On Saturday I was pleased to see an article by Leah Eichler in The Globe and Mail supporting the notion that young people be made aware of the realities of the working world. Eichler indicates that their foray into the working world will most likely involve tasks and time that evokes boredom and frustration.
Make no mistake, the search for a vocation that feeds one’s passion is an important goal. There is nothing better than loving what one does day to day. After all, our working years are a vast majority of our lives regardless of whether we stick to one career direction or try our hand at four or five as so many millennials seem to be doing.
Having said that, just as with our girls at St. Clement’s, there must be some discussion about the reality of things not always going as we think they should. As we say, the best path in life is rarely a straight line.
Eichler quotes David McBride, CEO and founder of Burst, as saying, “We talk a lot about entrepreneurship with our kids- the importance of turning dreams into action plans, the joy of creating something from nothing, experimenting until you find a solution, never giving up, reframing problems, sharing credit with teammates, staying calm when things happen and celebrating even the smallest victories.” This conversation is the same message that our School and parents must deliver about life and learning prior to our girls’ heading out into the working world. As a School, we work to ensure that our girls are learning how to learn. In doing so, we are challenging our girls such that they have to experiment, reframe problems and stay calm when unexpected things happen. Meanwhile parents must have the ability to step back just a little bit to allow daughters to advocate and stretch on their own whilst going through these moments.
While Eichler talks of careers, her message is just as relevant for our girls in the midst of their educational phase.
