How many have heard this statement? I have heard it many times and I will be honest with you I believe it but sometimes it just doesn't seem to come into reality.

This Saturday...I experienced hard work paying off. I ran in the St. Patrick's Day 5K and my goal was to beat my time of 29:14. Now for a 50 year old guy I am a realist and I know that the possibility of ever winning a 5K is probably out of the question but possibly beating this time was a possibility. Guess what? I beat the time. I ran a 27:53. I never thought I would shave that much time off of my personal best.

This past week I also experienced where hard work pays off. The students at my school took the most recent benchmark tests and they did soooooo well. The teachers, students, and parents worked so hard in preparing their students for these tests.

School is a difficult place where most students have at least one subject that is a struggle for them. This is why in order for them to succeed we must as teachers and parents take a proactive approach to their learning. Read to them constantly. Have books all throughout your house. You as a parent read or start reading to model to your child. Check your child's backpack.

All these things will help your child do better in school and it will encourage them to work hard and remember, "Hard Work, Pays Off"