AP/Dean Corner

Becoming

On Friday, we hosted two incredible events-- Aspire's Community Conversation and Career Day. The two events, while seemingly unrelated, made me think a lot about the same question-- what problems do we hope our students will be able to solve when they grow up?

We often ask elementary students the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? And, we often hear the same responses-- police officer, firefighter, doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc. On Friday, our students had the opportunity to see beyond the careers to which they are most often exposed. Seeing a female welder who creates incredible art, an aircraft mechanic, a therapist, or a computer scientist was a chance to broaden the world of opportunity for our students. After the presentations, I heard so many of our students express interest in careers they might otherwise not know about.

This brought me back to the community conversation we had earlier in the day. Our families were sharing what they value at Aspire and what their hopes are for their children. Not only did they talk about students receiving a high quality education that makes them competitive in the world, but they also shared a desire that students have experiences that open doors for them. Career day, science camp, field trips-- these are all experiences that make our kids competitive and college ready. Our families hope that our students have the skills to evaluate their options in the future and the ability to make wise decisions.

Which brings me back to the question-- what do you want to be when you grow up. A few years ago, I read an article that pointed out that the jobs in highest need today didn't exist 20 years ago. If we want our kids to be competitive in the world, the focus is less on what they want to be, and more on what problems they want to solve. If we focus on problem solving skills, they will be prepared to create a world that does not yet exist. A world we cannot yet imagine. 

So what does this mean for us? When I think about my teaching days, I so quickly wanted to solve all of my students' problems. I didn't want them to struggle because I wanted them to feel successful. But that never taught them how to solve their own problems. We have to make space for productive struggle, for our students to grapple. We have to provide them the resources they need to solve problems and the experiences outside of school to apply these skills.  And we have to be unafraid of this time and space. In this way, we'll make sure our students are competitive and ready for the world they will create.