Ken Coleman says, “your sweet spot lies at the intersection of your greatest strength and your greatest passion.” I quoted that to my 16-year-old son the other day as we were discussing what he wants to be when he grows up.
It’s a shame kids these days need to start laying the bricks of the path they’ll take early. It’s tough to be a ‘well rounded’ individual when you get pigeon-holed as a young adult. Soccer player or theater kid? Nerd or goofball? Good at math or English? College bound or trade school? Teens these days learn early on to “stay in their lane,” and believe it’s not acceptable to cross those lines or question them.
My son Joe is exceptionally good with kids. As a camp counselor, children adored him, and the leaders of the camp would come to get him if certain campers were having a meltdown. Somehow, Joe knew how to calm the kids down and make them feel better. He is a great mentor to the little ones, a great teacher.
Joe is also acutely aware that some professional teachers should never have pursued education. All of my children have experienced the occasional inept educator throughout their school years. You know the ones I’m talking about - we had one woman who consistently fell asleep at her desk during class, one who cried a few times a week in front of the class about her divorce, another teacher who never posted grades until the day before report cards came out, and one who was asked to leave the district due to inappropriate behavior with children.
Of course, I believe that most teachers deserve a million-dollar paycheck, love educating young minds, and have dedication beyond belief. It’s the few bad apples that unfortunately slip through the cracks sometimes.
My husband and I told Joe once that we thought he would make a great teacher. He was patient, good with kids, funny, smart, and personable. Joe was flattered, and it was quickly set in his head that he would, therefore, be a teacher when he grew up.
Only come to find out in our more recent conversations, Joe’s not sure if he really wants to be a teacher, he just doesn’t have a clue what else he could do well!
So that brought us to the Ken Coleman quote. I said to Joe, “think about what you LOVE to do, and what you’re GOOD at doing. Start there.” And so, even though he’s only sixteen, he has been contemplating all of it: what subjects in school are easy for him, what's enjoyable, what AP courses should he sign up for his junior year, what hobby does he love, where should he apply for his first job, what are his strengths, does he want to go to college?
I’ve encouraged Joe to play with exploring and getting to know himself better. I want him to have FUN figuring out who he is, because now is the time to do it. The pressure kids put on themselves today is crazy. Life changes, and their choices (especially the ones they are making in their teenage years,) are fleeting, not set in stone. It’s their job to learn to successfully navigate those changes because even if they think the path they’re following is one they'll remain on forever, I will wager that’s not the case.
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