“The fundamental question that all educators must ask is this:  Is what I am doing helping students to be ready for their lives in the context of the future?  Not for college, not for a job, but for a life worth living?” - David Jakes

There's plenty to unpack in this statement, and I certainly won’t empty all of it.

Change is part of life and change happens exponentially faster as we have moved from the 20th century to the 21st.  With change comes what is needed and wanted by society.  These wants and needs dictate jobs and careers.  We really have no clue what this means for this group of 5-10 year olds today.  What are the jobs of the near and distant future?  Sure, we will probably need doctors, but will the skills and knowledge of the medical field be the same?  The point is that we can’t help children develop with specificity.  They need skills and knowledge that applies across  a wide spectrum of careers.  Another phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st century is how people quickly change careers/jobs.  This is due to change in the wants and needs of society and also that people have the ability to be flexible in careers because of their skills.  Currently, many educators are moving to other fields that require collaboration, leadership, and organizational skills.

I think about this daily.  We are not preparing these kids to be successful in the next grade level or in the next level of schooling.  We need to instill more in them than that.  We need to help them become great thinkers.  Great problem solvers.  Innovators.  We need to feed their curiosity and nurture it.  A curious mind is an active mind.  Above all, we need to help them become good people. People that contribute to society through knowledge, teamwork, creativity, etc.

Wow!  That’s a tall order.  Preparing students to be successful in life.  To have a life of purpose and meaning!