The kid I am talking about is the one you or I knew who, in high school or earlier, already knew what s/he “wanted to do when they grew up.” Okay, so maybe there is more than just one kid that fits this description, but the point is that they are severely outnumbered by the others - the rest of us.
Although I brought the subject up, when I think back to high school, I can’t recall a specific person who illustrated this notion, but I know that there were at least a couple that did. If I am going to be completely honest, I probably would have labelled him/her in my head as ‘dorks’ or ‘snobby’ or ‘uptight’ - which is kind of funny because I can easily describe myself with 2 out of 3 of these labels. (I let you try to figure out which 2!) Looking back now, I am envious. (Except for the ones whose parents had a plan for them and they were not to stray from that plan a/la “Center Stage” or “Varsity Blues” or countless other “it’s not my dream, it’s your unfulfilled dream!” movies.) Don’t I feel silly now - those kids that had focus way back then are probably pretty darn successful these days - more importantly, I hope that they are happy and truly get to do what they love.
I’d love for Project:IDWIL to be the seed of a movement in which those kids represent the majority instead of the minority. With Project:IDWIL’s success comes more of these people. By helping kids recognize the things in life that interest them, it not only provides context with regard of how to learn the things that are asked of us to learn, but it also allows them to start exploring and creating their own education. Thus Project:IDWIL’s intent is not to change the existing educational systems in place, but to supplement them so that students/people become more proactive in understanding their motivations. From there, they have, at least, a starting point for a plan to align their passions with their work in life.
**image used via Flickr Creative Commons:seanmichaelragan
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