As we head back to school I want to remind everyone that there is more to education than a grade point average. While good grades generally do lead to a good college, these future college graduates will spend ten times longer in their careers than they spend on campus. The key to unlocking a successful career involves more than just the three Rs.

Good communication, the ability to navigate group dynamics, punctuality, and cooperation are just some examples of what are often called soft skills.  Such a misleading term for abilities so crucially important in college and career.  “As more and more job activities become automated, soft skills, which cannot be replicated by machines, have become more important,” wrote Yolanda Lau in Forbes in 2021.

Evelyn Nam, writing for the Harvard Business Review in 2023, stated “Research shows soft skills are foundational to great leadership and set high performers apart from their peers. They’re also increasingly sought by employers.”

School districts ought to both teach and celebrate soft skills.  Learning to share, an important soft skill, is not just a task for the kindergarteners; though it is a great place to start.

The Mozart elementary school in Roslindale encourages their students to be ROCK stars: respectful, open, cooperative, and kind. A school becomes a healthy and productive learning environment when both students and adults practice these soft skills.

The Boston Public Schools embrace the philosophy that educational excellence is a process, not merely a product.  For example, the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science uses the acronym P.R.I.D.E. for its mantra:  Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Excellence. The idea is that if students give their best despite the difficulty (perseverance), acknowledge that their teachers and classmates are there to help (respect), not cheat or use A.I. (integrity), and stick to a workable schedule (discipline); then academic excellence will follow. Soft skills lead to personal as well as academic successes.

One of Boston Latin School’s most famous students was Benjamin Franklin. In his autobiography Dr. Franklin explains how he practiced 13 soft skills (which he called virtues) in an effort to improve his life.  Franklin’s virtues are: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. Franklin would work on perfecting one particular virtue for four weeks, then move to the next one on his list.  This way he would cover all 13 in a year.

Repetition and reinforcement are necessary to building the all important virtue/soft skills. Celebrating students’ success in this area is just as important as honoring academic achievement.

In the elementary grades it is common for students to receive certificates at end-of-year festivities proclaiming them to be compassionate or enthusiastic individuals.  By the time students reach high school such accolades are more likely to be found in the superlative section of the yearbook than in the graduation ceremony. Let’s have both a valedictorian speech and a valued classmate tribute.

For if grades alone are all that matter, we send the message that the ends justify the means. Honor and perseverance in the face of adversity are important not only in mastering a subject in school, but also for becoming a valued member of the workforce and of society.

Therefore parents, guardians, and caregivers, please take time to learn which words of wisdom, virtue, and encouragement your children’s schools use.  Please also emphasize them at home and model such behavior.  Together we can prepare our young people for a successful school year and a fulfilling life.

Michael Maguire teaches Latin and Ancient Greek at Boston Latin Academy and serves on the Executive Board of the Boston Teachers Union. The ideas expressed here are his own.