Careers: International Immersion - Pre-K !?

With all the controversies in public school systems about the extent to which global studies initiatives should be funded, it's interesting to see many private schools plowing ahead on their own.

The International School of Tucson (AZ.) is one such example. For starters, IST emphasizes "how to learn" (through a methology that stresses inquiry based upon hypothesis, research, data collection, experimentation and observation.)

Recognizing these youngsters will grow up in an increasingly Global Neighborhood, the school also immerses youngsters in foreign languages early. How early? Get this - Pre-school classes are taught entirely in alternative languages - French, German, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese (coming soon).

To quote IST, "We believe that learning occurs when the student passes through the above stages to the point where s/he reflects on the experiences s/he has had and on the information s/he has gained through a process of discovery. Through the guidance of the teacher, the learner acquires and moves beyond the "core" body of knowledge required to become an "educated person".

Educated people - not trained automatons. Increasingly, academic and professional disciplines over the next few decades must by necessity train budding career seekers how to think instead in addition to "what to think." In a world of heightened competition, rapidly changing technologies and modes of conducting business or exchange, our future depends on a new kind of thinker. Kudos to IST and their ilk.

Careers: Seamless Education for a Better Career

Remember when the transition between eighth grade and high school wasn't nearly so seamless? Well, neither do I (TG), but it wasn't for many years.

Unfortunately, that historical antecedent still exists in the form of a huge learning and preparation chasm that separates high school to college and beyond. Fortunately, the game is now afoot to change all that, according to an excellent article in the Arizona Republic. Organizations such as the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, and the Phoenix-based Center for the Future of Arizona, are starting to confront this gap with pragmatic versions of a "reengineered" education system.

Features would include creating flexible education options for students as early as middle school, based upon talents and desires; linking high schools with colleges and universities; five year progams that result in both a high school diploma and a vo-tech certificate; and for advanced learners, programs that enable grads to enter college at sophomore or even junior levels - kind of like AP classes on steroids.

Pulling that off requires three systemic changes: 1) collaborations between high school and post-secondary schools; 2) getting the teachers "on board" (NEA, are you listening?); and 3) funding (you knew it was in there somewhere, didn't you?).

I suspect that over the next decade or so we'll see just this kind of realignment - not because special interests are screaming for it, but because it's a logical evolution of how education and career preparation have to proceed to keep our future workforces motivated and prepared for global competition. "Seamless Education" is a must.

Funding is starting to appear to add some muscle to this concept. One such organization is the the Helios Education Foundation are starting , as they and others are launching grant programs to help organizations such as the Center for the Future of Arizona create pragmatic and attractive pathways for realizing this necessary transition.

Careers: Creating A Coat-of-Arms

"CAREERS ARE LIKE TV - If You Don't Like What You See, Change the Channel"

Thus ran the cute little ad in the weekend career section of my local newspaper.

It seems a sacred tenant these days that new graduates will face the prospects of three or four careers and up to a dozen different jobs. The question that's left to be answered is whether these changes will be "reactive" - forced upon them by loss of job, dead-end stagnation or shifting personal attitude - or "pro-active"; e.g., positive changes created by market opportunities, upgraded personal skills portfolio and yes, heart-tugs. In other words, will the career professional be a "victim" or a foreward-thinking opportunist?

I've often considered (and spoken whimsically to educators about) the value of a Coat-of-Arms as a vocational guiding icon. Hold on a sec - we're not (necessarily) talking about shields, arrows and axes here; rather, I'm referring to self-creations of the student that display their core values and aspirations. Symbols and other metaphoric representations, like a company's mission statement and values statement, have power: they are overarching talismans that when adhered to (or simply remembered!) provide a guiding light that can help ensure the transitioning professional is always in touch with his or her "critical success factors" - be they money, creativity, adventure, public service, life balance, subject matter expertise, etc. The iconic symbols and phrases of a coat-of-arms can also provide, in times of turbulence, an anchor of inner peace: we don't lose track of who we are and what we stand for (or desire).

Sounds crazy, I know - just imagine yourself, as a career/guidance counselor, sitting down with your young charges and telling them to go get some canvas, wood, metal or fabric; and proceed to adorn it with figures, colors, scenes and quotes using whatever melange of ink, oil, or other application that calls to them... Ridiculous, indeed - but any more so than all those corporate mission statements which start off with "We strive to"... or "We are committed to..." blah-blah-blah - mantras which, incidentally, are so rarely followed in this chaotic age of globalization and TMI ?