Teaching Your Kids to Be Teachable

Intelligence matters, but teachability matters more. A smart person who can't receive instruction will be outperformed by an average person who can. The ability to learn, to accept correction, to remain humble about what you don't know, this determines how far someone goes in life.

As a father, one of your most important jobs is cultivating a teachable spirit in your children. And the primary way you do that is by having one yourself.

What a Teachable Spirit Looks Like

• Openness to feedback and correction
• Willingness to admit when wrong
• Curiosity rather than defensiveness
• Asking questions instead of pretending to know
• Learning from failure instead of being crushed by it
• Respecting those who have knowledge to share

Your kids are watching how you respond to correction. If you're defensive, they'll be defensive. If you're humble, they'll learn humility. You can't teach teachability while being unteachable.

How to Cultivate It

Model it: Let them see you receive feedback, admit mistakes, and keep learning.

Praise effort over outcome: "You worked hard on that" matters more than "You're so smart."

Celebrate questions: Make asking questions safe and valued, not embarrassing.

Correct without crushing: Correction should build up, not tear down. Address behavior without attacking character.

Share your own learning: Talk about what you're learning, what you got wrong, what you're working on.

What Kills Teachability

Harsh criticism that makes mistakes shameful. Praise that's all about being smart rather than working hard. Parents who never admit wrong. A home environment where questions are dismissed. Fear of failure that makes kids play it safe.

Your Action Steps

This week: Let your kids see you receive correction gracefully.

This month: Shift your praise from outcomes to effort and learning.

This quarter: Evaluate how you correct your kids. Does it build teachability or defensiveness?