Have you seen this video? It’s about five minutes long, but worth it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY]
I watched it earlier today, and the thought that kept going through my head was, “are we really preparing our kids for the future they’re going to have? Or are we preparing them for the future that we have now?”
Think back. What was the world like when you were eight? When I was eight, there was no internet, no cell phones, no social media. I had a seven digit phone number. On a single phone, in the kitchen, that had a cord. I couldn’t tweet, update status, or text. No iPod. Hell, no CDs. You wanted a recording? You sat with a tape deck up against the radio hoping for your favorite song, or you saved up your milk money to go buy the tape. (God, I’m feeling old here)
I look back to the changes in the last 25 or so years…and I’m stunned. Then I think ahead to what the next 25 years could bring…and I’m worried. I see what A is learning in school, and while his school is fantastic with technology…they’re not really teaching new ways of thinking. They’re not really tapping into the ways alternate thinkers come up with different answers. Those are the kids who will be leading the charge into the next 25 years. Alternate thinkers brought us the web, the iPhone, the Segway, and every cool and new invention of the last 25 years. Think ahead 25 years and ask yourself…
What kind of thinker and leader do you want? What kind of future do you want? What kind of educational system will get us there? Do we have it now?
Think outside the box. It’s where the future is.
I think about this all the time. It really bothers me how they teach. I have my kids in an IB program, but even so it is pretty bad. And most private schools aren’t much better. Around here, they are all hyper-Christian and forward thinking? Isn’t their strong suit.
When I taught middle school music, we used to play an impromptu game of “how old was Mrs. G when her family got their first__________?” It’s amazing now to think back that my family got a VCR when I was in 7th grade, a microwave when I was in 5th grade, and I had just graduated from college the first time I ever saw the internet.
Great post, very thought-provoking. I think that my kids’ school (arts infused magnet) is doing a decent job of inspiring those higher-order thinking skills, but I’m sure there’s even more they could be doing.
That video is amazing!
A couple of days ago, my daughter was talking about what she wants to be when she grows up. I thought to myself that I can’t even imagine the options that she’ll have!
Great post! I remembered everything you talked about from your childhood. Our kids will be in charge of the world sometime soon and I agree that we need to teach them how to problem solve by thinking outside of the box. I can’t wait to see what their lives will be like in the future. I linked up to this post on my Sunday Stars that will be posted tomorrow. Have a great weekend.