How to Raise Successful People

March 18, 2019
Wojcicki (coauthor of Moonshots in Education) reveals, in this accessible, entertaining book, what she’s learned about raising high-achieving kids over decades of teaching journalism at Palo Alto High School. Based on ample exposure to families defined by high achievement, stress, and helicopter parenting (and also her own experiences as a mother), Wojcicki believes that if there’s a secret to raising self-motivated, empowered kids, it’s embodied in the following values: trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness. Striking a conversational but thoughtful tone, she urges parents to reflect on their own childhoods in order to realize that “sometimes a child has a different dream, a different path to follow” than their parents. Wojcicki dismisses Amy Chua’s micromanaging “Tiger Mom” method in favor of freedom within limits, and even accepting that “when kids start to take control, a little chaos ensues.” Learning through failure, she believes, is part of developing a sense of “mastery.” Just as strongly, she calls on parents to model kindness in their own lives, since, from infancy onward, children are “adults in training,” closely observing their parents for behavioral cues. Wojcicki’s values are hard to argue against, and she makes a strong case for them in her highly readable, idea-packed work. Agent: Doug Abrams, Idea Architects.

March 15, 2019
A welcome entry in the "movement to change the culture of education and to help support the first educators: parents."Wojcicki (co-author: Moonshots in Education: Blended Learning in the Classroom, 2015) is no stranger to raising successful children: One daughter is the CEO of YouTube, another is the CEO of 23andMe, and the third is a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. In addition, the author has been teaching journalism to high school students for almost four decades and has seen her "kids" blossom under her guidance. Here, she compiles her knowledge into an accessible guidebook for parents, teachers, and others involved in nurturing a child's or adolescent's development. "We've made parenting into an incredibly complicated, unintuitive endeavor, filled with fear and self-doubt," writes the author. "We're stressed out because we've become slaves to our children's happiness....We are the ones who are creating this frantic, overly competitive world for our kids. In truth, parenting is really quite simple--as long as we rediscover the basic principles that allow children to thrive in homes, in schools, and in life." For the author, these basic principles include trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness. Though straightforward, these principles, when combined and applied judiciously, have the potential to help children to thrive and parents to relax. In many ways, Wojcicki's TRICK approach is a throwback to the type of parenting that characterized the generations before the digital age and the rise of helicopter parents and tiger moms. The author illustrates her points with examples from both her personal and professional lives (she founded the media arts program at Palo Alto High School and launched the Google Teachers Academy), which helps readers incorporate them into their daily routines.Simple, down-to-earth techniques to help shape children into responsible, independent, kind individuals with the capabilities to become successful at whatever endeavor they may try.

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Starred review from May 1, 2019

An educator, journalist, and mother of three daughters, Wojcicki launched the media arts program at Palo Alto High School, CA, and helped establish the Google Teacher's Academy. Her daughters are no slouches either: CEO of YouTube, founder and CEO of the large biotech company 23andMe, and a Fulbright scholar and medical researcher. In the foreword, they share what it was like to be raised the "Woj" way (an affectionate nickname given Wojcicki by her students), which advocates the values of TRICK: trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness. Financial responsibility, open-mindedness, fearlessness, and an appreciation for life were traits the author helped to instill in her students and children. For example, in grade school, Wojcicki taught her daughters about compound interest. Determined to save at least a few thousand dollars a year, they began small businesses, such as selling spice ropes, which netted hundreds of dollars for sixth grader Susan. VERDICT In a time of increased anxiety and helicopter parenting, Wojcicki's advice on helping your child lead seems to speak for itself. A must-read for parents of children of all ages.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019

An educator, journalist, and mother of three daughters, Wojcicki launched the media arts program at Palo Alto High School, CA, and helped establish the Google Teacher's Academy. Her daughters are no slouches, either: CEO of YouTube, founder and CEO of the large biotech company 23andMe, and a Fulbright scholar and medical researcher. In the foreword, they share what it was like to be raised the "Woj" way (an affectionate nickname given Wojcicki by her students), which advocates the values of TRICK: trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness. Financial responsibility, open-mindedness, fearlessness, and an appreciation for life were traits the author helped to instill in her students and children. For example, in grade school, Wojcicki taught her daughters about compound interest. Determined to save at least a few thousand dollars a year, they began small businesses, such as selling spice ropes, which netted hundreds of dollars for sixth grader Susan. VERDICT In a time of increased anxiety and helicopter parenting, Wojcicki's advice on helping your child lead seems to speak for itself. A must-read for parents of children of all ages.Julia M. Reffner, Richmond

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2019
Educator and journalist Wojcicki grew up in a family that suffered tremendous loss, struggled with poverty, and limited a woman's role to mother and daughter. When she became a mother herself, Wojcicki made a conscious decision to parent in a different way, the "Woj Way"; here, she shares her wisdom. Wojcicki parented her three daughters, each now a success in her field, with her TRICK method: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness. Sharing stories from childhood, parenthood, and her classroom, Wojcicki unravels each of TRICK's values. She encourages parents to trust their instincts, their children, and the goodness of others. Respect must be shown to everyone, at all times, as children are watching their parents' every move. Independence starts early, and expectations should be set high. When families collaborate, children feel they are part of the team. Finally, teaching kindness leads to gratitude and sincerely caring about others. Written with honesty, heart, and a great deal of experience, How to Raise Successful People is a must-read for all parents. As Wojcicki states, Parenting may start small, but it has profound implications. We all share the future, and the way we treat our children is the way they'll treat the world. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)