Read along for some praise, advice, commiseration, and recipes for feeding both the stomachs and the minds of those not-quite-fully-developed young adults we call teens.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Attitude Adjustment- Gates Style
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things teens did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel--good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world. This is a subject both Mel and I have discussed over and over. We are doing this next generation no favors by enabling and excusing them. It is daunting to think about turning the wheels of the world over to young men and women who don't have a clue about hard work, responsibility and commitment.
Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with an expense account until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping - they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
And finally, the best of all- Rule #11.
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. Have a great week. Chrissie
This is so good----it should be on the wall in every classroom in America, next to the Pledge of Allegiance....wait a minute, can the pledge be on the wall in a school anymore? Prayers can't.
ReplyDeleteBill is right and he puts his money where his mouth is---putting the education (not socialization) of America's children as a priority.
ReplyDeleteHearing discussion of 4 day school week- then Thurs will be Friday- the slacker day in schools everywhere- suddenly we are down to a 3 day week. Counting a college class as a high school credit....are you kidding me. Saves another salary but I would call that double dipping. Two credits for 1 class. Double speak does not make it right.
I love that speech!
ReplyDelete