I would love to see both of my children pursue their passions, but I must confess; I have had the same conversations with my children that David’s father had with him. I don’t think any parent wants to watch their child struggle with finances through life. We all want our children to have better lives than we had. Parents want to see their children successful and happy and let’s face it, income does make a difference.
After thinking back to my own life, my job as a teenager was working in the local hospital pharmacy as a technician. At the time, it was fun, but there is only so much counting and labeling you can do before you want or need to talk to others. The pharmacist encouraged me to go into pharmacy, we discussed the hours, education I would need, and the pay. Then when time for college came, I chose to go into education. I believe I made the right choice, because I feel very effective in my job, not only did my job help my dyslexic son, but other families where I can honestly say, “I have been there and I will help you develop a plan and begin this journey.” I followed my passion, but like all of us, my passion doesn’t reflect my paycheck.
So far with this text, I feel like I reflect more like a parent than an educator. The students I teach are with me for 180 days, but my children are with me until they are self-sufficient (hopefully before the age of 30.) As a parent of 2 teenagers, how to you trust your child’s judgement? Even though they will be on their own in several years, they still don’t have the ability to analyze all elements of a situation. We continue to have family discussions on decisions that will impact their future. For their entire life I have developed their leadership skills, confidence, encouraged their interests, and allowed them the opportunities to apply their skills. I feel like I have provided my children with a lot of the same guidance and support discussed in these chapters.
Kelly - Thank you for your comments. The conversations you describe having with your own children are not had on a regular basis with many of the students we teach. I believe this is a point Wagner is making...The creation of innovators does not typically occur through one voice but often times several. A supportive, secure, encouraging home in addition to that of a teacher who is willing to provide students with applicable life skills that will transfer within any chosen career will help promote the productive lives we hope for our students/children. We can never truly determine the success of our children but we can do what we can to provide them with many various opportunities and experiences that can help prepare and expose them to the many possibilities life can possible offer. Essentially, this is what PBL is all about...placing students in an environment in which they have greater ownership of their own learning, stronger engagement, and equipping them with many soft skills that better prepare them for college and career...and, most importantly, life!
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