Now that my studies have finished for this semester I hope to have more time to write and read blogs. It is an activity I have come to love but being in the “non-essential” category it has been relegated down the list.
Returning to tertiary study has been a interesting activity. I had forgotten how demanding it could be if one wanted to do it well. The intensive reading, focussed researching, reviewing and writing extended essays were skills that had dulled more than a bit over time. Hopefully all this brain activity will keep the neurons active.
I have regained some understanding of what my students go through. For me however, this study isn’t “future determining” so I don’t want to put it in the same category as my Year 12 students who are seeking opportunities for future directions.
Reflecting on my own Form 6 or Year 12 experiences I have come to understand that 2014 is a different world to 1968. Back then I was competing with other students in my town or state. Students today are, in effect, competing with the world. I have the utmost respect for my current students as they strive to keep the focus and passion in a tough environment.
Moreover, employment in 1968 was under 2% and that included young people. I remember driving past the Ford factory in my final year at Uni and getting work on the afternoon shift without a hiccough. Now the Ford factory is closing and the unemployment rate for young people is astronomical. To obtain work, Uni places and receive an income are no longer values we can blithely assume. So before we start criticising our youth, an audit of how we would fared in today’s climate might be sobering.
Yes, the world is a different place. But I haven’t changed … much.
Travels from Ur 