My wife is a school teacher and one of the qualities that set her apart from other teachers is that she likes to befriend the so-called ‘problematic students.’ Well, they are not really bad, problematic kids if you get to know them better. This my wife learns from my mother, who is an experienced school headmaster, who also likes to befriend problematic students.

And in return to her special attention, these students do listen to her and make her as their friend, their sister. They frequently share their problems with her – that’s how much they trust her as their ‘sister.’ And so, my wife is one of few teachers who frequently get invitations to students’ and ex-students’ activities e.g. parties and watching movies. Her Friendster and Facebook are full with students!

My story actually starts here: this year she has one special student. In fact she has special students of unique character every year. This particular student happened to be teachers’ enemy number one. Teachers could tell many bad things about him.

Lucky for him, my wife, his class teacher this year, sees him differently. What other teachers don’t see is that this kid is actually smart. He is not just smart but smart and wise. He might not be doing well academically but he is good in making money, in business. That is more than enough for my wife to have a respect for him. For my wife and I, a kid must be good in either academic or money making or better, both. Well, if he can’t become a highly paid professional, he can become a rich businessman. (If a kid isn’t good in any of these, then only it is a problem, BIG problem. They aren’t rich businessmen and they can’t become highly paid professionals. How’s their future will look like?)

Our message to kids

If you are not good in your education, you better be good in making money.

One fine day, my wife did have a fruitful, insightful heart-to-heart talk with him. He told her that his father started to coach him in business since he was 13 (now he is coming to 18). Their family has two car shops and a hand phone shop (hand phone is also known as cellular or mobile phone). And he personally looks after the hand phone shop for the family. He, a teenage businessman, even gave his business card to my wife. He managed to say all those without boasting. He does talk like a salesman, a matured man. My wife describes him as a fast thinker and sweet talker.

But he also complained about his daily routine – thinking of making money, making money every day. He told my wife that he is actually longing for ordinary family life, and that he envies his friends who live ordinary life. He asked my wife, “Should I study or do business?” My wife answered him, “You better study more about business but you mustn’t skip school.”

Should I study or do business?

This question shows the dilemma that he (and other teenage businessmen) is facing. His family assures him that business is the only way to live a better life. He knows many self-made millionaire accumulated their wealth from business and they live in abundance, abundance of food, money and so on. But at the same time, teachers (and society) assure him that education is the only way to live a better life. He also knows many doctors and engineers live comfortable life – they get these high paying jobs because they are highly educated. These two conflicting views make him confuse. Therefore, naturally and being a teenager, he is unsure of his life’s direction. Should he follow what his family is saying or what his teachers telling him? Should he focus on his study or on his family’s business?

You better study more about business but you mustn’t skip school

This is the best advice for him (and other teenage businessmen like him): study more about business. Since he is good in business but weak in his study, he shouldn’t be a doctor or an engineer or other professional. It would be a waste to him, to his family and to our society. He should be a businessman, who provides investment opportunities to investors, business opportunities to other businessmen and job opportunities to other people, and good services and products to public.

But he mustn’t skip school. There is so much to learn from school other than the academic stuffs, things which are subtle but vital in his character building. He could learn to respect other people, especially teachers. He could network with his school mates, which would be investors, businessmen, business partners, middle-class professionals and government officers, his general workers and his customers in the future. He could learn English and Chinese in speaking, reading and writing, professional writing. He could learn proper problem solving. He could learn to accept challenges. He could learn leadership and teamwork. He could learn friendship. And he could learn to love someone. (Sadly, many ‘good’ students are too focused with their studies and missed all these. They become inhuman, more like ‘robot.’)

Frankly, we don’t have any worry for him, the ‘problematic student.’ We believe that he would make it.

Good luck to him.