This morning Seth Godin asks the question “What’s High School for?†and then proceeds to give some ideas of what it can teach students.
As I read the list, my thoughts were two fold:
– I indirectly learned most of that while in a government school system, but that is not what they were intending
– The Boy Scouts of America: Boy Scout Troop & Order of the Arrow programs seem to be more intentional at developing those skills in individuals
for instance:
(some of Seth’s points that I learned in BSA programs)
- How to focus intently on a problem until it’s solved.
- The benefit of postponing short-term satisfaction in exchange for long-term success.
- The power of being able to lead groups of peers without receiving clear delegated authority.
- How to persuasively present ideas in multiple forms, especially in writing and before a group.
- Project management. Self-management and the management of ideas, projects and people.
- An insatiable desire (and the ability) to learn more. Forever.
- Most of all, the self-reliance that comes from understanding that relentless hard work can be applied to solve problems worth solving.
The reason that these elements are so well taught in the BSA programs is that they are designed to set the youth (and really adults) in a safe situation, but outside their comfort zone.
They provide a framework, or sandbox & some systems of safety.
Then lots of freedom.
One thing that could improve the different BSA programs, and similar organizations, is to reminded the adult supervision, and maybe leaders too, of those indirect lessons that are learned through the course of unscripted events & what can seem like chaos.
As to Seth’s other points:
- How to read critically.
- An understanding of the extraordinary power of the scientific method, in just about any situation or endeavor.
- Personal finance. Understanding the truth about money and debt and leverage.
They can be learned in the BSA, and other, settings. That was just not exactly my experience. A difference is some teacher needs to be involved and guide the student to these elements. It’s harder for someone to learn to critically read, or to use the scientific method out of chaos.
Past High School
The skills listed are important for big wins in a person’s life, but many don’t learn the skills or develop the taste while in High School.
If you are past your High School years, there is hope.
The biggest thing you have to do is be intentional in your education & gathering of experience. The biggest suggestion I have is to find a mentor, someone to learn from, and a group to be involved with. The mentor may or may not be involved with the group. There might also be advantages to being involved with two rather different groups (one with the mentor, one without).
For some the key will be action. For others it will be learning from others, in person or through media (books, websites, podcasts, etc). Whatever is natural for you, try to add the opposite to your life.
