traits we adults might need to remember, especially when work has started to feel monotonous and less than inspiring.  As I tell my son constantly, the only person’s behavior we can control is our own.  Regardless of office politics, being respectful is vital in the way we react to situations and conflicts at work.  Being a learner is the way to keep at the height of innovation and continuous improvement in any line of work.  We hold the keys to our own learning and inspiration.  If we seek advancement, work should not have to become tedious and lackluster as we progress in years of experience. We become, instead, more marketable, more stimulated, and thus more interesting, not only to our own leaders and colleagues but to peers and competitors in the market, to friends at dinner parties, and even to ourselves.

Be responsible, be respectful, be a learner.  Get some sleep.  Eat a better breakfast.  These keys to success are as simple as Kindergarten, but they are easily abandoned and forgotten.