It's cool to be a good student.

It really is.

Just ask any parent whose son or daughter gets lousy grades, doesn't care a whit about school, or is struggling because of a learning disability.

They'll tell you how tough it is to attend teacher conferences and constantly hear the same old refrain: "He's not trying hard enough, "her assignments never get turned in on time," and "he just sits there and doesn't care."

These parents would rather have a root canal than hear that year in and year out.

My mother, the late Marie Olsen, (1909-2009), the daughter of German immigrants who valued educati...