REAL School in Real Life
Open Opportunities for Active Learning
MUSEUMS
Science, Children's, Art, History, Culture,
Halls of Fame, Zoos, Aquariums
CAMPS
Performing Arts, Sports, Engineering, Outdoor Skills, Leadership Development, 4-H: Head, Heart, Hands, Health
LESSONS and TRAINING
Music, Martial Arts, Cooking, Financial Literacy, Swimming, SPORTS: Teamwork, Game Awareness, Technical Skills
CLUBS
Robotics, Journalism, Photography, Foreign Language,
DECA: Distributive Education Clubs of America
GAME PLAY and PUZZLES
Card Games, Chess, Rubik's Cube, Sudoku, Wordle,
Monopoly, Scrabble, Charades, Crosswords, Magic
COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES
Volunteer Opportunities, Part-Time Jobs, Farmers Market, FAIRS: Art, Science, History + County, State
TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
Navigation, Unique Dining, Adventure, Historical Tours, Encounters with Nature, Cultural Adaptation
Finding Purpose with Adolescent Education
1st Book Preview
Ambition vs Obligation
• Chapter 1 Intro:
Chances are that you have a broad array of goals in your life. The diversity of these goals extends to short-term vs long-term, personal vs social, and practical vs theoretical. Since everyone interprets and faces the timelines of life at their own pace, defining short-term and long-term goals is relative to your perspective. Personal goals represent achievements or improvements that validate your own efforts to succeed, whereas social goals appreciate fellowship and cooperation within various communities. And while goals of a practical nature are directly marked by specific action, those of a theoretical kind are open to be approached by any method befitting each person. Knowing what kinds of goals you have may help you clear up your views of self and life. That said, have you ever looked at where your goals originated? Some goals may be internal… You made them based on your own wants and needs. Other goals may be external… People and circumstances from your environment directed you to inherit them. And then there are goals that hover somewhere in between internal and external. Perhaps it’s fair to say you were influenced or even inspired to have these goals, but you independently chose to embrace them as your own.
Working Hard vs "Working Smart"
• Chapter 2 Intro:
“You can do anything you set your mind to.” These timeless words come from Ben Franklin, though he was likely not the first, and definitely not the last, to express them. Anyone passing along this sentiment, regardless of the setting or audience, has done so from a position of experience. Many people with experience have mountains of success, yet many others have valleys of disappointment. The context of this advice can lead to broad interpretation, all the more so with how you view your own potential. If anyone has ever echoed Franklin in an attempt to support you, their message suggests they believe in your potential, and they sincerely want you to flourish. You might hear “Opportunities await, so push yourself until you reach your dreams.” You might also hear, “Stay focused in your endeavors, and don’t get sidetracked.” So are you being encouraged, or are you being cautioned? Contrary to expectations, maybe those who’ve already achieved so much are cautioning you, and maybe those who haven’t are encouraging you. Supposedly it would depend on the advisor(s) in your life.
Competition: Defining Wins and Losses
• Chapter 3 Intro:
It’s the natural reflex question to follow almost any form of competition… Who won? For any other species, winning is effectively about survival. Superior strength, speed, and intelligence in the animal kingdom have nothing to do with triumph or flexing. Purpose is only marked by an instinctive desire to prolong life itself. Much like adult humans, even young animals compete over resources, mates, and habitats, and it's impossible for all of them to win. Natural selection suggests that as life runs its course, weaker members of most species inevitably fade away. “At least I tried my best” and “I’ll do better next time” aren’t common sentiments among species in which the literal outlook is “Winning vs Losing = Life vs Death”. Though humans have theoretically evolved with a higher concept of competition, it’s hard to avoid regression into that same primitive mindset. Accounting for an extensive variety of perspectives, an individual’s experience with competition can be classified into 4 general categories: Direct, Open/Indirect, Internal, and Unintended. Several forms of competition show the overlap in these categories.
