Claude Monet hated school. He hated being in the classroom. He hated being inside…even inside an art school. He likened it to being in prison, and preferred being outside to toiling under some ‘strict master.’ But we know that Monet’s rebellious idea of learning art outdoors was crucial to his success—he painted landscapes! Of course he should learn his craft in the open air.

His parents tried to contain him…we are lucky that they failed.

We all want our kids to do well in school. You want them to enjoy learning. You want them to find subjects they’ll be excited about, that they’ll perhaps want to pursue someday. To be inspired and intrigued by things they learn. To always desire knowledge. To start on the path to wisdom.

We just need to understand that every education is different. Because every kid is different!

In Wisdom Takes Work (order your copy here!), we tell this story about Monet. We also tell the story of John Adams, whose father patiently cycled through a number of teachers until his young son finally found one he meshed with. We tell the story of General George Patton’s childhood struggles with dyslexia and how his father established for him an unusual—and successful—approach to learning. It imbued Patton with not only a robust education, but a love of reading and learning.

The job of a parent is to help your kids find the classroom that works for them, literally or figuratively. Figure out how they learn best and find ways to nurture that. As we say in Wisdom Takes Work, “An education is not something you ‘get.’ It’s something you take. It’s something you make.”

If you want to build a life filled with wisdom and understanding, and if you want to model those virtues for your children, Wisdom Takes Work provides the blueprint.

Explore more of this theme in Ryan Holiday’s newest book, Wisdom Takes Work, the fourth and final book in the Stoic Virtues Series. Get your signed copy at dailystoic.com/wisdom today!