These years are some of our most formative. I also developed inordinate hate for chicken nuggets and I still refuse to touch one. Think about it: I became a New York Mets fan around this age, while my whole family loved the Chicago Cubs, and I still am decades later (even through the very bad years). In fact, this is when many of their likes and dislikes are formed. Perhaps they already have a very basic idea about what field they would flourish in, even if they don’t know exactly the role they will hold.Ĭhildren in the primary grades are actually pretty observant. In any case, we should consider their response to the question much more than we do. As we half listen, we smile, say that’s good and then seldom give it another thought. Traditionally, Career Discussion Starts Early but Not seriouslyĪll of us ask children what they want to be when they grow up. If we help our elementary students construct a plan and set goals for their future from the elementary school years, we can only keep them more engaged.Īfter all, engaged students from K–12 are 4.5 times more likely to be confident about their futures compared to those who are not. Further, in high school, a mere 4 out of 10 students are actively engaged.īut there’s something we can do about this: Start earlier. By middle school, only 6 in 10 students are engaged. A 2012 Gallup Student Poll showed that 8 in 10 elementary students are actively engaged in school. There are things we can do to ensure each student has at least an idea about the career they want to pursue. Still, as educators, this is something that falls on us, too. This inevitably leads to them choosing classes or jumping into careers with no strategy (or passion) behind it. However, it still does surprise me when high school and college students admittedly state they have no idea what they want to do for a career. I like to think that I have seen it all by now. How early should students start planning their futures? Consider spending some time on career exploration for elementary students.Īs someone who has taught college, high school, and elementary, nothing really shocks me anymore.
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