Curiosity: Restoring Ownership of Thought
• Chapter 4 Intro:
Arguably the epitome of practical knowledge for most adolescents, Driver’s Ed offers access to a whole new perspective on life’s opportunities. When students learn to drive, their senses of responsibility and decision making are forced to evolve. Be it freedom, control, or independence, whatever drives teenagers to literally drive themselves goes beyond a simple right of passage. In a similar way, it’s natural for students to be curious about concepts, skills, or innovations to which they’ve had minimal exposure in school. Today’s restricted exploration and required standardization suggest that the mental equivalent of student drivers should be exchanged for mental bus passes. And while buses do help connect many dots within preset networks, a common passenger experience tends to be quite shallow compared to the open landscape of driving. You may have been told that actual driving is a privilege, and it certainly is. It’s a privilege in part because it’s not guaranteed; it must be earned, and it can still be taken away after it’s been earned. So as you’re growing up, is learning anything to the extent of your natural curiosity a privilege too? Or is learning a right, your right, that coincides with your ambition? This answer hinges on your mindset about opportunities and roadblocks. If you choose to remain a bus passenger the whole ride into adulthood, then you won’t have much chance to develop a worthy sense of purpose. Opportunities will only be presented to you at scheduled stops on a route that you didn’t plan, and roadblocks will become excuses for your lack of control. In contrast, if you honor your curiosity to pursue paths that suit your passions, then you can own the vehicles needed to drive yourself into the opportunities that prepare you to overcome those roadblocks.
A Map for "The School Day"
• Chapter 5 Intro:
School is likely the biggest thing in your life. It might not be the most important thing to you, and many parts of it can be nearly impossible to enjoy, but the sheer size of its role is undeniable. It’s already daunting to find purpose for yourself in an atmosphere that brings a specialized blend of scripted and unscripted events, neither of which were your design, to the average day. Not only does a common school day normalize this type of atmosphere, it also combines it with layers of obligation. It’s as if you’re being trained on all of the Whats… What to Do, What to Know, What to Say, What is Available, What is Important, and What is Required. Only some of these trained Whats are supported by trained Hows, and even fewer are supported by trained Whys. Often you’re left to follow with such blind obedience that you’re barely conscious of any independent growth. To limit such academic disturbance, you may need a mindful map for your own redirection. As you prepare for life beyond school, a constant truth is that you can only be trained so far on the Hows, and even less so on the Whys. Those deeper layers of understanding await your discovery as you merge your school knowledge with your life experience and self-awareness. If you feel like there’s not much purpose to school because no one explains the Hows and Whys enough, then it’s time for you to step up on behalf of your future self. Redirection is at the core of the REAL School philosophy of resilience. You can’t change your school system before you’ve even graduated, and you can’t throw in the towel on your formal education. Most school days hold tremendous potential, but only if you learn how to work with them in ways that add meaning to your life. And you’ll only find that meaning by applying yourself from within, minimizing outside obligation. However big school is in life, personal life reality can be the best guide to your learning.
A Map for "Everything Else"
• Chapter 6 Intro:
Ambition styles + forms of obligation, working hard + “working smart”, values from competition, your own curiosity, and mapping a real-life approach to your school day… What exactly is left to consider as you shape the mold for your own brand of purpose? Taking a step back from details, you can frame anything left as your “everything else”. Perhaps this comes back to circumstances within your family, friends, extracurriculars, and school itself. As was explored in “Ambition vs Obligation”, circumstances are mostly beyond your control. That said, you can still act in self-defense of your own potential, especially to limit distractions and nonobligatory burdens. A high majority of success stories don’t present individuals who made everything happen on their own. Of course these people, possibly your best role models, were behind the wheel on their respective roads to fulfillment, but that doesn’t mean they never used the carpool lane. Just as you must trust yourself when you apply sincere effort to think and act in the best interest of your priorities, you must trust whoever has shown that you are their priority. To fully invest in your own potential, you will need to face and make a series of difficult decisions, many of which are completely detached from any classroom. And unlike a classic academic setup, you won’t have a preset timeline for most of these decisions. If you are going to use the carpool lane on your own journey, who do you want with you? Or perhaps more realistically, who do you need with you? Would you be someone they would put in their carpool? How can you communicate, either with words or actions, to uphold the trust you’ve put into your chosen carpool community? And of course, how can you communicate to protect yourself from influences that will only weigh you down? As you honestly absorb these questions, you can outline a map to guide your REAL life.