Teaching Reason (to Children)

[thesummerqueen]

Thirdly, and this may not seem directly relevant, let them build their self-esteem and be self-reliant. When people turn to religion as teenagers or adults it is not because they find religious beliefs to be compelling or true, its because they find themselves in religious company. A person with low self-esteem, someone who needs constant approval and appreciation from others, would be an easy target for anyone willing to give him that in exchange for espousing certain beliefs. Teaching them that asking questions is alright and instilling a desire for knowledge in them is a good way to do that.

This. Definitely this. Make sure your kids never EVER feel bad for being "smart" or "the teacher's pet" - make sure instead that they understand how to be polite, but never let them feel ashamed of being intelligent or curious. Religion seeks to stamp out questions and make people feel they should be "humble" around others to cater to their lazy or ignorant feelings. At least, Christianity does. Judaism, not so much - learning was encouraged there. Anyway, this is unacceptable and intolerable, and kids will play their own form of it in a bullying way in order to not feel bad about being dumber than the questioning kids. Don't put up with it. Don't make it about grades - grades are a byproduct and all-too important in school. Make it about them actually understanding and finding interest in a topic. The grades will follow.