"Success is Never Final"

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with Hartford public school parents as a participant in the Hartford Public Schools Community Conversations sponsored “Build a Recipe for Student Success” event. It was an honor for me to meet with these parents and share my experience in building a recipe for success, both as a student and a parent.

I want to thank Superintendent Steven Adamowski and his staff, particularly Ms. Nancy Ben Ben and David Medina, for arranging and sponsoring this important community forum.

As those of you who know me, my personal mantra is “success is never final.” I believe this applies to all aspects of our life, but particularly as parents. We need to consistently be there for our children; they need us to listen to them in order to hear their needs.

I also believe nothing replaces a structured home environment. When I was a child (back in the day) my mother had rules - you came home from school, changed your cloths, did your homework, were on time for dinner, and if you went out to play you had to be home before the street lights came on. Going to school was not optional. It was expected. Graduation was expected. Expectations were clear and understood.

Certainly the world is much different today. However, the recipe for success, hard work, discipline, structure, with the support of a good environment has not changed. I do my very best to impart these values in my own children. And as any parent knows it is not always easy, and “success is never final.”



Your thoughts are welcome.