When I Grow Up, I Want To Be....A Little Girl!

Aloha!

The future is a blank canvas that lies ahead, awaiting the strokes of our paintbrushes. Or something.

What is the future? Whatever it is, thinking about it takes up a lot of time. Most people, especially young people, spend hours, thinking about their future. Wondering. Worrying. Hoping.

And when we stop thinking about it for a few minutes, somebody decides to ask us that horrifying question, "So, what do you plan on doing in the future?"

"Adults are always asking kis what they want to be when they grow up, because they're looking for ideas." ~Paula Poundstone

Some of us have well rehearsed answers, others resort to desperate measures and invent something on the spot, still others use the standardised, "I don't know."

What I've observed, is that no matter what answer we choose to give, the interviewer is dissatisfied.

When we give self-assured, detailed plans in reply, the person asking the questions will

acquire a small, smug smile and tell us how 'cute' it is that we have a plan, but to 'remember that everything comes as it comes and not to be surprised if it doesn't happen the way we expect.'

When we fumble, nervously the older person will pat us on the back, tell us not to worry, but to remember that as young adults it is time for us to start thinking about our future.

When we fail entirely, and say, 'I don't know' all hell breaks loose. My advice to you, is never use this reply. It results in a long winded lecture on how it is 'high time to think about the future' and 'to plan now, so that we can begin steering in the correct direction' and similar useless words of wisdom.

Most of us want similar things in life, Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs) and Jung ( Tree of Self-Actualisation) jump to mind; job security, love, financial safety, a family, a place to stay, etc... And most of us, wish that we could tell now, at least in some degree of certainty that success lies ahead.

People say, that we need to go to school to learn, so that our futures are brighter. And I agree. School is important. Immensely important. In fact, schooling needs to be taken seriously again.

It seems to me, as though school has become a sort of joke.

There are many things wrong with the schooling system around the world, but one of the worst problems, is the lack of teachers.

Now, of course the number of people with teaching degrees has increased in recent years, as people realised that there is a high demand for teachers. But, this is where I need to clarify what I consider to be a teacher.

In my opinion, a teacher is not someone who merely has a degree in teaching.

Teachers, need to be people who have a passion for teaching and for the subject they teach. Someone who has patience, and interest. I have noticed, that the more interest the teacher show in his/her subject, the more interest it inspires in me.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward

What I have observed a lot, are teachers that appear uninterested in what they have to teach and often, even don't appear to know much about the field they teach, except what is written in the text book. These teachers are often huge disappointments for students who are genuinely interested in the subject, and often lead to a loss of interest. On the other hand, a teacher who seems to be a never ending source of information can wake the interest, of most students, in any subject.

Teaching is the only major occupation of man for which we have not yet developed tools that make an average person capable of competence and performance. In teaching we rely on the "naturals," the ones who somehow know how to teach. ~Peter Drucker

It seems to me, that teaching as a profession, has in todays society been classed as a 'failure-profession'.

Far too often, does one hear a teacher say, 'I wanted to be a ______, but I failed, so I decided to teach instead!'

I can't fathom why this is the case, and I think, that this needs to be changed as soon as possible if we want to get further. I won't take the cop out road, and blame all of societies problems on teachers, but I do think that several of our problems could be reduced if we had better teachers.

So, if we don't have good teachers, we're not going to have good professionals in anything else. Which means our infrastructure is going to, sooner or later, collapse.

I think, it is time that teaching returns to it's post as the most important, well regarded, profession.

In ancient India, teachers were held in equal and higher regard than the King, because when the King was in doubt, he went to teachers or 'gurus' as they are called, for advice. Today, in the civilised world, teachers are not respected at all.

"Teaching should be full of ideas, not stuffed with facts. ~Unknown"

Intelligence, like beauty, should not be measured. Why must we all be tested and scored and then compared to one another constantly? Why must weaknesses immediately be seen as failure?

Each and every one of us has strengths and weaknesses. And we are all equally good at things, just different things.

My ability to remember things should not be set in contrast with someone else's ability to paint or sing or clean. Perhaps I excel at standardised tests and examinations, but someone else makes an excellent sandwich. Does that make me in any way better than the other person? I don't think so. I think it just makes us both good at different things.

It is my belief, that none of us have more 'talent' than anybody else. We are all equally talented, just in different ways.

You don't compare Picasso to Mozart, or either of them to Einstein, so why should you compare a mathematician to a cook, or a pianist to a cleaner, or an author to a doctor?
The only way for us to have a happy future, is to find out what we can do and what we like doing.It is what will make you happiest and most successful.

Todays Task:

• Think about what you do best. Make a list. Think of what you enjoy the doing the most. Then do it.
• Tell someone else what they do well. Compliment them. It can be anything that they do. or have done No matter how insignificant it may appear. Whether it is how they are good listeners, good cooks, how they take time to arrange the napkins on the table or the cushions on the couch or how they are good artists or writers or how they can make you laugh. Anything that they do well. Mention it.

Maybe I can't change the world, but together we can make a difference!!

Love,

Amber