As a parent, I struggle mightily trying to figure out what to teach my children. On the one hand, I really need them to follow certain rules—I need them to cross at crosswalks, to not drink and drive, to go to school, to be kind, and to assume the best in people. I really want them to follow other rules—put their shoes away, don’t leave dirty clothes on the floor…
My struggle is that rule-following is at odds with some of the most important skills children need to have heading into their lives as productive members of our global and digital society. Researcher Tony Wagner, of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, has identified the “7 Survival Skills” needed for modern engagement and none of them are “rule following.”