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Remember the Music Opera "Tommy"? Parents of High School Juniors, Read On!

Remember the Music Opera “Tommy”? 

Echo’s of the chorus “who are you?” still resonates in my ears; seems fitting given today’s educational climate.  Are student’s really engaging in meaningful self-reflection and introspective awareness as they teeter on the cusp of adulthood? “In today’s economy, a high school diploma is not enough; now, more than ever, college is the gateway to the American Dream.”  Richard Reeves and Quentin Karpilow, researchers of economic mobility for the Center on Children of Families, cite a frightening disparity of income between high school and college graduates in their article for the Brookings Institution, “Is It Time for K-16?”Enacting compulsory K-16 education may draw skepticism from those who feel placing an emphasis on college, draws attention away from millions of other jobs, but will this be the new norm as we face education reform head on?  Undoubtedly things are changing in our education landscape and whether these changes are for the better remains to be seen.   In generations past, students still attended ivy leagues institutions and regardless of whether someone received a formal university education or not, opportunities existed for them to learn, apply knowledge, work diligently and achieve success in the form of a job.    Professions and careers were not what they are today, not by any stretch of the imagination.  This generation hardly understands that ageisim didn’t exist because corporations valued individuals in mid-life because that term connoted something good, as opposed to something bad.  What it did represent was wisdom, longevity, dedication, sacrifice and self-reflection.   They had asked themselves, “Who am I…?” yet, responded with thoughtful and deliberate fervor by choosing a profession wisely based on their interests, skills, abilities, and desires.  More importantly, they had the opportunity to sit and contemplate.  They had the opportunity to be “bored.”  They had the opportunity to “just be” and think about where they were and where they were going without the visual scream of prep books glaring at them or the alarm ringing denoting time for their next lesson in …whatever.  They did not engage in self-discovery like that.  Millennial, Generation X, Y… and Z (if there is one) can’t process on a solitary level.  They don’t know how to relax with their thoughts …to imagine…to banter, to socialize.  Everything has to be timed…scheduled and made convenient.  Time does not stop…except for sleep (well…sometimes).  Yes, our fathers (and mothers) became fixtures in a corporation and loyalty was something revered because they dreamed of it…they wanted it and that was it.

 

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Fast forward to today and students are being taught rigorously…with no breathing room between AP’s, subject tests, Capstone’s, Mastery Projects, SAT/ACT/GMAT/LSAT, world languages, honors levels and college prep.  They are in frenzy to success…they are in whirl to take more, achieve more, be more without thought to…”what is it that you are seeking?” The question remains…more what?  Who are you? Like many traditions and trends that seem to be acting in reverse in this country- why is education any exception? Children of today are viciously cycling to get to the next level with the hope (no, the promise) that in four years time…all of their hopes and dreams will be realized.  They are pinning all of those hopes on the marketing of parents, schools, society and history.  If they work hard and apply themselves….during their last year of high school something magical happens, all of their hard work reaches fruition and they can attend college (cue the bells, whistles, serenade of angels…and more).   I have heard, countless times “what did I work so hard for all these years to just be accepted to a mediocre college?”  We have perpetuated this ideology by making children feel that even their best is not enough, despite how hard they work, despite how many tests they take or the amount of application and preparedness they put into their lofty goal of college…it STILL may not be enough. Why?  The answer is simple, because high school has become a cram session of what you need to know to get into college…which still isn’t enough…so they will cram a lot more all through your undergraduate years and if you are lucky…you MAY…(that is the key word here)…land a job.  Let’s not mistake confusion of this word “job” with that from the bygone era of our parents.  There is no loyalty involved, no desire to plant roots and become a “company man or woman,” it is a job which is the stepping stone to another job and another job all with one thing in mind- money.  Money is it..and it is precious.  Hyper inflation and vast unemployment is something we never witnessed..until now.  Our children view careers solely with money.  If A then B.  If that is the case, how can we expect them to answer “who are you?”  Do they even have time to know?

 Not so long ago, within the past twenty years, a cataclysmic change in education began erupting (and people did not seem to notice) somewhere between…”everybody MUST have a masters degree” and “there are 350 applicants for one teaching position,” education morphed into some race.  We were all scrambling to further our education because it seemed that the minute we finished our degree…it was passé.  Well, we have now reached our pinnacle.  Do you know how many PhD’s, attorneys, physicians, and well, everyone else are out of work?  Do you realize that the young man who handed you your Starbucks graduated from Duke?  That the person touring you around the museum on a Saturday with your children is a graduate of Brown?  A degree in liberal arts is touted and admonished; STEM is the way to go and a reason to retreat…does it really matter?  Is it fair to marginalize the knowledge of a plumber, an electrician or an entrepreneur because they didn’t attend college?  Does it make their knowledge somehow diluted?  Absolutely not.  In fact, that philosophy could not be further from the truth.  In today’s world, the successful will try to sandwich their goals somewhere between generations past and generations present.  In a world of flux, they cannot afford to be buried with debt in the promise of a career they don’t know will be in existence.  Likewise, their parents cannot empty their retirement nest eggs (I know…we took a huge hit on those as well) all in the name of waving that college flag.  How much rigor in high schools, what colleges to consider, is not as important as …who you are.  Before you take a tour of colleges, cultivate your list and endeavor to pledge $240,000 on a college degree…you need to consider who you are. K-16 is right around the corner.  An undergraduate degree can be perceived as immaterial because undergrad’s need to be pretty specific in their skills and abilities to grab the golden ticket.  No, the college degree alone is not the golden ticket.  The desire to dream, discover yourself and what is meaningful to you, (in alignment with the kinds of jobs that are in demand) is necessary before you embark on college…so you can obtain a job where you can have roots, not just a paycheck.

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The Collegeologist is an independent college consultation practice which simplifies the college process for students and parents in the Farmington Valley area. Located at 395 West Avon Road in Avon (Across from All-Star Driver). Tel. 860-673-1500 www.thecollegeologist.com. Call for a complimentary consultation. Office visits, email & Skype are available. Like the Collegeologist on FB and follow on twitter @thecollegeologist.

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