Young Minds

So, while teaching Social Studies, I'm also trying to teach my students how important it is to go to college and earn a degree so that they can get a good job later on in life. I asked, "class, how much money do you think I make a month?" Hands shot up in the air so fast! "$420, $20, $500" were all among the guesses my students said. Not one got anywhere near the correct amount. I started to write on the board the following: Rent, electricity, internet, cell phone, water, cable, car, insurance, groceries etc. I continued by writing the approximate amount of each bill beside the correct name. Their jaws dropped. They couldn't believe it. "Now class, do you see the importance of working hard in school so that you can have a good living?" "Do you understand how hard your parents have to work to support you?" I hope that lesson had a little bit of impact on them. Yesterday, I asked "what do you think about government in general?" One boy said "there should be no goverment, taxes are too high! This weekend I bought something and it was $10 more than what the pricetag said because of the tax." All his mind thought about was the extra money he had to pay in tax. He never mentioned how chaotic things would be, or what our society would be like without specific rules to follow.

Young minds. Most of my students do not yet understand the aspects of the real world and how it operates, but should they? How long do we keep minds young and sheltered? When does a kid stop becoming a kid and need to know about "real life" issues? Should a 10 year old be responsible for certain things? Yes, of course. They need to be responsible for their school work, for being respectful, for their chores. But where do we draw the line? I remember being 10. My mom always said "just wait til you have to pay your own bills!" as I would beg her to please let me get an Abercrombie tshirt. I look back now and understand, I had not a clue about money costs, or bills, or insurance. Boy, how times have changed!

My conclusion: we need to inspire and encourage kids to work hard to become successful, while letting them be "real life" free for as long as possible. Because as we know, when "real life" responsibility hits, it usually hits pretty hard.

"We must view young people not as empty bottles to be filled but as candles to be lit."