Biz Educators ~> Teaching Resources
Turning Personal Interests into Opportunities
By Brad Dodson, Education Editor
In the book, Do What You Love: The Money Will Follow, author Marsha Sinetar writes about a national poll given in the late 1980s finding that 95% of American workers disliked the work they did. In response, she expressed the need for people to seek a new approach to work; find a way to do what you love for a job. Sinetar pointed to the fact that “work is a natural vehicle for self-expression” and questioned why we find it acceptable to “turn off our personality, squelch our real abilities, (and) forget our need for stimulation and personal growth (for) forty hours out of every week.”
Since the publication of her book, and the What Color Is Your Parachute series, an entirely new mindset has emerged about the approach to occupation selection. Check any of the recently published career/job search books and you’ll find that nearly all have an emphasis on the importance of gearing work towards “what you love” for optimal success and satisfaction.
But do we afford our students the same theory in their “work”, getting an education? For students, going to school is a job, and for many of us, it’s the longest single stretch of “work” we will do. Yet student success is sliding in many areas, even when technology is at its highest capability to help and money is readily available.
This is even more true among at-risk students and the programs that serve them.
The frustrations of teaching are plentiful, and the challenges faced by teachers of at-risk students are even more overwhelming. Not only are these students faced with obstacles in their lives, many times these obstacles carry over into the classroom. Frequently this creates a dangerous unspoken belief in pre-determined failure within these students. As educators and mentors, we find ourselves working to find ways to reach and connect with our at-risk students to inspire them towards believing in themselves. Along the way, we also hope to find ways to instill in them the value of an education and the means to be successful.
This is a daunting task when students show little interest in the classroom subjects we are trying to teach. It is common to witness students staring blankly at an open textbook and not trying to do the work. Generally preoccupied with something else, students sum up their frustration with phrases such as, “This is stupid,” or “I don’t have to know this.” But we know that they will need to know it, so how do we reach them? The truth is, you have to let them reach out to you. Use the theory prescribed in today’s occupational books and apply “what you love” towards your approach to motivating and teaching.
The best way to get the attention of at-risk students is to use what grabs their attention. These are not traditional students, so it’s only natural that it will take a non-traditional approach to instruct them. Whatever the factor is that puts these students in an at-risk category, every single one has an interest, hobby, or fascination with something. This is usually the object of pre-occupation when in the learning environment. Turn to these things as tools in your teaching and you will find not only the attention you’ve been seeking, but also a devotion to what is being examined and taught.
While many at-risk students have a belief that they are doomed to a life of failure, they do have dreams and aspirations. They are afraid to share them for fear of rejection or ridicule. Share stories of others who have overcome obstacles and use the dreams and interests they have to form your approach to lessons. A student interested in music probably has no idea of the importance of math in music. Bring in material illustrating this. Talk to them about math as it is applied in several different areas of music. For example, musicians use math to keep measure when writing and performing, they use it to mark and mix studio tracks during recording, and they need it to track finances and balance their budget. Without math, they couldn’t survive.
For this same interest, history and geography would be a snap. Students could learn geography through exploring the different genres and styles of music and finding out where they originated. Do they know where jazz started? What about bluegrass, reggae, and rap? With history, students could do unlimited research on what impact historical events had on music. They could even write reports on specific songs and genres that were born from a specific historical occurrence. Oh, say can you see, what’s going on here? Learning about science in music is even easier. Technology and music go hand in hand -- you could teach how basic science is applied to form technologies used in music. Examples include the development of plastics for CDs and cases, use of MIDI to link instruments with computers, and how a piece of plastic, ribbon, or vinyl can produce sound.
Regardless of the student’s interest, or “love,” this approach can be applied to teaching all subjects. A student interested in construction can be shown how math is necessary for measuring accurately to ensure the smallest amount of materials necessary are purchased for a job, thus ensuring more profit. Science can affect the stability of constructed items and be necessary to interpret what method of construction will enhance the quality and lifespan of what is being constructed. History is important to learn styles and methods of building. We still use Roman arches and theory, as well as those of countless other civilizations. To be an expert, you would need to know these. As you can see, it works for everyone’s interests.
It does take extra effort on the teacher’s part to plan and organize, but is well worth the result. If you think it’s not feasible, or the cost is too high considering time, then perhaps it’s time to question whether you “love” what you’re doing.
Sinetar, Marsha. Do
What You Love: The Money Will Follow. Mahweh,
NJ: Paulist Press, 1987.
Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color Is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2000.