Inspired by the latest episode of Akimbo by Seth Godin (Go to the Questions portion of the episode at 22:07).
Seth recently shared about his use of the pronoun She to honor his mother and to avoid gender bias. He talked about what type of opportunities we limit by using certain language or encouraging only certain groups of students for specific roles.
Listening made me think of my own experience in school. I did fairly well at playing the game of school but had no idea what I wanted to do as an adult. I had no idea what type of work I wanted to pursue and didn’t really know what I should major in. (I started as a Biology-Pre-Med major, then graduated with a degree in Political Science before finding my way to the education field.) I had very little opportunity to explore what I was interested in as a student.
I feel like if I did have a chance to explore, I would have had a better chance at going to college with a plan in mind, instead of just going to college because it was what I was supposed to do.
I think about how we limit our students today. Are our students limited by the color of their skin, by their gender, or where they live? Do we only encourage certain kids with certain career choices or paths?
Let’s do something different instead.
Let’s give students opportunities.
Let’s give them options.
Let’s open up possibilities.
Let’s show them what is out there.
Let’s help them learn in such a way that they can create their own path if they choose.
Possibilities.
Opportunities.
Options.
Let them explore and let them choose.
Rich (@RACzyz)