Think positive: To stay motivated, you need to feel inspired and excited about what you are aiming to achieve. What better motivation than a happy, educated and well adjusted child?

Accept that you will fail, we all do. Setbacks aren't a recipe for failure though, they are just learning experiences that give us an opportunity to adjust and move on.

Surround yourself with people who inspire you too. Let the `village' help motivate and raise your children by sharing your experiences and successes with those closest to you.

Parents have a lot of power: There is so much that parents can do to not only keep themselves motivated throughout the education of their children, but also to keep their kids actively searching for the next big opportunity to learn something new.

Show your children that you value learning by reading books, watching more than just sitcoms on television, and attending local functions that encourage adult growth and education. Share your opinions on social and political happenings. Play games and read to your children to keep their brains churning. Children tend to model the behaviors of the adults they are around so seeing you make different and healthier educational choices helps them learn those same habits.

Be honestly interested in your child's learning. Care about and ask about what they are learning in school, without criticizing. Offer to look at projects, homework papers and test scores to show your support in their accomplishments and to be available to help them if they are struggling.

Consistently offer praise and encouragement for your children when it comes to learning. The expectations and attitudes of parents frequently show up in the work produced by children in school. A positive role model who supports and believes in their child will have a major impact on the child's belief that he or she can effectively learn.

Acknowledge hard work as well as successes. This builds an appreciation in children for learning rather than producing perfect grades. Sometimes the real education is the process and effort involved in learning to do something differently, independently or even as a team, more than the grade that results.

Get involved at the school your children attend. Not only is this a superb support system for parents who need to stay motivated themselves, it shows your children and their teachers that you care and are interested in the success of both of them. Attend school functions, offer to tutor or read to the school children or become involved in the local PTA.

As parents, we stay motivated, and keep our children motivated to learn by being involved in their education and the schools that teach them. Our ability to succeed as parents is directly reflected in our children's desire and abilities to learn and grow. By taking a simple plan and reinforcing it's success by continually completely the steps necessary to see it succeed, we ensure that our children not only learn in school, but learn to be goal oriented, self confident and emotionally healthy individuals.