The Man or the Degree? A Reflection of Chapter 2

I feel this ongoing debate of paper vs. person is one of my innermost turmoils that I struggle with all the time.  My family values education and I am quite proud of my academic accomplishments, however, some might say that the particular individual in this chapter, Kirk, did not "quit" but rather found his purpose a lot earlier, before graduation.

I felt a little frustrated reading this chapter, though, because he seems to have lived a charmed life and unfortunately, that is not a reality for most students in our schools.  Kirk is close to the same age as myself and I couldn't help but compare my childhood and chosen paths.  My parents probably would have called it "floundering" if I'd wasted their money at Exeter or Standford.  My mom would always tell me not to major in psychology because what on Earth would you do with psychology degree!?  They did encourage me at a young age to seek out many interests and these varied between horseback riding (I wanted to be a horse jockey), the first woman president (as Clinton was being inaugurated, Girl Scouts, and then again as a high schooler involved in leadership programs), and even a classical pianist (ten years of lessons and I can only remember Fur Elise).  Not that these extra curricular activities were a waste of time, money, or effort on my parents' part, but I eventually grew out of believing that I would become someone famous.  Like Kurt, I did not grow up in front of a TV.  I didn't have cable until my junior year of college.  My parents just bought a non-console TV this past summer. They barely turn it on.  I tried to keep them from throwing their wood-paneled, 1970s era, rabbit-eared set away because it held true value to the time period, but they wouldn't hear it.

I digress.  My point is, I believe in the PBL model and I believe in setting up our students for the real-world experience of working with others, developing those soft skills, and nurturing the creativity.  I want my classroom to glow with the excitement of learning, buzz with the busy hum of great minds thinking, and help them see their true potential.  I just also think that on the other end of the K-12 spectrum, there is a high level of risk that students take when they do not pursue an advanced degree.  I realize not everyone is right for college and the most innovative people that we're reading about in this book did not fit the mold.  So I guess that's why, we, as the "mold," should be changing, right?  It kind of goes back to the first video by Sir Robinson we watched after our first class this summer about how this generation is moving further and further away, whether we want them to or not, from the prescribed setting of a traditional classroom.

On a personal note, I have actually seen this entire concept of the millennial generation finding their way in the world playing out in real life.  My husband and I were raised quite differently, especially in the monetary sense.  He saw no boundaries growing up and I was made to believe "you can't squeeze blood from a turnip."  This became my personal mantra and not that I went into teaching for the money, but I did have a strong sense of budgeting, planning, and held my education degrees with the utmost regard because I'd worked hard for them and persevered through college.  My husband, on the flip side, entered college with some interest in technology and earned degrees in broadcasting and digital media without spending too much time in the books.  He took Biology 2 for pre-med his senior year as a bet and aced it.  He's held several jobs with pretty large companies as their creative directors (Fossil, Match.com, etc.) and is currently working at the Peace Center.  He's comfortable changing jobs and moving to where the best leads take him.  I am the total opposite and do not adapt nearly as well.  I took 2 years just to think about moving to Greenville County Schools.  About a year and a half ago, he started to dabble with YouTube and Twitch and hosted a show on both channels broadcasting sports video games and people can subscribe to become commentators on the show, receive updates, giveaways, etc.  He turned one of our bedrooms into a green room and set up a studio to broadcast his show.  He took a break from it for about 6 months, however recently, as of the last 3 weeks, he has been offered a job with the NFL Network in LA.  They started a new show called "Madden NFL Live" and it airs on the NFL channel at 4pm Fridays.  He is one of the main hosts and will be traveling every week to California for the next 5 months to tape the show.  While it is extremely exciting to see him on TV and he's doing what he's always dreamed, I am just fascinated how much this entire experience is playing out while I'm reading this book.  One conversation he and I recently had was about the amount they are paying him and he asked my opinion in which I said "well, what do you think?"  He replied "I'd do it for free!"  This is exactly what Wagner stated in the first chapter about this generation of innovators not being motivated by money and extrinsic rewards.  He is purely motivated by fulfilling a dream.  I am guilty of thinking my husband as being "lazy" and not having a strong work ethic like me.  And to think he actually made it somewhere playing video games!  Ha!  I am just still amazed it's all becoming a reality and am seeing him in a whole different light as I'm learning more about how differently people think and work.  He was not the best student in school, but I think if he had been offered a setting that nurtured that creativity more and really pushed for him to develop his sense of self, he would have sought out what he was truly interested in earlier in life.  Not that it's too late for anyone, but maybe if we provide classrooms that see value in each child as having worth to the conversation and not always looking for the "right" answer from the perfect student, we can help them achieve higher goals and maybe develop some life-long learners that will change the future of our world.