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Jaime Casap
Author and educational advocate; keynote speaker and facilitator, AMS Leadership Labposium and AMS Think Tank Phoenix, AZ
YOU SAY, "RATHER THAN ASKING KIDS WHAT THEY WANT TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP, ASK THEM WHAT PROBLEMS THEY WANT TO SOLVE." HOW CAN EDUCATORS ENCOURAGE THIS TYPE OF THINKING IN STUDENTS?
There are many reasons why we need to stop asking children what they want to be when they grow up, but the most important one is that we no longer live in the world where you get a job after high school or college, do that job for 30+ years, and then retire. Instead, we should get students to try to understand what they are passionate about-what they care about, what they often think about. I've had teachers tell me that as early as second grade, students give stunning responses. My own 8-year-old is currently focused on the problem of homelessness and is always coming up with ideas on how to solve that problem. Asking students what problem they want to solve should be the first question. The second question we need to ask, especially as students get older, is how do you want to solve that problem? How do you want to use your gifts, talents, experiences, and passions to solve that problem? If if a student says they want to solve climate change, you might tell them to go get a degree in STEM or study environmental science. But what if that student is a gifted writer, a gifted photographer, or a gifted educator? Do they still need to go out and get a degree in global sustainable development? The photographer can spend her talents and energy documenting climate change and its impact. The educator could create educational programs to teach younger students about climate change. The point is, students don't really know themselves; we could do a much better job helping them identify their gifts and talents and passions. The third question to ask is, what do you need to know to solve that problem? Where can you go to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities you need to solve that problem? A teacher can help a student think through any of these three questions at any time, in any...