As a Teacher in a High School and Senior College, I know my work is done when students no longer need me to learn. It is the time when students have developed the skills to hunt down new information and to work things out for themselves. This also means developing the ability to draw on others for advice and help. Becoming independent and growing up is not about doing things on your own, but learning to ask the right question, from the right person, at the right time.
Our Class 10, 11 and 12 students attended the annual Careers Expo in Canberra this week, where they were presented with ideas and options from an extraordinary range of universities, technical colleges, and firms from a variety of industries. This opportunity was created to expose students to the range of options they have available to them when they leave school. For some students at Orana it is just around the corner, for others it may seem like a very long way away. For some it is an exciting thought where clear goals have been set and a direction is known, for others it feels daunting and unnavigable.
This week, I caught myself asking that one question which is often impossible to answer for young people, and that was ‘what do you want to do when you leave school?’. I saw this student shift uneasily in their chair, and I knew immediately I have headed down the wrong path with him. There were so many better questions I could have asked. Knowing what the elusive adult goal of ‘work’ looks like, that chosen job which appears to define people, seems like a decision which is so final for students. It is hard to impress on young people that they have choice, they can change their minds, and to simply enjoy the opportunities in life as they arise.
I remember my son being rather upset on the way to school the morning of his final Year 12 Maths exam. I gently quizzed him as to what the problem was, and he said, ‘what if I choose the wrong thing?’. ‘In the Maths exam?’ I asked. And he then went on the say, ‘no Mum, in life.’ We had had many conversations of life after school and what he was going to do, but obviously the world of ‘adulting’ was still so unclear, and it took me by surprise. We talked about how it was more important to concentrate on the type of person you want to be in life not just what you want to do. We talked about what he loved, and what he did well. And before he knew it, he had drawn up a nice list of lots of different goals and activities. My advice was to start at the top, and work your way down your list. Try it all if you’d like. Finding that one thing that you are meant to do, or role you are meant to play, is not the aim.
In short, my son chose to take a gap year, which made me nervous. He was told that he could stay at home as long as he was ‘earning’ or ‘learning’ – anything, it did not matter. But the idea of sitting on the couch with his friends, playing games and raiding the fridge all day was not going to be an option. The finance degree at uni was deferred in the end, and an electrical apprenticeship taken on. And I don’t think I have seen him happier.
Our students returned from the Expo having learned lots, and I trust with a mindset for setting some goals and making their lists. These are exciting discussions to share with our students, and we welcome the chance to support you too with these conversations.
Susan Pascoe
Deputy High School and Senior College.
