Education and Students

In class, we discussed the role of students in their own education. Many believe that at a certain point, a child/adolescent must become responsible for his/her own educational successes. This requires a great deal of maturity. Eventually, students must learn to question things on their own and to maintain their priorities without the aid of a teacher or parent. Students who prove that they can be responsible for their own education will ultimately achieve more and go further than students who may be "lazy" or rely on others to tell them what to do. On the other hand, how does the role of the teacher or parent prepare students for this undertaking? If a teacher holds her students hands throughout the course, then she is not doing her students a favor by making them dependent. How does one teach responsibility to another? Does this concept relate back to critical thinking and maintaining an awareness of thinking to improve one's life? My question is essentially this: What role do parents and teachers play in teaching responsibility to students and preparing them for the realities of college?